Summary and reviews of The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis

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Summary

Book Summary

A dazzling new novel about the twenty-year friendship that will irrevocably change two women's lives.

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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Media Reviews

"Featuring vibrant, witty characters who not only weather but thrive in a dark period of American history, Davis's tale of one friendship's strength will stun and satisfy readers." - Publishers Weekly

"This novel in three acts brings to vivid life the McCarthy era and its impact on the entertainment industry in a heartbreaking tale of the friendship of two brave women." - Library Journal

"A forced effort to leverage interest around the legendary Chelsea Hotel, this novel is a miss." - Kirkus Reviews

"A fascinating and wholly immersive celebration of friendship, love, loyalty, and courage during a turbulent and often underrepresented period in American history, The Chelsea Girls will delight. Davis brings her setting to life as she whisks readers away to the iconic Chelsea Hotel and the theater world during the McCarthy era. Richly detailed and transporting, historical fiction fans will love this one!" - Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of When We Left Cuba

"The Chelsea Girls is an entirely delightful example of Fiona Davis's inventive and winning approach to historical fiction. The dazzling allure of Broadway, the devastating consequences of McCarthyism, the delights of the legendary Chelsea Hotel, and above all the decades-long friendship of Hazel and Maxine—Davis weaves these narrative threads into a memorable, affecting and marvelously entertaining novel." - Jennifer Robson, internationally bestselling author of The Gown

"In her most impressive and ambitious novel yet, Davis has given us an expertly plotted and emotional tale of the aftermath of war, the insidious way that fear-mongering can divide us, and the unexpected ways that art brings us together...This is one of the most powerful and moving stories of female friendship I have ever read." - Lynda Cohen Loigman, author of The Wartime Sisters

"A dazzling story of loyalty, friendship, and betrayal in 1950s Bohemian New York amid the danger of the Red Scare. It will leave readers wishing they could spend a night at the Chelsea Hotel for a taste of Broadway glamour and a well-shaken cocktail." - Julia Kelly, award-winning author of The Light Over London

"The Chelsea Girls is the thoroughly engrossing story of an authentic and complex female friendship under the intense pressures of the Cold War. Replete with international secrets and theatrical triumphs, it sings with the nuances, trials, and celebrations of real friendship in the darkest of times. A must-read for you and your best friends!" - Kerri Maher, author of The Kennedy Debutante

"We all want friends like 'the Chelsea girls.' A winning mix of historic challenges and enduring ties between two remarkable women makes Fiona Davis's latest novel a must-read." - Stephanie Barron, author of That Churchill Woman

"A spell-binding tale of a decades-long friendship between two talented women, presented against a backdrop of political conspiracy, infused with the glamour of Hollywood and Broadway, and set in that ramshackle headquarters of New York bohemia, the iconic Chelsea Hotel. In The Chelsea Girls, the spirits of America's mid-century arts scene rise up to frolic again. Brava!" - Sherill Tippins, author of Inside the Dream Palace: The Life and Times of New York's Legendary Chelsea Hotel

This information about The Chelsea Girls was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

Reader Reviews

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Betty Taylor

Living during McCarthyism
I loved this book! Strong female friendships, history, intrigue, romance, conflicting loyalties – Davis covers it all. And if you have problem following the dual timelines, this book does not do that. While presented with the alternating perspectives of Hazel and Maxine, the superb character development makes all the characters very real to the reader.

Hazel and Maxine meet in 1945 while they are both on a USO tour and quickly become fast friends. When the war is over Hazel and Maxine go their separate ways. But then in 1950 they reunite when Maxine, now a Hollywood starlet, moves to NYC and joins playwright Hazel at the Chelsea Hotel. Both seem destined for success until McCarthyism and accusations of being a Communist shake up the entertainment industry. Davis perfectly captures the sense of fear and intimidation that existed at that time.

I highly recommend this excellent book. This book was given to me by the publisher but all opinions are my own.

Cathryn Conroy

An Inspired Story That Is Interrupted by Too Many Eye-Rolling, Soap Opera Moments
Oh, this book is such a dichotomy! Much of it is absolutely wonderful, if not inspired, but just enough of it is an eye-rolling, soap opera that these melodramatic moments distract from what could have been such a powerful novel.

It's 1950. The United States won a war, the men are home, and all is well. Almost. There are spies among us, and Sen. Joseph McCarthy is going to root out this communist evil, no matter what tactics he has to take. One of his targets is the entertainment industry. Aspiring actresses Hazel Ripley and Maxine Mead met in 1945 on a USO tour in Naples, Italy. Five years later, their paths cross again in New York City. Hazel has written a play, and Maxine tricks her way into being cast for the lead role. They live in the Chelsea, a hotel whose rooms are rented more like apartments to artists of all types. Hazel is identified as a communist, and she tries to do what few did then: fight back. But her actions cost her in a big and lasting way. Meanwhile, leading lady Maxine is guarding dark and terrible secrets of her own. Their lives, so closely intertwined, are on a collision course fueled by suspicion, espionage, and hate.

Unfortunately, the writing is uneven, and some of the events—especially the opening action in Naples that brings Hazel and Maxine together—are just not believable. Still, the underlying message of this book—histrionic soap opera moments aside—rings true not only as history, but also as a warning for us today. Freedom of speech and assembly are cherished liberties we Americans must always protect.

Bonus: While Hazel and Maxine are fictional, the bohemian Chelsea Hotel is very real, and like author Fiona Davis did in "The Address" with the Dakota, she does again in this book, taking an iconic New York City building and making it come alive in a way that gives it its own pulse and heartbeat.

Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews

Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews
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 playwright.

We meet Hazel when she was on tour with the USO during the war. Hazel met many actors and became friends with them.

We follow Hazel as she moves out of her childhood home and into The Chelsea Hotel during the McCarthy Era. When her friend, Maxine, from the USO moves in too, their friendship is renewed.

The description of the hotel's decorations, the secret places and passages in it, and the furnishings was fascinating. The impeccable research Ms. Davis had to do definitely shows. I had do a bit of googling of the hotel myself. :)

History buffs and theater goers will again be treated to a very descriptive story line that has Ms. Davis taking you back in time.

I do have to say THE CHELSEA GIRLS was a bit tedious to read, but I loved the history of the hotel and its inhabitants. The characters in the book were believable and most were likable.

The ending was satisfying and nicely wrapped up the story line..

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Author Information

Biography
Books by this Author

Fiona Davis Author Biography

Photo: © Deborah Feingold

Fiona Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of six historical fiction novels set in iconic New York City buildings, including The Magnolia Palace, The Dollhouse, The Address, and The Lions of Fifth Avenue, which was a Good Morning America book club pick. Her novels have been chosen as "One Book, One Community" reads and her articles have appeared in publications like The Wall Street Journal and O the Oprah magazine.

She first came to New York as an actress, but fell in love with writing after getting a master's degree at Columbia Journalism School. Her books have been translated into over twenty languages and she's based in New York City.

Link to Fiona Davis's Website