“Anyone could write a provocative but ultimately quite tedious contemporary novel”

Kate Atkinson is back on top form with this witty and far from tedious novel about Nellie Coker and her six children who run glamorous but illicit nightclubs in Soho in the roaring 20s. Nellie’s son Ramsay tries to write a novel and Atkinson thoroughly enjoys making jokes at his expense. As the novel begins Nellie is released from Holloway prison and keen to ensure her legacy survives.
Police Inspector Frobisher is determined to investigate the Cokers however and is assisted by Gwendolen Kelling, a former nurse and librarian recently arrived from York to find two girls who came to London seeking fame. As the bright young things dance and drink champagne, it becomes clear that Nellie and her family have several dangerous enemies while Frobisher is facing numerous bodies being washed up in the Thames.

Atkinson portrays a society scarred by the First World War seeking solace in love affairs, addiction and hedonism, while corruption and the exploitation of women are rife. A large cast of well drawn characters, a mix of drama and comedy with clever observations and an unpredictability about where the novel will go next make this a real joy to read.

Yet another excellent book from Kate Atkinson. A well constructed story with believable characters. Would highly recommend!

It’s 1926 and one family dominates the nightclub scene in London. The indomitable Nellie Coker is the queen of soho nightlife and runs her clubs as a tight ship while she pushes her 6 children to take over her legacy. The clubs may be hugely popular but underneath the dazzle is another world of gangsters, fame hungry starlets and untrustworthy policemen.

Kate Atkinson creates a new world for us and let’s us peek into a 1920s society that is determined to party after the pain of war. With a varied cast of characters we are given different viewpoints and a real feel for the time. I loved this book and raced through it as the characters are all slowly drawn in to a conclusion.

Nellie Coker is the matriarch of the family, her brains taking her to where she is the owner of 5 different styles of clubs in London in 1926. Just one problem, she’s been in prison for the last 6 months and there are people out there hungry and eager to take the clubs, and her whole empire, from her.

This is told from various points of view, and the story is skilfully written to encompass each into a well formed tale. For me the characters were good but it took too long to set them all up, and then the conclusions came too fast. However I really wanted to know it was all going to be tied up in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

This is a must read for anyone who enjoys a good book!!
Absolutely loved the characters, the plot, the tension - impossible to put it down.
Certainly recommended!

(3.5 stars rounded up to 4.)

An entertaining tale from 1926 in the world of 'nightclub queen', Nellie Coker, and her six children, some more ambitious than others, all with something going on behind their mother's back. Nellie's just out of jail and raring to go, although changed ever so slightly as a result of her incarceration experience.

From out with Nellie's world, there's Gwendolen Kelling, a very clever woman, searching for Florence and Freda. Florence being THE most innocent and naive person you've ever to meet. I'm sorry, but I don't feel she wouldn't last five minutes in London. There's Frobisher, the detective brought in to find the ins and outs of Nellie's actions and the station's. He links everything together, and after a hard day's graft he goes home to his wife, Lottie. With her mental health problems, he never knows which Lottie he's going to see.

The criminals and police have more in common with each other than you first realise, and everyone involved seems to have their own agenda. Younger women are seen and treated as a commodity by men of all ages and, in London's vile underbelly, not much has improved in modern times.

This book contained lots of words that I had to look up in a dictionary/online. This probably says more about my level of education more than anything else (I have a degree!), but it does put a grinding halt to the story when you have to leave it for a minute to do some research. It's a good wee story and it did keep me entertained between the pages, but it's not one of the best I've read. I got mixed up between some of the characters in the middle of the book, again, probably a personal occurrence. Please don't let this put you off reading this work. You may enjoy it more if you are a fan of this author. This was my first book by Kate Atkinson, and, while I can see what makes her popular, unfortunately she's not my cup of tea.

I chose this ARC from a selection, which I voluntarily read and honestly reviewed. All opinions are my own. My thanks to Netgalley, the publishers, and the author.

Atkinson never fails to engage, entertain and intrigue her readers.
A varied and vivid cast of characters, from Gwendolyn; librarian turned spy and nightclub manager to corrupt and terrifying Nellie Coker, matriarch and owner of much of the 1920s Soho night club scene, and poor Freda and Florence, young, green and desperate to make a life in the city away from over protective but safe provincial parents.
Add a variety of exotic night clubs, drugs, drink, gangs and debts; police officers, unhappy marriages and bodies washed up from the Thames….and the result is a gripping and complex narrative laced with Atkinson’s gift for description to transport her readers into the moment.
Thank you @ NetGalley for my copy

Shrines of gaiety – Kate Atkinson
Kate Atkinson is an excellent author so I was expecting a treat of a book, and I wasn’t disappointed. Absolutely everything about this book works – whether it’s the superb cast of richly written characters, the twists and turns in the story, or just the pleasure of reading something witty, well-crafted, and engaging.
Shrines of Gaiety takes us back to 1926 where the glitter of jazz-age London rubs shoulders with a sordid world of crime, poverty, drugs, and greed.
With her usual flair, Kate Atkinson brings together a glittering cast of characters in this captivating novel presenting us with a world in which nothing is quite as it seems.
At first I struggled to keep on top of the long list of characters but Kate Atkinson very quickly draws you in by using different chapters to explore the various threads of the tale, as they cleverly draw together into a masterpiece of almost Dickensian storytelling.
As for categorizing this book – that’s tricky because it’s a blend of crime, mystery, romance, social observation and thriller.
I’m not going to summarise the story here – you simply have to read it. But what I will say is that there are no weak points. You really can see, smell and hear the London Atkinson creates.
Written with warmth, wit, style and intrigue, this book will quickly hook you in. – Enjoy!
With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an ARC in return for an honest review

I love Kate Atkinson's writing, and though it took me a while to get into this one, I did, and it was worth it. There was a touch of 'Peaky Blinders' about this one, and quite a few characters, which I think I found tricky at first, but the thing is that only someone with Atkinson's narrative skill could pull that off. In terms of plot, I found myself well in there, and that, I think was because of the clever twists, and the way that the various threads and characters worked together. The setting(s) were compelling. I mean, who doesn't want to know what goes on behind the scenes in 'clubs'? What I, though, was Atkinson's manipulation of the narrative, and consequently, of the reader. I thought at first it might be a bit of a slog to get through this novel, but what I'll say is that it's well worth that initial effort. I'm sure this novel will be a massive success.

My grateful thanks to Netgalley and to the publishers for the early read.

Kate Atkinson is on sharp form again with Shrines of Gaiety. This time she takes us to 1920s London, where a range of stories - Nellie Coker and her nightclub, Gwendolen investigating the disappearance of two girls, the detective whose job connects to both, and more besides. There is a fabulous cast of beautifully drawn characters here - not that we would expect anything less from Atkinson.

Besides the characters, Atkinson does a truly outstanding job of recreating 1920s London. I could literally smell those streets, hear the swish of the dresses in the nightclub, and feel the unbearable stench of its criminal underworld.

This is part literary fiction, part thriller, and very easily this mix of genres could have become tiresome but it never does. It is never less than exceptional throughout. For me it was one of her best.

Thanks to the publishers for arranging the ARC after much confusion and to NetGalley too.

Thanks for granting my wish to read this book here is my fair and honest review.

Without giving too much away Kate has yet another winner on her hands, great story with a mixed bunch of characters all brilliantly written.

It is a long read, with loads characters first pov telling the story, was slow to start but then picked up. The slower pace made for great character development which made you invest in the outcome of the story more than if it was just another cops versus robbers book. Lots of background details and deep insight to the characters thinking. As is usual with Kate’s novels a deeper examination of the human condition and society is explored with a subtle excellence.

For me it is a combo of Peaky Blinders meets Bright Young Things with a twist of intelligence beyond the dazzle the 1920’s

Highly recommend

Will be my Instagram book of the week for Monday 15th August 2022 in the hope folk get it pre order in time for publication, this is book not be missed.

I hope like previous books of the author there is a tv adaption of Shrines Of Gaiety

Thanks again to Net Galley, the publishers and the author for granting my wish. I will be buying the book for my mother to read on publication.

I was super excited to get an email from NetGalley saying that the publisher had granted my wish (thank you Larry Finlay), as Kate Atkinson is one of my favourite authors. I have liked all of her books, so I was fully expecting this one to live up to her usual high standard.

Am delighted to inform you, dear review-reader, that it did. And with whistles and bells on. It is….. (drum roll…..)…… a TRIUMPH!

We start in 1926, with a scene outside Holloway Prison (imagine it, please), an expectant crowd waiting for the release of an “owlish” woman - oh, don’t you just love the description already? What a deliciously perfect adjective to describe our heroine (er, hang on a minute, maybe she’s the villain? Perhaps I should issue a spoiler alert!).

The writing is captivating right from the very start. The perfect bite-size chapters move you on quickly, introducing you to the characters in quick succession, and you are straight away hooked, wondering (once you’ve worked out who’s who) how they are all going to fit together (and longing to read just one more chapter before you have to get dinner. Or go to bed. Or get up.).

If you know London at all (and even if you don’t), it won’t be hard to imagine the locations you will visit, from the tacky glitz of the Soho nightclubs to the cold murky waters under Tower Bridge, west to east and back again. I mean it even has a key character residing in Ealing! (Was that your influence by any chance, Larry?)

I digress. This is not a book I want to criticise, it’s far too much fun (although I can’t help mentioning that Nellie Coker is stated to be in her sixtieth decade, which my maths works out to be about 590 years old. There! I managed some constructive criticism, I think.)

The bottom line - this book made me smile more than anything I have read for ages. Although witty and comedic in places, it still packs a punch with life observations (and makes you grateful for yours). It has thieves and crime, but also charm, warmth and romance (although subtle, don’t panic. We are going nowhere near Mills and Boon territory, I promise). It is fiction at its finest, an “unputdownable” treat that leaves you longing to know what happens next. Yet there is no predictability here, you know there is a likely to be a murder (but who? Surely not little Freda?) and part of the pleasure of this book is its mystery, revealed oh-so-cleverly that at the end you are breathless with the sheer brilliance of Kate Atkinson’s writing. Not a single loose end is left. (Breathe a sigh of relief…..) Brilliant, just brilliant. Thanks again, NetGalley (and cheers to you, Larry Finlay. You’ve picked a winner, for sure.)

Kate Atkinson is a masterful storyteller. She brings alive the seedier side of life in London West End in the mid 1920’s. Her characters come alive with her pen and she gives the reader a romp of a ride through the corruption and nightlife in post First World War Britain. I loved everything about this book, even the authors honesty in her post script about a bit of historical inaccuracy to ease her story along! The perfect Christmas gift for any reader in 2022.

Kate Atkinson is a brilliant innovative author.
Her stories are not quite whodunnits, not quite social history.
They are not simple reads, but are quite complex in their character.
Her books are always well researched, well written, surprising ( by this I mean not that the subject matter is not clear, but that it is not obvious where the story is going.) entertaining and enjoyable.
For me another masterpiece, I thoroughly recommend this book as I recommend all of the rest of her books.
Thank you very much Kate for another brilliant read.
My thanks to the publisher for an advanced copy for honest review.

Character shines through with this, as you would expect. Atkinson does a wonderful job too of evoking the ‘20’s and the people who lived through that time of such change and excitement. Sharp and funny, Atkinson fans won’t be disappointed.

I was overjoyed to be approved for this book by my all-time favourite author and let me say it did not disappoint! I've read all of Kate Atkinson's previous work and I knew I'd need a decent chunk of time to begin reading as I wouldn't want to put it down once I started. So, I warned my family I was not to be disturbed and ignored them all while I completely devoured this book.

I'm not even sure who I'd describe as the main character. Is it Nellie, owner of the nightclubs? Freda, young girl trying to make her way in the city? Or is it Gwendolyn, ex-librarian turned spy. It could arguably be Frobisher, Police detective and unhappy husband. All of these characters are so vivid and real to me. I loved watching them interact with each other and learning about their lives. I had a particular soft spot for Freda and Florence, trying to make their way in the world at a tender age.

Kate Atkinson has a unique writing style and I find it very easy to read as you are always wanting more. I liked how we jumped from character to character with each chapter and while it was tricky at the start to keep them straight, you soon remembered and were keen to learn what happened next with each strand of the story. Usually I dislike an epilogue that tells the future, but this one I very much liked. I wanted to know where they all settled and ended up! There were some great twists and turns in this book but the real strength to me was the fantastic cast of characters and the intriguing setting. I can't decide which of the clubs I'd like to visit the most!

This is a brilliant book and I feel completely privileged to have been able to read and review it. I'm a fast reader and it still took me a good 4 or so hours to read so it was a real treat! I fully intend to re-read it soon as I know there will be things I pick up on the second and third read that I didn't appreciate first time around. It's one of the reasons that I love Kate Atkinson books- they only get better as you read them again! Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.