Stepping onto the floor of Sunderland’s means stepping into a whole new glamorous world for two women whose lives and loves are forever changed by their time working at the famous Department Store in downtown Montreal in the 1940s and 1950s.
Sunderland’s is the place to be — The Mecca of Luxury — when shopping for a blouse, a pair of shoes, lipstick, or fragrance was met with displays of lavishness and luxuriousness, shoppers met with impeccable sales manners, and where women could spend entire days, enjoying a slice of independence acceptable during these eras.
After Lilly leaves her husband, she can’t believe her luck getting a job at Sunderland’s, where she finds more than the self-sufficiency she yearns for. She meets another Jewish woman, Vivian, a sharp-tongued, vivacious, whirlwind. They become best friends and face antisemitism, sexism, and rejection — all imposed on them, when Jews were not “normally” hired — while also testing the limits of their own very different ambitions.
When Vivian almost loses everything, she’s worked so hard for, and Lilly decides on a fresh start, the pair will never be the same. Their friendship might not survive, no matter how significant it played in their lives.
Inspired by Simpson’s Department Store, in Montreal, this charming and contemplative novel, where readers can’t help but root for these women, also serves as a prime reminder that dark forces can lurk
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Talking Points:
* 200 department stores shuttered in the past two years, and another 800 — roughly half North America’s remaining locations are expected to fold within five years. What is it about the glory days of department stores she wanted to set her novel in?
*Nostalgia aspect: Once operated by Simpsons, the St. Regis Room offered some of the most exclusive fashion collections in Canada. Christian Dior, Oscar de la Renta, Yves Saint Laurent, Claude Montana, André Courrèges. Celebrities were constantly streaming into the store for talks, book signings, fashion shows on an almost daily basis.
* Nordstrom, as an example, says its decision to leave Canada was financial, but some retail analysts think the luxury department store failure signals bigger problems in the Canadian retail market. Sharon can speak to how upset she was about Nordstrom’s closing.
* The big department store could be numbered, struggling to remain relevant, in the age of Amazon. How did she capture the spirit of the glory days of department stores and why they were so important?
*At its height, a trip to a department store wasn’t just about making purchases, it was a day-long excursion. Why was this so important to females/women at this time? (A “permitted” or “acceptable” way for women to have some independence.”
* Many people don’t realize how prevalent anti-semitism was in Canada, just a few decades ago. Why was it important for her to feature to Jewish protagonists? Examples of how Jews were treated at work/shopping.
* Inspired by Simpson’s department store in Montreal, where Sharon grew up. How much did she base on Simpson’s and/or other department stores in their glory days? What are her memories/her mothers/her grandmothers?
*What is the appeal of novels about female friendships/historical fiction?
About The Author — Sharon Neiss-Arbess
After Sharon graduated from Concordia University’s Communication Studies program in Montreal and Algonquin College’s Creative Advertising program in Ottawa, writing novels had to wait a few years to fulfill her dream of being a copywriter in Toronto.
Once Sharon’s children were born, she left the advertising world and became the CEO of the Neiss/Arbess household. Duties included mastering the act of breastfeeding, driving carpool, becoming a short order cook, and volunteering at her children’s schools, synagogues, and several charity organizations.
During this time, the writing bug began to fly around Sharon’s ear, so, she began to write at her local coffee shop where her debut novel and middle school cult classic Me and My So-Called Friends was written. Once published and distributed, the feedback was tremendous and triggered a need for additional related resources. Together with an educator, Sharon produced a teacher’s manual called Brave the Waves. Sharon’s love for writing YA was continued with her second book Get Up, which contains a collection of meaningful short stories, functional exercises, and inspirational quotes from mentors.
Sharon has written for several online magazines, has been featured in Living Legacies, a Collection of Narratives by Contemporary Jewish Women, The Toronto Star, and writes blogs on her website about really cool people, insanely easy recipes, and what she thinks the world should know.
