Summary

In Chapter 11, Lillian throws a party at her apartment in the Upper East Side. It is 1933, so her boyfriend at the time, Bennie, brings illegal alcohol. Helen has married a man named Dwight, and they have one child together. Lillian has invited her “archrival” Olive to the party, and Olive is drinking too much and behaving badly (108). Olive accuses Lillian of playing the role of the happy single girl while still dreaming “of her wedding day” (113). Lillian mounts a “controlled” response to Olive, but Olive will not quit. Later, the two argue about the benefits of living in the city; Olive insists that Lillian would eventually move to the suburbs too, where Olive herself lives. A year later, Olive and Lillian have another battle. During her lunch hour, Olive purchases the expensive perfume Lillian is wearing. Still, despite her understanding of advertising, Lillian...