New Novel Recalls Roaring Twenties Ballroom Romance

In her latest novel, Lumina, North Carolina author Mary Flinn takes readers on a journey through time. Lumina was a beautiful beach pavilion where dances were held every Saturday night during the first half of the 20th century in Wilmington, North Carolina. Now Flinn takes us back to the days of the Roaring Twenties when young ladies wore beaded skirts and young men secretly drank whiskey when the dance matron wasn’t looking. It was an era of cultural change, marked by the first real sexual revolution, Prohibition, the introduction of jazz, and a time when music formed a bond between many whites and African-Americans.

Readers of Mary Flinn’s earlier novels will relish this opportunity to once again immerse themselves in her world. Although Lumina is her first historical romance, old favorites of hers make appearances for her in the form of Elle McLarin and some of her friends, Nate, Anne Borden Montgomery (AB) and Mr. May, from A Girl Like That. The story begins when Anne Borden finds a novel based on her mother’s diary and her uncle’s letters from the summer of 1928. The four friends begin the routine of sitting on Anne Borden’s front porch and reading the novel in voice aloud. As they do so, readers get alternate glimpses of the changing world of the characters today as they hear the endearing, yet sometimes shocking story of Anne Borden’s Uncle Kip and her mother Sylvie and the Summer That Changed. their lives.

At the center of it all is Lumina, the magnificent dance pavilion built on Wilmington’s Wrightsville Beach. Known as the “Palace of Light,” it was the place to be on a Saturday night. As Kip describes it in the novel, “Lumina is the great equalizer for young people who are out to have a little fun and celebrate the happiness of youth. The best bands come there to play during the summer and thousands of people from all walks of life life: tourists and locals, middle class and aristocrats alike, arrive to dance the night away on a Saturday night. Lots of romances have been born in Lumina, I’ll tell you.” It is also a place for excitement and escapism. Kip says at one point in the novel, referring to the hours between eight and midnight: “We were perfect for four more hours.” It was a time when life seemed perfect.

It was also a time when you could meet anyone at dances. Kip and Sylvie come from a middle-class family. Their father owns a clothing store, but in Lumina they have the opportunity to rub shoulders with the Carmichaels, the Clifton brothers and Catherine, among the richest people in North Carolina, friends of the Vanderbilts, attractive and charming, at least on the surface. . Kip instantly falls for Catherine and begins a whirlwind romance with her. Clifton clings to Sylvie, who can’t believe such a handsome gentleman is interested in her.

But both Clifton and Catherine have their demons, and as the novel progresses, secrets are revealed that threaten the young couples’ relationships.

Lumina is the perfect escape book, and yet it is serious fiction, as serious as anything Fitzgerald has written. There’s a villain to rival Emily Bronte’s Heathcliff, and a sense of social injustice as strong as To Kill a Mockingbird. There are cozy evenings on a porch that recall a past when neighbors took time to talk to each other. There are fast cars and short skirts and a sense that the world is changing, no matter how much the characters wish they could freeze time.

Every page is full of life, longing, and romance, and Flinn knows how to keep the story moving so readers can catch their breath when things get too intense, while keeping us constantly in suspense.

My favorite section was near the end when The Shag, the great ball of the time, is presented after the Pirate Party. It’s a perfect build-up to the climax that effortlessly blends history and fiction. If you’re not familiar with Shag, it might not sound like much, but when you read the novel, you’ll get goosebumps during these scenes. Flinn knows how to pace his story so readers are helplessly caught up in emotion, like they’re riding a roller coaster. Time cannot be frozen, but these scenes in the novel become so intense that they remain permanently etched in the reader’s memory as golden moments to remember. Few novelists have this ability, and while Flinn makes everything sound easy, it’s the result of years of mastering his craft.

Hollywood is dying to tell stories like this. The twinkling lights of Lumina, the music that hits the beach, the stunning dresses, the smell of gin, southern charm, and family secrets that won’t die—they’re all here, making The Great Gatsby look like child’s play.

If you want a magical and romantic reading experience, Lumina will captivate you.