Scandalous women

 Scandalous Women

by

Gill Paul

BLOG TOUR

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 neither author is prepared for the price they will pay for begin women who dare to write about sex. In Manhattan, 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 will encounter on the job. But when Nancy introduces the two Jackies, she never could have predicted what was about to happen next. As she strives to achieve her ambition of becoming an editor, can all three women succeed despite the men determined to hold them back?

REVIEW

Anyone who is anyone knows that I have loved all of this author's books and I always eagerly await the next one. I was particularly interested in the blurb for this one because I have actually met Jackie Collins at her book event for The Santangelos in the Dorchester Hotel just a few weeks before she sadly died. 

The characters in this book are concentrated on Jackie Collins, Jacqueline Susann and a wannabe book editor called Nancy. 
Jacqueline Susann was an American author who wrote Valley of the Dolls which went to number one in the US bestsellers list. Jacqueline was married to Irving, her long suffering husband. She was the one who wore the trousers in their marriage, but they were devoted to one another. 
Jackie Collins (sister of Joan Collins) became a published author a couple of years after Jacqueline, but her novels were more popular in the UK, but she dreamed of making it on the US bestsellers list. 
Nancy always dreamed of working in publishing and becoming an editor in New York and when she got the chance to meet Jacqueline Susann, little did she known how much her life would change, but could she work her way up to editor when working in a male dominated environment?
This book flits between the three main characters with short chapters (which I love), so you can easily read “one more chapter” befor bed!
The story has some hard hitting topics including sexism in the workplace which sadly was rife for women in the 60’s and drug taking and how this affected peoples lives.
I must admit, I didn’t know anything about Jacqueline Susann, but I was lucky enough to meet Jackie Collins before she died (and read a few of her books), but what I loved most is that when I read the chapters about Jackie, I really thought I could hear her talking! That’s the talent of a great writer. Thank you Gill for writing another fabulous read. I really couldn’t put this one down and devoured it in just a few days.   

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Gill Paul is an author of historical fiction, specializing in the twentieth century and often writing about the lives of real women. Her novels have topped bestseller lists in the US and Canada as well as the UK and have been translated into twenty 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. She lives in London and swims year-round in a wild pond.

Below is a photo of me and the late Jackie Collins at a book launch at The Dorchester Hotel less than 3 weeks before she died. She gladly posed for photos and signed books of her latest book The Santangelos (which I have and will treasure). She was a lovely lady and taken far too soon.