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onethousandlunchtimes_jennyfer 's review for:
The Socialites
by Caroline Lamond
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Socialites is a fictionalised account of three well known figures from film, theatre and media circles: film actres Maureen O'Sullivan, known for her pioneering role as Jane in the Tarzan films, theatre actress (and later film star) Vivien Leigh, known for her theatre career and role as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone with the Wind, and writer/archivist Sonia Orwell (nee Brownell), known for her works in publishing and collation of Orwell's writing's.
This is a captivating account of their lives from their time together at an English boarding school as tweens through their heydays in the 1930s and 40s, through scandals, marriages, families, and their careers, mental health challenges, and much more, all the way through to Vivien's death in the late 1960s. Difficult topics (such as Vivien's mental illness; Maureen's husband's alcoholism, Sonia's trauma) were addressed candidly, but at the same time with sensitivity and compassion.
Aside from their brief interaction at school, the three womens' lives were only tangentially connected; rather the book alternated chapters between them, collated under similar themes but not necessarily overlapping. There is so much content here, that there could have easily been a whole book about each of these remarkable women.
Maureen, Vivien and Sonia were pioneers in their chosen fields, revolutionary women who made waves and this was a fascinating account of their lives, and the times that shaped them - or the times they were instrumental in shaping. There were some time jumps in this book - skipping forward years, going back ten years to a different person - and I found that to be a little frustrating.
The book overall was well written and engaging, and the accompanying audiobook was similarly well narrated by Elaine Claxton. I thoroughly enjoyed this.
~Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased the accompanying audiobook~
This is a captivating account of their lives from their time together at an English boarding school as tweens through their heydays in the 1930s and 40s, through scandals, marriages, families, and their careers, mental health challenges, and much more, all the way through to Vivien's death in the late 1960s. Difficult topics (such as Vivien's mental illness; Maureen's husband's alcoholism, Sonia's trauma) were addressed candidly, but at the same time with sensitivity and compassion.
Aside from their brief interaction at school, the three womens' lives were only tangentially connected; rather the book alternated chapters between them, collated under similar themes but not necessarily overlapping. There is so much content here, that there could have easily been a whole book about each of these remarkable women.
Maureen, Vivien and Sonia were pioneers in their chosen fields, revolutionary women who made waves and this was a fascinating account of their lives, and the times that shaped them - or the times they were instrumental in shaping. There were some time jumps in this book - skipping forward years, going back ten years to a different person - and I found that to be a little frustrating.
The book overall was well written and engaging, and the accompanying audiobook was similarly well narrated by Elaine Claxton. I thoroughly enjoyed this.
~Many thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased the accompanying audiobook~
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Infidelity, Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Miscarriage, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt