Scandalous Women: A Novel of Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann

by Gill Paul

Overview

Mad Men meets the world of publishing in international bestselling author Gill Paul's new novel about Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann, two dynamic, groundbreaking writers renowned for their scandalous and controversial novels, and the beleaguered young editorial assistant who introduces them.

1966, NYC: Jacqueline Susann's Valley of the Dolls hits the bookstores and she is desperate for a bestseller. It's steamy, it's a page-turner, but will it make the big money she needs? In London, Jackie Collins's racy The World Is Full of Married Men launches her career. But neither author is prepared for the price they will pay for being women who dare to write about sex.

Jacqueline and Jackie are lambasted by the literary establishment, deluged with hate mail, and even condemned by feminists. In public, both women shoulder the outcry with dignity; in private, they are crumbling--particularly since they have secrets they don't want splashed across the front pages.

1965, NYC: College graduate Nancy White is excited to take up her dream job at a Manhattan publishing house, but she could never be prepared for the rampant sexism she will encounter. While working on Valley of the Dolls, she becomes friends with Jacqueline Susann, and, after reaching out to Jackie Collins about a US deal, she is responsible for the two authors meeting.

Will the two Jackies clash as they race to top the charts? Will Nancy achieve her ambition of becoming an editor, despite all the men determined to hold her back? Three women struggle to succeed in a man's world, while desperately trying to protect those they love the most.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063245150
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	08/13/2024
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Gill Paul is an author of historical fiction, specialising in relatively recent history. She has written two novels about the last Russian royal family: The Secret Wife, published in 2016, which tells the story of cavalry officer Dmitri Malama and Grand Duchess Tatiana, the second daughter of Russia’s last tsar; and The Lost Daughter, published in October 2018, that tells of the attachment Grand Duchess Maria formed with a guard in the house in Ekaterinburg where the family was held from April to July 1918.

Gill’s other novels include Another Woman’s Husband, about links you may not have been aware of between Wallis Simpson, later Duchess of Windsor, and Diana, Princess of Wales; Women and Children First, about a young steward who works on the Titanic; The Affair, set in Rome in 1961–62 as Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton fall in love while making Cleopatra; and No Place for a Lady, about two Victorian sisters who travel out to the Crimean War of 1854–56 and face challenges beyond anything they could have imagined.

Editorial Reviews

Paul vividly captures her dueling protagonists in this entertaining read about the early days of the beauty industry. She deftly balances the fun of a good feud with the emotional pull of well-developed characters living through sobering events both in the world and in their personal lives. Recommended for fans of Renee Rosen and Fiona Davis.” — Library Journal on A Beautiful Rival

“Gill Paul’s fascinating novel shows us that behind the lipsticks and lotions were two compelling, ambitious and passionate women who were responsible for the birth of the global beauty industry. Few women leave such an extraordinary legacy as Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, and Paul’s impeccable research brings to life their rivalry and their personal struggles, showing us that, for two women intent on outdoing one another, they actually had a lot in common, which makes for a poignant and timeless story.”  — Natasha Lester, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Orphan, on A Beautiful Rival

“A brilliantly entertaining novel about the ugly side of the beauty business. With incredible attention to detail, Gill Paul takes the reader up close and personal with Arden and Rubenstein and their battle for dominance in the emerging beauty industry of the 1900s. Paul blends fact and fiction as smoothly as Arden's Venetian cream, and with pithy dialogue and a wicked sense of humor, brings her leading ladies and their outrageous backstabbing and jealousies roaring to life on the page. An absolute decadent joy from beginning to end, this is the perfect summer read!" — Hazel Gaynor, New York Times bestselling author, on A Beautiful Rival

“Gill Paul brings Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein to life on the pages of her new historical novel, A Beautiful Rival. Exposing the raw, ugly side of the beauty industry, Paul delivers two headstrong, passionate women, willing to do whatever it takes to build their empires. With meticulous research and Paul’s signature skillful storytelling, readers will be swept up in this fascinating, and intimate portrait of these cosmetic titans.” — Renée Rosen, USA Today bestselling author of Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl

“A fascinating insight into two titans of the cosmetic industry, mirror images in business and in love, both insatiable in their ambition yet hobbled by their flaws. Readers will love this juicy and well told tale.”  — Bryn Turnbull, international bestselling author of The Woman Before Wallis, on A Beautiful Rival

"Glamorous and fascinating. Two businesswomen ahead of their time, a tense rivalry in a beautiful world, an intriguing story expertly told. I was completely riveted." — Tracy Rees, international bestselling author of The Elopement

“A delicious look at the high-stakes rivalry that defined a century of beauty. Gill Paul masterfully weaves skillful storytelling with an acute eye for glamor to make A Beautiful Rival an utterly compelling read.” — Julia Kelly, international bestselling author of The Lost English Girl

“Scandal, sabotage and spies. Who knew the beauty industry was so cutthroat! This was a thoroughly compulsive and addictive read. Gill is such a clever writer, deftly peeling back the layers of these two formidable doyennes to reveal their tender, vulnerable core. It had me up way past my bedtime racing to that enormously satisfying end!” — Kate Thompson, bestselling author of The Little Wartime Library

From the Publisher