A nostalgic tale about three high school girls in the late 1960s who attach themselves to a rock and roll band and go along for a wild ride.
A rock and roll band called Homegrown shakes the rafters of its suburban high school during the social and political upheaval of the late 1960s. Preston, the founder and lead guitarist, chooses ballad-singing Neal as his keyboardist and football player Brad as his drummer. When the band moves on to college, it becomes immersed in the anti-war movement and personal controversy as Brad is replaced with drama major Clive.
The band takes off for England to pursue a dubious lead, accompanied by the girls who love them: Candy, an aspiring journalist; Hope, whose dream is to model and design fashions; and Theda, who plans a career in the theatre and considers her musical talents equal to anyone’s. The women follow the musicians to a pacifist commune in Scotland and later to UCLA. Along the way, they hook up with a famous folk singer, a flaky manager, and a radical college instructor.
Undermined by love rivals, partying lifestyles, and the growing stardom of the musicians, the girls still refuse to settle for being mere “handmaidens of rock.” When a revenge-minded Brad catches up to the band at a festival and triggers an explosion, they rise from the ashes as grown women.
Excerpt
The band proceeded to play three original tunes. First was the sexy and outrageous “Hot Teacher in Tights,” followed by the upbeat “Grooving under the Desk.” The dancers on the floor seemed to embrace these songs. But they stumbled over “Revolution for Amateurs,” with its solemn beat and its command to “follow me” into a possibly turbulent future. Candy could tell that the song traced Preston’s political evolution from a wannabe anarchist to a total pacifist to an activist. The way his voice soared, intense and scratchy on the high notes, gave her shivers. She tried to make eye contact with him to
prove she got the message.
And then it happened: he saw her. For a few moments he seemed to be preaching to her alone. He tossed his red head, as if to get a better look at her. His eyes strayed and then returned. She held her own gaze bravely on him and felt rewarded when he winked. It was obviously not a rejection, but it was impossible to know what it did mean. She
centered herself strategically before the stage and saw him nod. She would wait there for him, as long as it took to wrap up the show.
Professional Reviews
A Nostalgic Subject From A Special Time
There is little that I can say here that was not stated in my review of Linda Gould's earlier book, The Rock Star's Homecoming. You can refer to that review for the flowery prose. In no uncertain terms, Handmaidens of Rock is Linda's best work yet, easily deserving of five stars. The author has a genuine knack for taking us back to a nostalgic, more starry-eyed era with her novels. Surely Ms. Gould is writing at least somewhat based on her real experiences! The prose is so clear, the plot twists so familiar from that special time. Do not be put off by the imprint! As with this author's previous books, Handmaidens of Rock is a thoroughly professional work in every way, from its style to its editing to its proofreading.
The story is a familiar one that occurred all across the USA back in the 1968-74 period in which the action is set. A few naive young men start a band in high school and try to develop it into a famous professional outfit. Linda Gould offers a new perspective as the story is told by three girlfriends of the band members. The plot twists are grounded just enough to be believable in that remarkable era. All the characters, both primary and secondary, are carefully presented with just the right amount of detail. As a lifelong music fan and a concert promoter during that period, I personally lived through similar experiences. Linda Gould is a genuinely accomplished writer who deserves recognition.
A Remarkable Novel
Starting in Maryland in the late sixties, 'Handmaidens of Rock' follows the lives and loves of three high school counterparts as they latch on to a local rock band, become its groupies, and set off together in pursuit of fame, fortune and all things psychedelic and mellow. Travelling throughout Europe, peace and free love soon give way to the reality of life on the road, and the girls are faced with some difficult choices, challenges and consequences of their maturing quest to establish themselves and their autonomy. By the end of the story, so much will have changed.
This book not only has depth and substance but also offers more than enough nostalgia to satisfy readers hungry to re-experience those exciting years of cultural and political transition. Gould uses a multi-perspective approach to deepen the characterisation and achieves this to very good effect. This starts off as a gentle, slow and easy process that ultimately becomes an engaging and compelling read, with plenty of twists and turns along the way. Unfamiliar with this genre, I did not expect any action scenes, but there were several and I was particularly impressed by Gould's writing in this respect.
I found this a remarkable novel, and one that has been brought to the market with considerable professionalism and attention to detail. The quality of the product is outstanding (I read the e-book) and Gould must have spent many long hours labouring over her manuscript to achieve such excellence.
'Handmaidens of Rock' is an entertaining, intelligent read that's more than worthy of anyone's time. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
A Passion For Rock And Roll
Handmaidens of Rock was particularly appealing to me because of its subject area. Most writing on rock and roll tends to focus on the big names. That isn’t the case here. Instead, the story follows three young women with their own dreams and interests in addition to a passion about rock and roll. I loved the way that the girls were portrayed and the way that they grew throughout the novel. One of the worst things that writers can do is to keep their characters stagnant throughout the novel, but that certainly didn’t happen here. The story did start a little slow, but to be honest, I found that to engaging in its own way. This novel is perfect for anyone interested in rock and roll, but it’s also great for anyone who loves a good story.
The deep-dive literary meditations presented as stories, poems, and essays in The American Poet Who Went Home Again, A Mosaic of My Soul at Work, have captivated and inspired readers ever since its first paperback publication in 2008.
Hearts of Gold
Synopsis
by
Frank P. Whyte
Portland, Oregon is known as the City of Roses. Of course that’s an odd name for a city whose mere mention conjures images of driving winds and torrential ra
