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Loading... Shrines of Gaietyby Kate Atkinson
   No current Talk conversations about this book.  Gudasnu | Aug 4, 2023 |  1926, and in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a delirious new nightlife. The notorious queen of this glittering world is Nellie Coker, ruthless but also ambitious . . . But success breeds enemies, and Nellie's empire faces threats from without and within. Interesting story about Nellie and her adult children who help her run the nightclubs. Nellie is smart and shrewd and has people working for her that keep her informed about her enemies. She’s not a nurturing mother and her children are sometimes working against her. There were lots of characters to keep track of and a sprinkling of humor throughout. The ending wrapped up too quickly, leaving some questions unanswered. Although I liked the story, I thought it went in too many directions and was a bit long. (  ) gaylebutz | Jul 28, 2023 | A good yarn. I think the ending is a bit rushed. (  ) adrianburke | Jul 18, 2023 | Kinda like a gangster movie. 1926 London nightclubs, parties and so much booze !! Life lived “ over the top” in every way. The matriarch of this novel is Nellie Coker and we learn how she came to a life of crime . Her family is filled with interesting characters , Nevin, mist sane, Edith the oldest , and especially Ramsay who has no sweet clue about anything and lives off boize, drugs and gambling. There are a few straight characters also. Gwendolyn , a librarian / detective looking for two missing girls for a friend. She winds up having huge adventures which is a bit of a stretch to me in this novel. We also have the good cop being Chief inspector John Frobisher. I got confused on the bad guys who sort of drift in and out in this novel. To me the strength of this novel is Freda and Florence, the two young girls who run away to London to be on the stage. What life was like for young people alone is well detailed and pretty scary. I liked this novel, the whole idea of it but in the end I didn’t love it. I think Atkinson took on too much. Too many plots , big characters and in the end she suddenly just tidied it up. ( ) Smits | Jul 5, 2023 | Kate Atkinson is one of my favorite authors and she has yet to disappoint me. As always, her prose sucks me into whatever realm she's created. This time, it's 1926 and London's notorious nightclub owner, Nellie Coker, has just been released from prison. With police Chief Inspector Frobisher determined to put Nellie back in prison and enemies just as determined to steal her night clubs from her, along with trying to secure the future of her six mostly grown children, Nellie has a lot on her plate and few people she can trust. There's a nice Dickensian feel to the narration, with darkness underlying the gaiety of the clubs. Bodies of girls are being pulled out of the Thames, and other girls go missing. Gwendolen Kelling, a librarian from York, shows up at Frobisher's office, hoping the police can help her find two girls who have runaway to find fame and fortune on the London stage. Atkinson pulls all the plot threads together in a satisfying way. As with all my favorite authors, the characters linger with me after I read the last page. (  ) ShellyS | Jun 19, 2023 | no reviews | add a review
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"The #1 national bestselling, award-winning author of Life after Life transports us to the dazzling London of the Roaring Twenties in a whirlwind tale of corruption, seduction, and debts that have come due. 1926, and in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a delirious new nightlife. In the clubs of Soho, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries with gangsters, and girls sell dances for a shilling a time. The notorious queen of this glittering world is Nellie Coker, ruthless but also ambitious to advance her six children, including the enigmatic eldest, Niven, whose character has been forged in the crucible of the Somme. But success breeds enemies, and Nellie's empire faces threats from without and within. For beneath the dazzle of Soho's gaiety, there is a dark underbelly, a world in which it is all too easy to become lost. With her unique Dickensian flair, Kate Atkinson gives us a window in a vanished world. Slyly funny, brilliantly observant, and ingeniously plotted, Shrines of Gaiety showcases the myriad talents that have made Atkinson one of the most lauded writers of our time"-- No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)823.914Literature English & Old English literatures English fiction Modern Period 1901-1999 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.95)
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3
Superb character driven story of the seedy underbelly of London in 1926. Atmospheric cerebral descriptive imaginative and gripping book. At times poignant and sad at others laugh out loud funny always interesting and intriguing and unputdownable.
Completely and utterly recommended. (