The Subway Girls

A Novel

By: Susie Orman Schnall

Narrated by: Barrie Kreinik

Length: 8 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

From Susie Orman Schnall, author of The Balance Project, comes a dual-timeline audiobook featuring a 1949 Miss Subways contestant and a modern-day advertising executive whose careers and lives intersect. 

In 1949, dutiful and ambitious Charlotte's dream of a career in advertising is shattered when her father demands she help out with the family business. Meanwhile, Charlotte is swept into the glamorous world of the Miss Subways beauty contest, which promises irresistible opportunities with its Park Avenue luster and local fame status. But when her new friend - the intriguing and gorgeous fellow-participant Rose - does something unforgivable, Charlotte must make a heart-wrenching decision that will change the lives of those around her forever. 

Nearly 70 years later, outspoken advertising executive Olivia is pitching the NYC subways account in a last ditch effort to save her job at an advertising agency. When the charismatic boss she’s secretly in love with pits her against her misogynistic nemesis, Olivia’s urgent search for the winning strategy leads her to the historic Miss Subways campaign. As the pitch date closes in on her, Olivia finds herself dealing with a broken heart, an unlikely new love interest, and an unexpected personal connection to Miss Subways that could save her job - and her future. 

The Subway Girls is the charming story of two strong women, a generation apart, who find themselves up against the same eternal struggle to find an impossible balance between love, happiness, and ambition. 

"Schnall has written a book that is smart and timely...Feels perfect for fans of Beatriz Williams and Liza Klaussmann." (Taylor Jenkins Reid, acclaimed author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo) 

"A fast-paced, clever novel filled with romantic possibilities, high-stakes decisions, and harsh realities. Perfect for fans of Fiona Davis’s The Dollhouse, this engrossing tale highlights the role that ambition, sexism, and true love will forever play in women’s lives." (Amy Poeppel, author of Small Admissions)

©2018 Susie Orman Schnall (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

So disappointing....

I'm going to be blunt, this started off at (5) stars, but went downhill in the final chapters. The author seemed to suddenly shift from a historical focus ( the "subway girls" promtion ) to a sappy romance with all the requisite melodrama. Not only that, she had her characters "speaking" in cliches about difficult life choices, the obstacles for women in business-related employment, and the value of family. It was a big disappointment after such an interesting beginning. Loved the narrator, though. Barrie Kreinik is one of the best.

Great story

Enjoyed the story and it was very well told.
3 stars for narration because my only complaint with the narrator is that for the present day women in NYC she used what I would consider a Valley girl accent, nothing at all like a New York accent. But other than that the narration was quite good.

Loved it

First time in awhile I couldn’t put a book down. Maybe it was the time period, the way the story was told, the relationships, all of the above. I just found it so charming and enjoyable.

Stellar Story & Narration

I tend to gravitate towards non-fiction but this story really captivated me I could hardly wait to hear what happened the narrator was especially talented at creating all the different voices of the characters I truly love this book