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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
I always live a book set in London. It’s 1920s and Nellie Coker runs a couple of nightclubs in Soho with her large family. Girls have been going missing in London and a young lady from Yorkshire has arrived to search for two local girls that have run away to find fame in London. There is deceit and corruption and underhand dealings throughout. A typical Kate Atkinson of many interconnected threads which only come together at the end. The characters were fun and the location was well described. An enjoyable read.
adventurous
inspiring
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was in the bookstore and happened to look up. "Why are you keeping Kate so high?" I asked the woman behind the counter.
It doesn't matter why, because in a few moments, I had my brand new hardcover in my hot little hands and I was already diving into the jazzy, euphoric, dangerous world of London speakeasies in the mid 1920s. And I wasn't going to emerge until I was darned good and –– oh, darn! What a pleasure it was.
It doesn't matter why, because in a few moments, I had my brand new hardcover in my hot little hands and I was already diving into the jazzy, euphoric, dangerous world of London speakeasies in the mid 1920s. And I wasn't going to emerge until I was darned good and –– oh, darn! What a pleasure it was.
This is the first book I've read by Kate Atkinson, and it won't be the last.
The Shrines of Gaiety follows a number of characters whose lives are woven increasingly to collide as the story builds to its end.
Initially, I wasn't sure about the characters and their stories and came close to putting this down, but it was only a chapter or so later where something had me reading on and I'm glad I stuck with it as the stories of the characters gradually melds to a semi-satisfying conclusion. I say semi because, whilst the author explains what happens to the main characters, I wasn't happy with the outcomes of some of them.
We discover in the afterword that the story of the Nellie Coker character is based on the life of Kate Meyrick, Queen of the Soho nightclub scene. I'd never heard of her, so it was interesting to learn about her life and those who surrounded her using fictional characters.
I definitely recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction and especially if you're interested in the history of London c.1920s.
The Shrines of Gaiety follows a number of characters whose lives are woven increasingly to collide as the story builds to its end.
Initially, I wasn't sure about the characters and their stories and came close to putting this down, but it was only a chapter or so later where something had me reading on and I'm glad I stuck with it as the stories of the characters gradually melds to a semi-satisfying conclusion. I say semi because, whilst the author explains what happens to the main characters, I wasn't happy with the outcomes of some of them.
We discover in the afterword that the story of the Nellie Coker character is based on the life of Kate Meyrick, Queen of the Soho nightclub scene. I'd never heard of her, so it was interesting to learn about her life and those who surrounded her using fictional characters.
I definitely recommend this book if you enjoy historical fiction and especially if you're interested in the history of London c.1920s.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not my favourite of her books but she does write well.
A soapy crime novel overstuffed with characters, with the main conflict between law and order and the 1926 London nightclub underworld, though deception and jostling for power are rife on both sides. I found the coming of age Freda the most endearing as she navigates a harsh Dickensian landscape, and tempers her search for stardom. A disappointing ending as storylines are finished in a rushed and cavalier manner.
A twisting rollercoaster ride through the underworld of 1920s London, told with dark, mischievous wit. It follows a vividly drawn cast of characters connected by a group of Soho nightclubs run by the hard-nosed Nellie Coker with help from her four daughters and two sons. Into this world comes former librarian Gwendolen Kelling who has come to London from York to find her friend’s runaway teenage sister, Freda Murgatroyd, and her friend, Florence. She joins forces with Detective Chief Inspector John Frobisher who is trying to clean up Soho as well as tackle corruption in the police force, including a dodgy officer called Maddox.
As Nellie Coker struggles to save her clubs from aggressive attempts at a takeover, Frobisher and Miss Kelling try to find Freda and Florence and solve the mystery of other missing girls as an increasing number of dead bodies wash up on the banks of the Thames.
Like Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie novels, crimes are solved more by chance than detection, and sometimes not at all, and are part of a wider, intricately plotted character-led story. Set in 1926, it neatly captures the period, from the post-war hedonism to cultural crazes such as Egyptology and the Bright Young Things. And its ending leaves the door open for a possible follow-up for at least one of the characters.
As Nellie Coker struggles to save her clubs from aggressive attempts at a takeover, Frobisher and Miss Kelling try to find Freda and Florence and solve the mystery of other missing girls as an increasing number of dead bodies wash up on the banks of the Thames.
Like Kate Atkinson’s Jackson Brodie novels, crimes are solved more by chance than detection, and sometimes not at all, and are part of a wider, intricately plotted character-led story. Set in 1926, it neatly captures the period, from the post-war hedonism to cultural crazes such as Egyptology and the Bright Young Things. And its ending leaves the door open for a possible follow-up for at least one of the characters.
I really enjoyed the characters in this book, and I loved the picture of interwar London that Atkinson painted. It lost a star for the oddly abrupt ending, though.
Kate Atkinson is always enjoyable and there was so much to like in this very anticipated library loan. However, it took a bit too long to get a grip of - I was waiting for something major to happen, only to realise that I had read more than half. Don't get me wrong - her characters, settings and langauge is as good as always, but it didn't capture me as much as her previous novels.