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Interesting,
Dramatic,
Addictive

3 reviews

The Chelsea Girls: A Novel
by Fiona Davis

Published: 2019-07-30
Hardcover : 368 pages
2 members reading this now
5 clubs reading this now
3 members have read this book
Recommended to book clubs by 2 of 3 members
The bright lights of the theater district, the glamour and danger of 1950s New York, and the wild scene at the iconic Chelsea Hotel come together in a dazzling new novel about a twenty-year friendship that will irrevocably change two women's lives—from the national bestselling author ...
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Introduction

The bright lights of the theater district, the glamour and danger of 1950s New York, and the wild scene at the iconic Chelsea Hotel come together in a dazzling new novel about a twenty-year friendship that will irrevocably change two women's lives—from the national bestselling author of The Dollhouse and The Address.

From the dramatic redbrick facade to the sweeping staircase dripping with art, the Chelsea Hotel has long been New York City's creative oasis for the many artists, writers, musicians, actors, filmmakers, and poets who have called it home—a scene playwright Hazel Riley and actress Maxine Mead are determined to use to their advantage. Yet they soon discover that the greatest obstacle to putting up a show on Broadway has nothing to do with their art, and everything to do with politics. A Red scare is sweeping across America, and Senator Joseph McCarthy has started a witch hunt for Communists, with those in the entertainment industry in the crosshairs. As the pressure builds to name names, it is more than Hazel and Maxine's Broadway dreams that may suffer as they grapple with the terrible consequences, but also their livelihood, their friendship, and even their freedom.

Spanning from the 1940s to the 1960s, The Chelsea Girls deftly pulls back the curtain on the desperate political pressures of McCarthyism, the complicated bonds of female friendship, and the siren call of the uninhibited Chelsea Hotel.

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Member Reviews

Overall rating:
 
 
  "Life in NYC in the Chelsea Hotel"by liz p. (see profile) 01/30/24

This is a story about the friendship between two women spanning 20 years. From the War, to the McCarthy Era to 1960’s Broadway. Chelsea Girls was not as riveting as this author’s other... (read more)

 
by stacy l. (see profile) 12/11/19

 
  "the chelsea girls"by Carolyn R. (see profile) 09/01/19

I always like to read the lower rated reviews to see what I might have missed in a book. I can appreciate the criticisms about character development, slowness of plot, etc. However, the bottom line for... (read more)

 
  "The Chelsea Girls"by Elizabeth P. (see profile) 07/31/19

What a fun, interesting place The Chelsea Hotel must have been.

Hazel was in a family of performers, but Hazel wasn’t a performer. Hazel was a playwrite.

We meet Hazel when she was



... (read more)

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