Scandalous Women

Jacqueline Susann was one of the most successful writers of the mid twentieth century with her novel Valley of the Dolls. Her road to publication and success was a rocky one thanks to misogyny and judgemental attitudes. She was ridiculed and scorned as being low brow and trashy. Over in the UK, Jackie Collins was struggling with a difficult marriage and trying to find the confidence to write.
Both women changed the face of fiction forever.

This is a fascinating story that's meticulously researched and beautifully written. It's atmospheric and evokes a Madmen type era full of glamour, alcohol and, of course, pills (or dolls). Where the book really works well is in showing the two women writers as empathetic and humane characters. This contrasts with how they're usually seen, as objects of ridicule and purveyors of trashy books. It's a pacy book and the two stories are interwoven and compelling to read. I devoured this in a day and a half.

Fascinating and inspired choice of subject. Gill Paul is an exceptional storyteller. who chooses to write about some of the most fascinating women who are overlooked by history. She's a joy to read.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books for this eCopy to review

I recently finished reading “Scandalous Women” by Gill Paul, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! The book offers a captivating look into the lives of some of history’s most intriguing and notorious women. Gill Paul’s writing is both engaging and insightful, making each story come alive with vivid detail and rich context.

What I loved most about this book is how it humanizes these historical figures. Paul goes beyond the scandals to explore the complexities of their lives, providing a nuanced and empathetic portrayal of each woman. This approach not only makes the stories more relatable but also highlights the resilience and strength of these remarkable individuals.

Each chapter is a gem, filled with fascinating anecdotes and well-researched facts. While some stories naturally stood out more to me, I found the entire book to be a compelling read from start to finish. The pacing is well-balanced, and the narrative flows smoothly, keeping me hooked throughout.

Overall, “Scandalous Women” is a fantastic read for anyone interested in history and biographies. Gill Paul has done an excellent job of bringing these extraordinary women to life, and I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an engaging and enlightening read.

I liked this cocktail of celebrity and fiction set in the 1960s and 1970s, featuring two women who pushed the literary boundaries. The intricately woven mix of fact and fiction makes the storytelling flawless. It revolves around publishing Jacqueline Susann's novel The Valley Of The Dolls, and Jackie Collins' novel The World Is Full Of Married Men. Despite the success these novels enjoyed, the fallout the authors experienced from misogynist publishers, media, and critics was personal and shaming. The book highlights this and shows how groundbreaking these authors were. Nancy, a fictional character, draws the two women together and has a compelling story in which I invested. I enjoyed the storytelling, the vibrant characters and the evocative mid-to-late twentieth-century setting.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Back in the sixties, although only a rather naive teenager, I can vividly remember devouring and being really excited about Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls – in fact, my copy with that iconic cover can still be found in a treasured slot on my bookshelves. My reading tastes were always a bit precocious, I’d already read some Harold Robbins, but this book was so very different – it was, rather shockingly, written by a woman, and that was something so very new and different. Jackie Collins’ overtly racy books certainly accompanied me on every holiday in my later teens and twenties – along with the proliferation of female authors who were able to follow, women like Judith Krantz and Shirley Conran. But in those days, I knew nothing about the prevailing literary landscape – the stuffiness of the male establishment, the battles against prejudice that these two women had to fight – and I’d never really thought about the shockwaves their books caused and the massive change to the whole world of books and publishing that they were so very instrumental in bringing about.

Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls was a no holds barred exposé of life in Hollywood, the rampant sexism and the drug culture – and she then had to fight tooth and nail to make it the most unexpected of bestsellers, first fighting to get it published, then conducting an extraordinarily intensive publicity campaign (TV, radio, visiting book stores, talking to her fans and remembering their personal stories) and defying the most vehement and prominent (mainly, but not exclusively, male) critics. In the UK, Jackie Collins was divorced and a former b-list actress – with more than a few experiences to draw on – who finally completed her first book, The World Is Full of Married Men, with the support and encouragement of her new husband Oscar Lerman. And she experienced the same storm of opposition – the same ridicule and appalling reception, even including some very real threats to her personal safety.

Both authors’ stories are drawn together by a third – Nancy White, newly arrived in Manhattan, desperate to carve a career in publishing but despairing of ever being allowed to become an editor in an industry where overt sexism is the norm. Championing Jacqueline’s work, Nancy becomes her friend and protégée – and she’s gradually able to help her make her mark through astute advice and introductions. And when Nancy also becomes Jackie’s editor – and friend – their lives and stories begin to converge.

The author so skilfully combines fact and fiction, real people and events, imagined individuals and interactions, to build a fascinating and immersive story of both the lives of these two literary titans and the publishing world that – initially at least – treated them both so very badly. And she recreates, in particular detail and with absolute authenticity, the celebrity-filled world around them – while telling the smaller story of the complexities of their personal lives, their setbacks, challenges and tragedies, building real sympathy and affection for them both and bringing them to life on the page. In her afterword, she makes it clear which parts of the story were real or the product of her imagination – but I must say that the joins were entirely invisible, and I found the story she wove entirely real, very emotional at times and particularly compelling. She really is the most amazing storyteller – I read the whole book in one delicious uninterrupted sitting, feeling entirely part of the world and era she created.

Two extraordinarily strong women, whose lives had a lasting impact they could never have imagined or hoped for – and a fabulous book by one of the finest of today’s storytellers that I couldn’t recommend more highly.

(Review also copied to Amazon UK, but link not yet available)

Based loosely on the lives of Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann, who broke the publishing mould writing racy books for women. Considering this was a time when sexism was commonplace and women were mere pawns in a man's world. This type of book didn't belong.

I absolutely loved getting to know the women and their friendships with others, good and bad. The characters were so well written that I'd become so invested in their story's. They paved the way for many writers. This was a very intriguing look at the world of publishing at this time.

🧁Powerful! Feminist! A boss book written by a boss author! I was truly entertained each chapter and each page! I grew up around women who paved the way in certain industries and I can feel each and every emotion the characters conveyed based off a real life heroes!


And due to my handicap this book was really easy to follow along! The way the author wrote this legendary legend bound truth had me wanting more!!


🍰 I felt this book was a mix of Mad Men with a big splash of Cherry Martinis and raw sparkle!

💗 whenever the characters in the book were presented with a challenge all I could see was how are these ladies going to punch through this wall?! LOL

Bravo!! 💋

I could not put this book down!

A story of Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann and not only their rise to fame with their respective books, but the sexism and trials and tribulations they encountered along the way. Whilst the account is fictious it was so much fun to read, Gill really brought the two authors alive.

My favourite character was Nancy the fictious book intern and her navigation of New York in the 1960s. Even though the blatant sexism she encountered at work was hard to read I was routing for her throughout. From arriving to find she had no place to stay, to her friendship with Jacqueline Susann and later Jackie Collins, it was just a delight to read. The character was a brilliant bridge between the two author stories.

Gill wove factual detail into her story so well, that when I had finished reading I was grateful for her notes on what did and didn't actually happen. Also how she had entwined certain facts and fiction to make for a gripping read.

Fantastic book with a really enticing concept. I loved the exploration of multiple points of view, and felt it kept the pace tight and plot engaging. A great juicy summer read.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review

What another fabulous and captivating novel from Gill Paul! I was glued to the pages and fascinated by the lives of Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins. The 1960s was a rough time in the book industry and these women were trailblazers who never gave up and made a difference for women authors who came after. There were a number of times I felt teary for these ladies who had such a battle on their hands trying to be heard in the male dominated publishing industry at that time. Plus the difficulties they encountered in their personal lives.

Scandalous Women shines a bright light on the unfairness, the unbalanced opportunities for women and the rude responses of some reviewers in the 1960s. Also, its demonstrates how women in the office were treated by men. Editor assistant Nancy shone in her role and showed us the issues that she and many faced in this area plus the obstacles women had to overcome in trying to succeed in the industry. I felt that Nancy’s confidence and skills were superior to the men she worked for in the publishing companies. She may not have had the years of experience behind her but she certainly had the brains and a natural talent for editing and sussing out future best sellers. Her personal life, though, was in sharp contrast to her glowing work skills. Her initial naivety about romantic relationships was startling. We see her dating the wrong men and falling into some awful traps. One man she trusted and fell for during her first publishing role, burned her with his dishonesty and false claims of marital status. Thankfully not all the men in her life were horrors. There was one real prince waiting in the wings watching out for her. George is a dear friend of Jacqueline’s. She introduced them with hopes they would fall in love. The old saying that implies ‘what Jacqueline wants, Jacqueline gets’ proves true in this case. But I smiled at the genuine care Jacqueline had for these two for it was an unselfish desire to see her beloved friends join together in what she saw as a perfect love-match.

The story is told through multiple viewpoints (Nancy, Jacqueline, Jackie) which move back and forth like a well-oiled machine. Never once did I feel the transitions were abrupt or out of place. Everything was neatly arranged and flowed from chapter to chapter flawlessly. I hung on the author’s every word and was keen to see what each of these women were going to do next. Their stories were all equally fascinating, dramatic and all-encompassing.

Scandalous Women is an inspiring blend of fact and fiction: heartbreaking yet empowering historical knowledge infused with Gill Paul’s robust imagination! These real women’s lives were epic and tragic in so many ways, so the author had a lot to draw upon. But a fiction author does not just regurgitate facts. The information is perused, distilled and utilised in the best way possible and injected into the creative mind where it picks up nuances, shades and form and expands into a magnificent full colour portrayal. Fleshing out what might have been. And Gill has done this profoundly well. She energised and embellished the text in ways that made Scandalous Women a fascinating read. She is a true master of telling stories about strong historical women in the limelight who made a difference, fought uphill battles against the norms of society and forged a path for many of us. Massive cheers for Jacqueline and Jackie (and fictional character Nancy). And 5 stars for Gill Paul for her dazzling literary performance. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks to Avon Books UK, Gill Paul and Netgalley for the review copy.

'She just wished she hadn't been so naive as to think writing a sexy book would come without a price tag'.

When Jacqueline Susann's, 'Valley of the Dolls', was published in 1966, it represented a new frontier in fiction: women's fiction. It wasn't a romance and it wasn't literary fiction. It was gritty. It was escapist. Critics loathed it, but it took only 9 weeks to become a New York bestseller - where it stayed for another 28 weeks. Ever a visionary, Jacqueline steered her own marketing and publicity for this new type of novel, including never-before-seen booktours. However, none of this success stopped the hatemail, threats, harassment, and general attempts of public humiliation that bombarded her. Yet, she remained undeterred, producing another provocative book soon after.

Hot off the heels of Jacqueline's success, came Jackie Collins', when she published, 'The World is Full of Married Men', in 1968. Being banned in 3 countries bolstered sales but did protect her from being castigated by critics and harassed by haters. But she did not apologise. She did not stop.

Nancy White, a recent college graduate, comes to New York with dreams of becoming an editor. She's begrudgingly given a job as a typist with a publisher. This seeming set-back, becomes a windfall when she's introduced to Jacqueline Susann. Susann takes an active interest in Nancy and her dreams. But trying to get ahead in this male-dominated industry will take as much gumption as these maverick women authors.

Gill Paul's, 'Scandalous Women', is a very readable, multi POV book that spans a decade, from the mid 60s. Through the mixing of fact and fiction, Paul relates the vision, fortitude, and utter resilience these two authors had in creating a new type of women's fiction. It seems incredulous that their sales success - continued success - was met with such scathing reviews.

The thing I love best about historical fiction is, learning new facets of history - people, places and
social norms of that era - in such a digestible format. Gill Paul has succeeded here.

'Nancy was astonished by the venom. Surely the author's appearance wasn't relevant to the decision whether or not to publish a book'.

An imagined fictional story about what happened when two scandalous women meet and it wasn’t at all what I expected! Two strong and determined women Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins have both published their first books. Controversial books with sex scenes written from a woman’s point of view their books, and they, were decried from many quarters. Nancy White has come to New York to interview for a job in publishing and successfully gets a role as a typist, but her dream is to become an editor. I know it’s fictional but this was written so well I felt like I was reading a true story, do read the authors notes at the end of the book - no spoilers here!

Briefly, Jacqueline is successful and is in demand in the New York publishing world after her book Valley of the Dolls, published in 1966, became a massive best seller. She meets Nancy through her publishing house and they become friends and it’s through Nancy that she eventually comes into contact with Jackie and against the odds they become not just friends but good friends.

All three female protagonists were so well fleshed and I liked them all very much. Feminists at a time when women were actively fighting for equality these three women were strong, ambitious and determined. They all had to fight the glass ceiling that in those days in publishing was a very low ceiling! All three women had secrets they wanted to keep that way and all had interesting and at times shocking private lives, particularly Jackie. I genuinely adored this book and read it in a day and whilst I love all this authors books this one really grabbed me. A brilliant read.

I love Gill's books and this one was so addictive. I've never read Valley of the Dolls , not really my type of book. I was too young when it came out but I do remember the hype surrounding it. I found out about both these women so Interesting. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Having just read Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Sussan last year (I know, late to the party!) I was fascinated to read this reimagined fictionalised account of her life and career. What a woman she was! A best-selling writer and feminist who knew how to play the patriarchy, she blazed a trail for female writers such as Jackie Collins, the second "scandalous woman" of the title. The third protaganist Nancy, is a fictional character, and as an aspiring book editor trying to break the glass ceiling of male domination, a great foil to the two women writers.
The narrative follows the triumphs and tragedies of all three women in both their personal and public lives, while imagining a world in which Jacqueline and Jackie collide in real life to become a formidable force. Rivals, friends and allies against the men who think they have the monopoly on sexual matters, they never give up their fight to be taken seriously, nor their battle for the sisterhood to enjoy life in the bedroom and the boardroom.
All three women are strong, yet vulnerable, loyal and courageous and their stories are rivetting.
As always, Gill Paul demonstrates her stregnth in fleshing out real-life historical heroines so that we really feel we get to know them, and furthermore, make friends with them. Scandalous or not, you want women like this on your side!
Another brilliant book by one of my favourite authors.

There was something about the characters which really hooked me into this fabulous story about the real life Jackies and their fictional editor, Nancy. I kept turning the pages to find out what would happen to them and that's a sign of a great book. The only thing I would say is that by making it three POVs I felt there wasn't enough time spent on any of them in-depth. I would have preferred to just have two and have explored their lives more deeply. Still, it was a great story and I really enjoyed it.

Wow. This was an incredible book. I couldn’t put it down. I read it in two days! I love the characters so much! The women were strong, complex, inspiring, and resilient. It made me feel even more excited and thrilled to take on the world as a woman in the legal profession.

They are amazing role models. I loved the show Mad Men so much and I felt like I was taken into that world when I was reading it. Even better than Mad Men, I love that the central plot is women who fight and work hard and stand up for themselves. The book flowed and progressed and never felt stuck.

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read the pre-published draft of the book.

Another great mixture of fact and fiction of two iconic women.
I loved the way Gill built up this imaginary friendship between these two ladies; it was very believable.
I loved the fictional characters as well as they added to the main characters.
It's crazy how far the literacy world has come along in the fifty so years. I guess there's still work to be done, but we've had progress.
A great insight of life in the Seventy's, drugs, freelove, mobs controlling the nightclub scene and celebs hung out.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I loved it! Honestly couldn’t be better! The novel was so flowing. It wasn’t even like a historical fiction novel it was as if fictional characters and storyline. I didn’t feel like I was reading history. It was extremely entertaining. Not only we saw these two women and the start of their careers, personal lives. We also saw the environment and their attitudes towards women sexuality, pills, feminism. Even though we still have some negative opinions, there are thousands of women authors we can get inspired from. Thanks to Netgalley and Avon Books UK for giving me ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This novel combines all the things I love, books, strong women and history. I knew very little about the lives of Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann and now I want to know more!

Gill has a fabulous skill of creating a book that reads like fiction but is about real women. It’s fascinating to hear about how much adversity the women in this novel had to face to be taken seriously in the publishing industry (can you imagine having to go down a fireman’s pole for an interview now?!) and how these women fought for their place at the table and how their novels inspired generations of women to take what they wanted. I can’t wait to read Gill’s back catalogue.

Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins. Both names that played a big part in my young adult years. How lovely to be able to see them brought to life by the expert at historical fiction writing Gill Paul. As always Gill takes reality and bends it into a brilliant story allowing the reader to become part of the action. Her characterisation is so good I can't tell which characters were/are real and which she made up. Another brilliant book I can't recommend highly enough.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy. All opinions are my own.

Brilliant! I read Scandalous Women in two days! I’ve enjoy and all of Gill Paul’s books and this was no exception. Perfectly entwining the stories of the two Jackie’s and Nancy. The fact and fiction blended so beautifully I was engrossed from page one.
A high recommendation from me!

Very excited for this book which is a nod to the days of Jackie Collin’s and the power women era. I’m behind excited to share my full thoughts and review very soon. I apologize I’m dealing with some serious health issues at the moment but look forward to sharing much more soon.