The Chelsea Girls
Book Review - The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis
Reading The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis in New Town at St. Charles, MO
Fiona Davis has to be one of the most well-represented authors on this blog. She was one of the first (if not the very first) author I connected with after starting Hasty Book List. I’ve read and reviewed all of her books, including The Address, The Dollhouse, and The Masterpiece. I interviewed her on this blog last year and I also had the opportunity to finally meet Fiona in person to conduct an in-conversation with her at the St. Louis County Library. Don’t worry if you missed out, we are teaming up again on August 22 at 7pm to discuss her latest novel, The Chelsea Girls! Don’t live in St. Louis and want to chat with Fiona about her book? Join us for September’s Virtual Book Club discussing The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis! As always, you are welcome to join even if you haven't finished (or started!) the book. Pour yourself a glass of wine and login to a friendly, casual discussion centered around books and reading.
Reading The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis in New Town at St. Charles, MO
Okay, now that all of the introductions and “announcements” have been made. Let’s talk about this book! The Chelsea Girls is a bit of a departure from Fiona’s previous three novels, which I felt focused quite a bit on the building in which the book took place. The Chelsea Girls, on the other hand, seemed to focus more on the characters and society at large during the McCarthy era. But loyal fans of Fiona Davis who like that each book is set in a historic NYC building won’t be disappointed, The Chelsea Girls is set (in part) at The Chelsea Hotel and we get to learn a little about the building and its history. The story is about two friends who work in theater (one is an actress and the other is a playwright) during the McCarthy era when people who were part of the theater community could be blacklisted if they were suspected of being a communist.
Reading The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis in New Town at St. Charles, MO
I think this might be my favorite book by Fiona Davis. I haven’t read many books about this time period and I haven’t read any books about the blacklist in the theater community. I learned SO much. Part of me missed the vast amount of history about the NYC building that Fiona included in her other books, but I can easily go Google The Chelsea Hotel for the historic information I missed (let’s be honest, I did that after all of her books because I wanted to learn more!) If you’ve never read a Fiona Davis book, I think this is the one to read! If you’ve read all of Fiona’s other books…this is not the one to skip! Don’t forget, after you read it, to join us on September 25 at 7pm Central for an online book discussion with Fiona Davis!
Reading The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis in New Town at St. Charles, MO
Reading The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis in New Town at St. Charles, MO
