Finally finished my lastest bit of reading. Lost Girls is an excellent piece for the well read in both culture and history. It is surprisingly well layered, hidden delights awaiting the active mind.
Three characters from famous fiction meet each other at an Austrian hotel. Alice, an aging aristocrat. Wendy, a middle class housewife. Dorathy, a young woman wanting to explore the world.
The reader learns that the fantasy worlds each of these girls constructed was a way of coming to terms with their earliest sexual experiences. By sharing their stories, the lost girls find themselves as grown women.
It is set against the background of the spark that ignites WW1. The loss of their innocence juxtaposed against the loss of innocence for all human kind. A moment of indulgence, laid on the cusp of the death of decadence.
The art work is stunning, and often quite symbolic, little details that are easy to miss tease the eyes. The way the styles change is fascinating and obviously intentional. My favorite part is the book inside the book... The Austrian hotel has an erotic graphic novel of it's own which we get to read along with the various characters.
It is at times ludicrous, vulgar and cheeky. However, it also contains some of the most passionate and sensual words I've ever read. It is a large hard cover, not easily hidden. However, well worth the adventure if you dare.