I’m absolutely delighted today to be sharing my review of Scandalous Women by Gill Paul: the ebook is published today (13th August) on all major platforms by Avon Books, with the paperback and audiobook to follow on 29th August. This book will be having an extensive blog tour with Random Things Tours, starting on paperback publication day, so do look out for all the reviews from my blogging friends. Sadly, the dates just didn’t work for me, but I was lucky enough to already have my copy via netgalley – and I was so excited about this book that I really couldn’t wait!
I eagerly await every new book from Gill – she’s a real personal favourite, and her books, always published around the same time each year, have become one of my summer treats. She always writes about individuals I find fascinating – and brings them to life on the page so wonderfully. I’ve always had a passion for the Romanovs – and The Secret Wife (review here) and The Lost Daughter (you’ll find that review here) certainly didn’t disappoint. Another Woman’s Husband, featuring the life of Wallis Simpson, was just superb (you’ll find my review here): and The Second Marriage a fascinating insight into the lives of Aristotle Onassis, the Kennedys and Maria Callas (you’ll find that review here). The Collector’s Daughter (you’ll find my review here) was perfectly timed – Tutankhamun’s tomb and the life of Lady Evelyn Herbert just after I’d been wowed by the London exhibition of the treasures. The Manhattan Girls – Jazz Age New York with Dorothy Parker and her friends, was just wonderful and totally compelling (you’ll find my review again here). And her last book, A Beautiful Rival, looked at the lives and battle for supremacy of Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein – an immersive blend of history and fiction, so emotionally engaging, and an engrossing story beautifully told (you’ll find my review of that one here). And her latest? Another subject perfectly chosen…
1966: In London, Jackie Collins’s racy The World is Full of Married Men hits bookshops and launches her career. In New York, Jacqueline Susann’s debut novel Valley of the Dolls is published, and she’s desperate for it to be a bestseller. But both are about to discover the price they will pay for being women who dare to write about sex.
Meanwhile, college graduate Nancy White is excited to take up her dream job at a Manhattan publishing house. But Nancy could never be prepared for the rampant sexism she is about to encounter.
When Nancy introduces the two Jackies, she fears they will become rivals in their race to top the charts. As she strives to achieve her ambition of becoming an editor, can all three women succeed despite the men determined to hold them back?
Back in the sixties, although only a rather naive teenager, I can vividly remember devouring and being really excited about Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls – in fact, my copy with that iconic cover can still be found in a treasured slot on my bookshelves. My reading tastes were always a bit precocious, I’d already read some Harold Robbins, but this book was so very different – it was, rather shockingly, written by a woman, and that was something so very new and different. Jackie Collins’ overtly racy books certainly accompanied me on every holiday in my later teens and twenties – along with the proliferation of female authors who were able to follow, women like Judith Krantz and Shirley Conran. But in those days, I knew nothing about the prevailing literary landscape – the stuffiness of the male establishment, the battles against prejudice that these two women had to fight – and I’d never really thought about the shockwaves their books caused and the massive change to the whole world of books and publishing that they were so very instrumental in bringing about.
Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls was a no holds barred exposé of life in Hollywood, the rampant sexism and the drug culture – and she then had to fight tooth and nail to make it the most unexpected of bestsellers, first fighting to get it published, then conducting an extraordinarily intensive publicity campaign (TV, radio, visiting book stores, talking to her fans and remembering their personal stories) and defying the most vehement and prominent (mainly, but not exclusively, male) critics. In the UK, Jackie Collins was divorced and a former b-list actress – with more than a few experiences to draw on – who finally completed her first book, The World Is Full of Married Men, with the support and encouragement of her new husband Oscar Lerman. And she experienced the same storm of opposition – the same ridicule and appalling reception, even including some very real threats to her personal safety.
Both authors’ stories are drawn together by a third – Nancy White, newly arrived in Manhattan, desperate to carve a career in publishing but despairing of ever being allowed to become an editor in an industry where overt sexism is the norm. Championing Jacqueline’s work, Nancy becomes her friend and protégée – and she’s gradually able to help her make her mark through astute advice and introductions. And when Nancy also becomes Jackie’s editor – and friend – their lives and stories begin to converge.
The author so skilfully combines fact and fiction, real people and events, imagined individuals and interactions, to build a fascinating and immersive story of both the lives of these two literary titans and the publishing world that – initially at least – treated them both so very badly. And she recreates, in particular detail and with absolute authenticity, the celebrity-filled world around them – while telling the smaller story of the complexities of their personal lives, their setbacks, challenges and tragedies, building real sympathy and affection for them both and bringing them to life on the page. In her afterword, she makes it clear which parts of the story were real or the product of her imagination – but I must say that the joins were entirely invisible, and I found the story she wove entirely real, very emotional at times and particularly compelling. She really is the most amazing storyteller – I read the whole book in one delicious uninterrupted sitting, feeling entirely part of the world and era she created.
Two extraordinarily strong women, whose lives had a lasting impact they could never have imagined or hoped for – and a fabulous book by one of the finest of today’s storytellers that I couldn’t recommend more highly.
More praise for Scandalous Women
“Alternating perspectives between Nancy and “the two Jackies,” Paul spins a tale of sexism, women’s empowerment, and Pucci pantsuits, resulting in a lively novel that imagines a glamorous, romantic world while revealing its troubling underbelly.” – Booklist
“It’s easy to forget what a snooty, stuffy publishing world Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins initially faced when trying to sell their ‘racy’ books about modern women and their real desires. Gill Paul captures perfectly an imagined relationship between the two ground-breaking authors in this scandalously delicious novel – especially fun for anyone who loves books and publishing.” – Liz Trenow, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Secret Sister
“Scandalous Women is sensational! Honestly, I flew through the pages, adored it. It’s a pacy, brilliantly written tale of two bestselling authors in the wildly sexist publishing industry of the 1960s.” – Tracy Rees, international bestselling author of Elopement
“In Scandalous Women, Gill Paul once again throws back the curtains on real-life women in recent history, letting her vivid imagination reveal what was and what might have been. Readers will be captivated by her elevation of two pioneering women on the publishing scene in male-dominated 1960s and forever grateful for the Jackies and Jacquelines who paved the way for a new brand of storytelling. Paul’s blend of the intimate moments of women’s lives and the world stage they fight to be on confirm her as a favorite in this genre.” – Camille Di Maio, bestselling author of Until We Meet
About the author
Gill Paul is an author of historical fiction, specialising in the twentieth century and often writing about the lives of real women. Her books have reached the top of the US, Canadian, and UK charts, and have been translated into twenty-three languages. The Secret Wife has sold over half a million copies and is a book-club favourite worldwide. She is also the author of several non-fiction books on historical subjects.
Gill was born and raised in Scotland, apart from an eventful year at school in the US when she was ten. She worked as an editor in nonfiction publishing, then as a ghostwriter, before giving up the “day job” to write fiction full-time. She is also an events organizer for the Historical Writers Association.
Gill loves wild swimming year-round, arranging parties, and traveling whenever and wherever she can.
She has an excellent website, and can also be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And you might also like to sign up for her newsletter…
