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A review by bookstolivewith
The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis
4.0
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The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis totally surprised me! I had seen this book around and it piqued my interest, but the first 50 pages or so felt very ~meh~ to me, so I was worried it was going to disappoint. But boy did I end up enjoying myself! Once we left WW2 behind and entered the McCarthy era of anti-communism, I was totally enthralled, and couldn’t read it fast enough. (Fair warning: it’s told in dual point of view, if that’s not your thing.)
Not only was I learning some new information, but I could tell Davis had done plenty of research, bringing in real people and real companies/institutions that did terrible damage to all sorts artistic communities and artists themselves in the 1950s. There was also an incredible twist, which I won’t spoil for you, that I did not see coming at all! (Even though one hindsight it was fairly obvious.) It totally hooked me and I had to know the end result!
Would highly recommend The Chelsea Girls if you’re a fan of historical fiction but feel buried under WW2 recommendations — but also if you’re a fan of the theatre world and want to know more how it was affected by McCarthyism.
The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis totally surprised me! I had seen this book around and it piqued my interest, but the first 50 pages or so felt very ~meh~ to me, so I was worried it was going to disappoint. But boy did I end up enjoying myself! Once we left WW2 behind and entered the McCarthy era of anti-communism, I was totally enthralled, and couldn’t read it fast enough. (Fair warning: it’s told in dual point of view, if that’s not your thing.)
Not only was I learning some new information, but I could tell Davis had done plenty of research, bringing in real people and real companies/institutions that did terrible damage to all sorts artistic communities and artists themselves in the 1950s. There was also an incredible twist, which I won’t spoil for you, that I did not see coming at all! (Even though one hindsight it was fairly obvious.) It totally hooked me and I had to know the end result!
Would highly recommend The Chelsea Girls if you’re a fan of historical fiction but feel buried under WW2 recommendations — but also if you’re a fan of the theatre world and want to know more how it was affected by McCarthyism.