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Kate Atkinson is simply one of the best writers working today, anywhere in the world' GILLIAN FLYNN This is a well-crafted combination of history and fiction, which begins in London in 1926 with the release from prison of Nellie Coker. Nellie is the well-known owner of infamous night clubs and the single mother of six adult children. There are many characters and intersecting story lines, which flow seamlessly. His real passions were esoteric, as a little interest to the common man or his colleagues in Bow Street, certainly not to his wife—the Berlin Treaty between Germany and the Soviets (how could that end well?) or a demonstration of a ’televisor’ to the Royal Society by a chap called Baird (like something from a H. G. Wells novel). He had an enquiring mind. It was a curse. Even sometimes for a detective”.
Shrines of Gaiety,’ by Kate Atkinson - The New Book Review: ‘Shrines of Gaiety,’ by Kate Atkinson - The New
This time Atkinson takes us to London in 1926, principally to the night life and the exotic clubs where the very rich, the powerful and criminals mixed as one. We meet Nellie Coker, just out of prison, who owns five of these night clubs all of them set up with the proceeds of crime. She is an amazing character. Kate Atkinson is simply one of the best writers working today, anywhere in the world ' GILLIAN FLYNN Atkinson is a thoughtful writer with an astute understanding of 20th-century social history. This is the perfect novel for uncertain times, when comfort of a particularly English and nostalgic stripe is required.’ – The Times This part-literary, part-thriller novel showcases a host of glittering characters...Full of dry wit and charm...if you loved Peaky Blinders, you'll love this. WOMAN & HOME Exuberant, immersive storytelling featuring intrigue and betrayal is matched with wit and tenderness MAIL ON SUNDAY
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A] glittering foray into London’s post-WWI Soho…Atkinson’s incisive prose and byzantine narrative elegantly excavate the deceit, depravity, and destruction of Nellie’s world. She also turns this rich historical into a sophisticated cat-and-mouse tale as the various actors try to move in on Nellie’s turf. Atkinson is writing at the top of her game.”
Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson review - The Guardian Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson review - The Guardian
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. There is a large cast of characters: Nellie and her six (largely adult) children; Frobisher and his dog; Gwendolen who is, I think, the star of the story; Freda and Florence, just two of the many who run away to London seeking fame and fortune; a couple of bent policemen; Frobisher's mentally fragile wife Lottie; a man with several identities intent on regaining his ill-gotten gains; a journalist; many 'Bright Young Things' (read idiots); and a number of bodies, mostly fished out of the Thames. Even the young paperboy in the opening chapter makes a cameo appearance at the end. Each of these characters is clearly depicted and memorable in their own right. There's no chance of confusing any character with any other. MY THOUGHTS: It took me some time to become engaged in his book - purely a reflection of me and my state of mind, not Kate Atkinson's writing, I have come to realise. I’m so disappointed. I was excited to read about The Golden Age which was a glamorous period with fun, fabulous and even exotic characters. Shrines of Gaiety was more like Shrines of Sawdust and Depression.
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There is the perfect balance throughout of sweetness and heartbreak.And, as always, there is the unmistakable zest of Ms. Atkinson’s dry wit…Ms. Atkinson has perfected the comicwizardry that keeps us both airborne and immersed in her mosaic-like narratives.” Sharp, witty and fiendishly plotted ... you don't so much as read it as surrender to it FINANCIAL TIMES, 'Best books of 2022' Atkinson has a plotter’s mind: intricate, clever, satisfying… Shrines of Gaiety is engrossing and fun, powered by subtle skills.’ – The Sunday Times There is the perfect balance throughout of sweetness and heartbreak. And, as always, there is the unmistakable zest of Ms. Atkinson's dry wit. Anna Mundow, WALL STREET JOURNAL
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