Shopgirls - by Jessica Anya Blau (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Nineteen-year-old Zippy can hardly believe it: she's the newest and youngest salesgirl at I. Magnin, "San Francisco's Finest Department Store." Every week, she rotates her three spruced-up Salvation Army outfits and Vaseline-shined pumps; still, she's thrilled to walk those pumps through the employee entrance five days a week as she saves to buy something new. For a girl who grew up in a one-bedroom apartment above a liquor store with her mother and her mother's madcap boyfriend, Howard; a girl who wanted to go to college but had no help in figuring out how; I. Magnin represents a real chance for a better and more elegant life. Or, at the very least, a more interesting one. Zippy may not be in school, but she's about to get an education that will stick with her for decades. Her fellow salesgirls (lifetime professionals) run the gamut from mean and indifferent to caring and helpful. The cosmetics ladies on the first floor share both samples and advice ("only date a man with a Rolex"); and her new roommate, Raquel, an ambitious lawyer, tells Zippy she can lose ten pounds easy if she joins Raquel in eating only every other day. Just when Zippy thinks she's getting a handle on how to be an adult woman in 1985, two surprises threaten both her sense of self and her coveted position at I. Magnin. Set in the Day-Glo colors of 1980s San Francisco, Shopgirls is an intoxicating novel of self-discovery, outrageous fashion, and family both biological and found."--Provided by publisher

Book Synopsis

From the author of the "delightful" (New York Times Book Review) Mary Jane, a new novel of found family, growing up, and the best and worst of the 1980s, revolving around San Francisco's most exclusive department store, I. Magnin.

Nineteen-year-old Zippy can hardly believe it: she's the newest and youngest salesgirl at I. Magnin, "San Francisco's Finest Department Store." Every week, she rotates her three spruced-up Salvation Army outfits and Vaseline-shined pumps; still, she's thrilled to walk those pumps through the employee entrance five days a week as she saves to buy something new. For a girl who grew up in a one-bedroom apartment above a liquor store with her mother and her mother's madcap boyfriend, Howard; a girl who wanted to go to college but had no help in figuring out how; I. Magnin represents a real chance for a better and more elegant life. Or, at the very least, a more interesting one.

Zippy may not be in school, but she's about to get an education that will stick with her for decades. Her fellow salesgirls (lifetime professionals) run the gamut from mean and indifferent to caring and helpful. The cosmetics ladies on the first floor share both samples and advice ("only date a man with a Rolex"); and her new roommate, Raquel, an ambitious lawyer, tells Zippy she can lose ten pounds easy if she joins Raquel in eating only every other day. Just when Zippy thinks she's getting a handle on how to be an adult woman in 1985, two surprises threaten both her sense of self and her coveted position at I. Magnin.

Set in the Day-Glo colors of 1980s San Francisco, Shopgirls is an intoxicating novel of self-discovery, outrageous fashion, and family both biological and found.

Review Quotes

"Vintage-loving fashionistas will eat this one up."
-- Oprah Daily

"A 19-year-old shopgirl comes of age in the charming latest from Blau... Zippy is a delightful character, and it's a joy to watch her find herself... Readers will be smitten with this totally '80s romp." -- Publishers Weekly

"A quirky fairy tale with a vibrantly realized setting and a wonderfully outrageous twist." -- Kirkus Reviews

"[A]n optimistic coming-of-age story that includes a host of eccentric characters and depicts life in San Francisco in the 1980s... A sweet story set in a simpler time with a happy ending." -- Library Journal

"Zippy is all heart and unforgettable. What shines the brightest is Blau's dazzling world building of 1980s San Francisco. The women of Zippy's world--her roommate, coworkers, mother, and customers--bring to life the extremely varied expectations for women in the era, creating an altogether beautiful pastiche." -- Booklist

"The exclusive department store where our wide-eyed and big-hearted protagonist, Zippy, finds her calling--and herself--exudes a timeless feel made all the more nostalgic for knowing that so many places like this have become the stuff of history in our fast-fashion, online world. A lovely exploration of a young woman becoming her own person against a backdrop of fraught times with a gentle sex and the city vibe."
-- Kim van Alkemade, author of Orphan #8 and Bachelor Girl