Shrines of Gaiety: The Sunday Times Bestseller, May 2023

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In this fizzy, sprawling picaresque — filigreedwith outsize characters and the improbable coincidencesof a Victorian serial — the novelist imaginesa former combat nurse looking for a missinggirl in a London that’s shaking off World War I.” Magnificent. A rich and vivid portrayal of sly, brilliant characters in the nightlife of 20s London. I fell in love with them all, even the villains ... I loved every minute. Laura Shepherd-Robinson Is it a hanging?’ an eager newspaper delivery boy asked no one in particular. He was short, just thirteen years old, and was jumping up and down in an effort to obtain a better view of whatever it was that had created the vaudeville atmosphere. Kate Atkinson is on deliciously acerbic form in Shrines of Gaiety ... exposing the underbelly of London nightlife in the roaring 20s GUARDIAN, 'Books of the Year'

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson

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.”Sharp, witty and fiendishly plotted ... you don't so much as read it as surrender to it * FINANCIAL TIMES, 'Best books of 2022' * Shrines of Gaiety is a witty romp of a novel that takes place in the dark underbelly of London during the Roaring 20s. Atkinson captures both the glamour and the seediness of this heady period with consummate skill in a book teeming with memorable characters. Gorgeously vivid, often strange and always very funny, it should cement her reputation as one of our finest novelists. Jake Kerridge, SUNDAY EXPRESS A] riveting re-creation of life in 1920s London…Atkinson’s palpable fondness for her characters helps her to imbue even themost minor of them with texture and depth, and she brings the same attention to detail to her portrait of the highs and lows of Jazz Age London. Another triumph from one of our finest novelists.”

Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson review - The Guardian Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson review - The Guardian

The thing I loved best was the author's note at the end. It explained her interest and reference used and made me wish I had liked it better. 2.5 rounded up. In Soho, London, Nellie Coker is queen of all she surveys - successful owner of a string of nightclubs, she’s a ruthless character - knows what she wants, and also gets what she wants! She’s extremely shrewd, has a good business head, and is determined and ambitious enough to want the best education that money can buy for her six children - her nightclubs provide the means for those ambitions. Atkinson’s London in the 1920s is atmospheric and real. The contrast is stark between the shiny dresses and silver sandals of the hostesses and the poverty in which they live, in tiny, dingy rooms. Sometimes penniless, they often sleep on each other’s floors - a rough life. My favorite book by Kate Atkinson was “A God in Ruins” ….I just loved it. “Life After Life” drove me batty…(most everyone in my local book club loved it) — but me — I couldn’t wait for the main protagonist to die….for finally the last time! There’s an old story about the time Kate Atkinson took home her first major literary award, then known as the Whitbread Prize and now called the Costa, for her bravura 1995 debut, “Behind the Scenes at the Museum.” Even in the midst of bestowing it, the committee’s chairman, an august academic named Richard Hoggart, felt compelled to say that Atkinson had written a postmodern novel, though he doubted whether she knew it.

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Shrines of Gaiety" biggest problem is its characters. They're.. dull, would you believe? Most of them seem irrelevant to the story (I'm looking at you, Florence. Seriously, what was her purpose? It seemed like she was just there for the sake of being included in the story, but her impact on the story in nonexistent), and are not relatable. Freda and Gwendolen are the only characters who manage to elicit some emotion from the reader, while all the others seem superficial and lifeless. The plot also is a slow-burner, which on the one hand is quite understandable, as you have a huge cast of characters to contend with, so it takes time for the story to get going. It gets somewhat interesting as the you move along, with some great instances of humor and even some suspense, but for the most part, it's just boring and gets too long to get the point. Also, it was hard to even hate Maddox or Azzopardi, as they both aren't developed enough are just bland "Bad Guys". 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. Combines the colour of a historical drama with the pace of a thriller and the detail of a police procedural... masterful. i NEWS