The bright lights of the theater district, the glamour and danger of 1950s New York, and the wild scene at the iconic Chelsea Hotel come together in a dazzling new novel about a twenty-year friendship that will irrevocably change two women’s lives—from the New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue. From the dramatic redbrick facade to the sweeping staircase dripping with art, … the sweeping staircase dripping with art, the Chelsea Hotel has long been New York City’s creative oasis for the many artists, writers, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and poets who have called it home—a scene playwright Hazel Riley and actress Maxine Mead are determined to use to their advantage. Yet they soon discover that the greatest obstacle to putting up a show on Broadway has nothing to do with their art, and everything to do with politics. A Red Scare is sweeping across America, and Senator Joseph McCarthy has started a witch hunt for communists, with those in the entertainment industry in the crosshairs. As the pressure builds to name names, it is more than Hazel and Maxine’s Broadway dreams that may suffer as they grapple with the terrible consequences, but also their livelihood, their friendship, and even their freedom.
Spanning from the 1940s to the 1960s, The Chelsea Girls deftly pulls back the curtain on the desperate political pressures of McCarthyism, the complicated bonds of female friendship, and the siren call of the uninhibited Chelsea Hotel.
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The Chelsea Girls:A Novel by Fiona Davis takes the reader back in time, to see the world from the point of view of two very different girls who found a great friendship with one another. The former their unexpected friendship in Naples as entertainers in the USO and after the war, it continued in New York with the Chelsea Hotel during a time when people were being blacklisted as communists. Secrets are revealed to the reader, but not to the other characters and as a reader, I couldn’t decide whether to hate or feel sorry for the secret keeper. This book kept my attention and the characters felt real to me. I would definitely recommend this book.
Too slow couldn’t finish
The Chelsea Girls is the story of 2 friends who endure love, lies and heartache over the course of nearly 20 years set against the backdrop of the 1950’s New York theater scene.
Fiona Davis, who is becoming a master of the historical drama genre has gifted us with another dazzling drama that breaks your heart with every page turned.
I have to start by saying I loved this book. I started reading The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis with some preconceived notions. What I thought was going to be a sweet coming of age story about two actresses trying to make their way in New York City turned out to be so much more, far surpassing my expectations.
The story begins as two young women, both aspiring actresses, meet on a tour with the USO during the last leg of WWII. Near opposites, they balance each other well and become very close – each feeling it must be what it’s like to have a sister. The story follows them through the 50s and 60s – they separate and come together as life takes them through Hollywood and Broadway – and their stays at the Chelsea Hotel in Manhattan.
Individually and together, despite their talents, their efforts to make it in the entertainment industry were greatly hampered by the witch hunts that were so common in the McCarthy era. Simply snubbing someone or passing over them for a part was enough to get you blacklisted or worse, turned into the feds as a communist spy. Their bond was strained at times, as is often the case with sisters, but never truly broken.
I loved everything about this book, from author Fiona Davis’s unique writing voice – her words flow beautifully, to the complicated and realistic relationship between these two young women, and the ease with which the story moves through time. I also greatly enjoyed the picture her words painted of the great Chelsea Hotel.
Very much a third leading character in this story, the Chelsea has a long history as a bohemian home and sanctuary for artists of all types, and is also famous as one of the most haunted hotels in America.
This book is easily in my top five favorites I’ve read so far this year. Highly recommend.
*I’m not sure how I missed Fiona Davis’s first three novels, but can’t wait to read them as well.
I am such a fan of Fiona Davis books and this one was another really good one. I was not that familiar with this time period and it was very interesting to learn something new while meeting memorable characters that this author is so good at creating. I enjoyed the behind the behind the scenes detailed look at what living at the Chelsea Hotel during this time period was like. 4 stars for this one.
A fascinating and wholly immersive celebration of friendship, love, loyalty, and courage during a turbulent and often underrepresented period in American history, The Chelsea Girls will delight. Davis brings her setting to life as she whisks readers away to the iconic Chelsea Hotel and the theater world during the McCarthy era. Richly detailed and transporting, historical fiction fans will love this one!
The Chelsea Girls is the thoroughly engrossing story of an authentic and complex female friendship under the intense pressures of the Cold War. Replete with international secrets and theatrical triumphs, it sings with the nuances, trials, and celebrations of real friendship in the darkest of times. A must-read for you and your best friends!
A spell-binding tale of a decades-long friendship between two talented women, presented against a backdrop of political conspiracy, infused with the glamour of Hollywood and Broadway, and set in that ramshackle headquarters of New York bohemia, the iconic Chelsea Hotel. In The Chelsea Girls, the spirits of America’s mid-century arts scene rise up to frolic again. Brava!
We all want friends like “the Chelsea girls.” A winning mix of historic challenges and enduring ties between two remarkable women makes Fiona Davis’s latest novel a must-read.
What a fun, interesting place The Chelsea Hotel must have been.
Hazel was in a family of performers, but Hazel wasn’t a performer. Hazel was a playwrite.
We meet Hazel when she was on tour with the USO during the war. Hazel met many actors and became friends with them.
We follow Hazel as she moves out of her childhood home and into The Chelsea Hotel during the McCarthy Era. When her friend, Maxine, from the USO, moves in too their friendship is renewed.
The description of the hotel’s decorations, the secret places and passages in it, and the furnishings was fascinating. The impeccable research Ms. Davis had to do definitely shows. I had do a bit of googling of the hotel myself. 🙂
History buffs and theater goers will again be treated to a very descriptive story line that has Ms. Davis taking you back in time.
I do have to say THE CHELSEA GIRLS was a bit tedious to read for me, but I loved the history of the hotel and its inhabitants. The characters in the book were believable and most were likable.
The ending was satisfying and nicely wrapped up the story line. 4/5
This book was given to me by the publisher via NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review.
Wonderful historical fiction about friendship, trust and ultimate betrayal that spans from the end of WWII to the 1960’s. A good look into the frightening time of the McCarthy era and life in the Chelsea Hotel. I was captivated from beginning to end. I love it when a book has me so interested in the historical setting that I spend time researching it myself. While reading this book, I had to look up The Chelsea Hotel. After viewing the many images of that grand hotel, I could picture in my mind these characters’ comings and goings in this setting. Very enjoyable book.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.
I loved this book! Strong female friendships, history, intrigue, romance, conflicting loyalties – Davis covers it all. And if you have problem following the dual timelines, this book does not do that. While presented with the alternating perspectives of Hazel and Maxine, the superb character development makes all the characters very real to the reader.
Hazel and Maxine meet in 1945 while they are both on a USO tour and quickly become fast friends. When the war is over Hazel and Maxine go their separate ways. But then in 1950 they reunite when Maxine, now a Hollywood starlet, moves to NYC and joins playwright Hazel at the Chelsea Hotel. Both seem destined for success until McCarthyism and accusations of being a Communist shake up the entertainment industry. Davis perfectly captures the sense of fear and intimidation that existed at that time.
I highly recommend this excellent book. This book was given to me by the publisher but all opinions are my own.
Linda’s Book Obsession Reviews “The Chelsea Girls” by Fiona Davis, Dutton, July 2019
Kudos to Fiona Davis, Author of “The Chelsea Girls” for writing such intriguing, intense, captivating, riveting, enthralling, historical and entertaining novel. The Genres for this Novel are Historical Fiction and Fiction. The author writes about The Chelsea Hotel and its history, and the entertainment industry. In a good portion of the novel the McCarthy era, and witch hunt for Communists is mentioned. Fiona Davis vividly describes the architecture, landscape, and characters in her novel. The dramatic cast of characters are described as complex and complicated. There are betrayals and danger. Friendship is one of the themes in this novel, and the timeline is approximately 20 years.
Hazel Ripley first meets Maxine Mead in a USO tour during World War Two in Italy. The two work together to entertain the troops and then do a radio show. Up to this point, Hazel has been an understudy in the theater. Both seem to work well together.
The Chelsea Hotel has been historically known as the hub for creativity. Writers, musicians, actors, artists, and others have been known to stay there. New York City is where the Chelsea Hotel is located. After the war, Hazel goes to The Chelsea hotel hoping to be a playwright. Hazel does write a play, and Maxine returns to become one of the actors in the play. Unfortunately, the political times are not stable in the entertainment history. Senator Joseph McCarthy is looking at the industry for communists. There is a book that blacklists suspected people in this industry.
In this amazing story, there is espionage, love, betrayal, danger, and shattered dreams and hopes. I highly recommend this intense thought-provoking novel.