Review of 'Scandalous Women' by Gill Paul

Review of 'Scandalous Women' by Gill Paul

Release date: August 13, 2024

Publisher: Avon Books UK

REVIEW

What another fabulous and captivating novel from Gill Paul! I was glued to the pages and fascinated by the lives of Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins. The 1960s was a rough time in the book industry and these women were trailblazers who never gave up and made a difference for women authors who came after. There were a number of times I felt teary for these ladies who had such a battle on their hands trying to be heard in the male dominated publishing industry at that time. Plus the difficulties they encountered in their personal lives.

Scandalous Women shines a bright light on the unfairness, the unbalanced opportunities for women and the rude responses of some reviewers in the 1960s. Also, it demonstrates how women in the office were treated by men. Editor assistant Nancy shone in her role and showed us the issues that she and many faced in this area plus the obstacles women had to overcome in trying to succeed in the industry. I felt that Nancy’s confidence and skills were superior to the men she worked for in the publishing companies. She may not have had the years of experience behind her but she certainly had the brains and a natural talent for editing and sussing out future best sellers. Her personal life, though, was in sharp contrast to her glowing work skills. Her initial naivety about romantic relationships was startling. We see her dating the wrong men and falling into some awful traps. One man she trusted and fell for during her first publishing role, burned her with his dishonesty and false claims of marital status. Thankfully not all the men in her life were horrors. There was one real prince waiting in the wings watching out for her. George is a dear friend of Jacqueline’s. She introduced them with hopes they would fall in love. The old saying that implies ‘what Jacqueline wants, Jacqueline gets’ proves true in this case. But I smiled at the genuine care Jacqueline had for these two for it was an unselfish desire to see her beloved friends join together in what she saw as a perfect love-match.

The story is told through multiple viewpoints (Nancy, Jacqueline, Jackie) which move back and forth like a well-oiled machine. Never once did I feel the transitions were abrupt or out of place. Everything was neatly arranged and flowed from chapter to chapter flawlessly. I hung on the author’s every word and was keen to see what each of these women were going to do next. Their stories were all equally fascinating, dramatic and all-encompassing.

Scandalous Women is an inspiring blend of fact and fiction: heartbreaking yet empowering historical knowledge infused with Gill Paul’s robust imagination! These real women’s lives were epic and tragic in so many ways, so the author had a lot to draw upon. But a fiction author does not just regurgitate facts. The information is perused, distilled and utilised in the best way possible and injected into the creative mind where it picks up nuances, shades and form and expands into a magnificent full colour portrayal. Fleshing out what might have been. And Gill has done this profoundly well. She energised and embellished the text in ways that made Scandalous Women a fascinating read. She is a true master of telling stories about strong historical women in the limelight who made a difference, fought uphill battles against the norms of society and forged a path for many of us. Massive cheers for Jacqueline and Jackie (and fictional character Nancy). And 5 stars for Gill Paul for her dazzling literary performance. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Avon Books UK, Gill Paul and Netgalley for the review copy.