Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Scandalous Women by Gill Paul. 5 Stars. I could not put this book down! I will admit I’ve read my share of Jackie Collins novels. They’re racy, smutty, and I loved them! I think I’ve read Jacqueline Susann’s novel, Once is not Enough, but not positive. This is a story of the fictional friendship between these women. The authors note admits that even though they shared a publisher, there’s no evidence they ever met. But boy, this book had me convinced that they had!
This is historical fiction at its finest. Ms. Paul shares the story and in the background the events of the time are unfolding-the Manson murders, Nixon, Hollywood. It was so engrossing! I love a story about female friendship, female empowerment and this book was all of that.
If you love these authors, loved the female authors of the 80s, 90s, and on through today who were empowered because these women paved the way, pick this book up!
Thank you to @thoughtsfromapage, Cindy Burnett and @williammorrowbooks for the advanced copy of #scandalouswomen. I read this as a travelling galley as a patron of the Thoughts from a Page podcast.
This is historical fiction at its finest. Ms. Paul shares the story and in the background the events of the time are unfolding-the Manson murders, Nixon, Hollywood. It was so engrossing! I love a story about female friendship, female empowerment and this book was all of that.
If you love these authors, loved the female authors of the 80s, 90s, and on through today who were empowered because these women paved the way, pick this book up!
Thank you to @thoughtsfromapage, Cindy Burnett and @williammorrowbooks for the advanced copy of #scandalouswomen. I read this as a travelling galley as a patron of the Thoughts from a Page podcast.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Alcohol, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Ableism, Forced institutionalization, Trafficking, Stalking
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief
The story had a quick pace, and the characters' stories were engaging. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
This was a fairly good historical fiction novel, but it often failed to keep my interest. Thank you to Edelweiss+ for the ARC.
I love getting a look into an author’s life to see how their writing brain works and Scandalous Women is just that at a much deeper dive. This is a look into not only how they write but also into how they had to work so hard to get into a man’s world and be taken seriously. The success they both received was not equal to the work they put into their writing.
This book had me wanting to know more, to read another chapter, and to learn more. As I read I felt like I was living life alongside the “Jackies.” I felt their pain at the many bumps in their roads and I celebrated their successes as their dreams came true. Both authors had similar book lives with their taboo sex scenes and struggles to show that there were readers out there for their books. Their personal lives included men behind them who supported them but beyond that, their lives were very different.
Scandalous Women is an amazing historical fiction about two authors that I enjoy reading. It was fun to get a look into their lives.
This book had me wanting to know more, to read another chapter, and to learn more. As I read I felt like I was living life alongside the “Jackies.” I felt their pain at the many bumps in their roads and I celebrated their successes as their dreams came true. Both authors had similar book lives with their taboo sex scenes and struggles to show that there were readers out there for their books. Their personal lives included men behind them who supported them but beyond that, their lives were very different.
Scandalous Women is an amazing historical fiction about two authors that I enjoy reading. It was fun to get a look into their lives.
I was too young when I secretly read my mother's copy of Valley of the Dolls. I had no idea that "dolls" referred to pills. The 1966 book's explicit sexual escapades of its female characters were foreign to me. Its author, Jacqueline Susann, was making appearances on every talk show. It was clear that this book, which was panned by the critics, was revolutionary, becoming the best-selling novel of the year. Jackie Collins, a British writer, followed in Susann's footsteps writing books aimed at female readers and centered around the entertainment industry. In Scandalous Women, author Gill Paul has fictionalized the lives of these two women. While the book is based on fact, Paul introduced fictional characters to enhance and connect the two authors' stories.
If you were a fan of Jacqueline Susann or Jackie Collins, this book is a must-read. It is a quick, fun, nostalgic journey back to the 1960s and 1970s, depicting the challenging period when female authors had to deal with the male-dominated world of publishers and the media. Nancy, one of the main fictional characters, is a young, ambitious woman striving to become a book editor and faces discrimination and inappropriate treatment along the way. She embodies the strength and resilience of the women found in books by Susann and Collins. It was so nice to have these two trailblazing women, both gone too soon, revived in this enjoyable book.
4.5 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
If you were a fan of Jacqueline Susann or Jackie Collins, this book is a must-read. It is a quick, fun, nostalgic journey back to the 1960s and 1970s, depicting the challenging period when female authors had to deal with the male-dominated world of publishers and the media. Nancy, one of the main fictional characters, is a young, ambitious woman striving to become a book editor and faces discrimination and inappropriate treatment along the way. She embodies the strength and resilience of the women found in books by Susann and Collins. It was so nice to have these two trailblazing women, both gone too soon, revived in this enjoyable book.
4.5 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated