Review of 'A Beautiful Rival' by Gill Paul

Review of A Beautiful Rival by Gill Paul

Release Date: September 5th, 2023

Publisher: William Morrow

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REVIEW

What a fascinating riveting read based on two beauty industry giants, Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein. There was so much history to cover on these two ladies, their backgrounds, their day to day battles and Gill does a wonderful job of giving us a comprehensive view of both their personal and business lives, which so often flowed from one to the other. She paints a vivid picture of their territorial behaviours: all the war tactics and extreme rivalry between them. The poaching of employees, the planted spies, copying products and leaking of information to the press that sometimes was not correct. This story kept me enthralled and I could not put it down. I felt rejuvenated by the magnitude of their business accomplishments but also saddened by their personal regrets, the lessons they learned, the lonely paths they walked. There was so much to embrace and draw from in these women’s lives: a time when the World Wars and the Great Depression were very real. But for these two, the events were merely obstacles on their paths to success that challenged them to find new ways to overcome the issues that arose.

Each of them had monumental ambitions and passion to succeed. This drive took them on some high flying adventures. In many ways they were not so different from each other, though they fiercely denied it. Yet Gill gives us a moment (her creative license) to allow a brief meeting between the two. I think deep down, in the end, they would have seen their similarities. If nothing else, their love of business was equal between them. Their beauty companies were their true babies. They gave them their all—but at the risk of losing important relationships.

And like a proud parent, they were determined to see their ‘baby’ at number one spot by knocking down their rival. They became so focused on the task, they missed signs of betrayal and spies in their camp, until later on. Surrounded by changeable people, who were more loyal to the dollar, brought home a fierce revelation. Did their treatment of others create this lack of devotion? Particularly true for Elizabeth Arden.

These women led a life of illusion. Elizabeth fought hard to remove herself from her poverty past. Her humble beginnings were a thorn in her side. She went to great lengths to erase traces of her lower class upbringing. For Helena, it was the fact she was born Jewish and had a poor relationship with her father. She disobeyed him by not marrying the man he chose for her. When given the choice to obey or be ex-communicated, she chose the latter.

These two women made many sacrifices but did they reap any rewards (besides wealth and fame) for choosing their independence? Or did they lose out in other areas? Helena ended up with a wandering husband. And from Gill’s pen, we learn the pain she endured. And Elizabeth had no sound relationships to speak of: her husbands were great disappointments.

Helena had two boys that she saw very little of as her business took precedence. Her husband was the true parent in the driver’s seat. The boys were sent to private schools and top universities— thanks to Helena’s money, so she felt she had done her part, at least by providing financial security for them. As we all know, money is not enough for raising children. They need personal nurturing to develop emotionally and mentally and it did seem these boys suffered in those areas. Their harsh attitudes, reckless actions and sad outcomes were partly a result of this deficit.

Elizabeth was born and raised in Canada. She single-handedly changed the attitudes of women in her time on the topic of beauty care. She helped them see that no matter their background or status, they deserved to be pampered, to feel beautiful, to treat themselves to skincare products. She did not have any children but her race horses became a strong substitute. They made her money but she loved them more for the beautiful animals they were. When trouble struck, and attacks were made upon her stables, some of her horses suffered the consequences. She was devastated by her loss and the ugliness of such acts. Though she never gave up or yielded to threats, she remained strong and fought back through hard earned success. Tactics she learned from her beauty business.

If these two self-made millionaires had worked side by side, would their lives have turned out differently? It is hard to say as it was their rivalry that forced them to go deeper and higher to achieve success. In many ways, they spurred each other on. But the nastiness that developed between them at times also made them blind.

So many topics are covered: including the political views of the 1930s. Although Elizabeth was not a very political person, she was accused of being sympathetic to Fascism (or at least was her relative) and Helena being Jewish was affected deeply by Holocaust ignorance. There is a sensitive scene when Elizabeth makes a very unbalanced comparison to Helena’s sister with her own sister’s circumstance. Laney, her assistant, pulls her up on it which is a positive nod to Holocaust survivors.

There is so much that could be said about this novel, that it would fill another book! It is well written and researched and moves along at a rapid pace. You feel as though you are watching a movie with the clear descriptions Gill has drawn. I have read a number of her novels and she has a real talent for writing about strong important women in history who have battled the odds and led fascinating lives. She allows us to enter their worlds, see through their eyes and have a taste of the tumultuous experiences they had. And what better shoes to step into but those of Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein!

This novel for me is Gill’s best yet! I highly recommend A Beautiful Rival and give it a much-deserved 5 Stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

 Thanks to publisher, author and Netgalley for a review copy.