Publishers Weekly
04/19/2021
Historian Williams (Gin Glorious Gin) delivers a rich and rewarding history of London’s Savoy Hotel and Savoy Theatre. She spotlights three generations of the D’Oyly Carte family that built and ran the Savoy, beginning with theater impresario and talent agent Richard D’Oyly Carte, who financed the hotel project with profits earned from the Gilbert and Sullivan operas he staged at the theater next door. Opening in 1889, the Savoy Hotel “became a microcosm of the newly diverse local and international elite, who came to... see and be seen.” Richard’s son Rupert D’Oyly Carte introduced cabaret acts and the Savoy Havana Band after he took over in 1913, and made the Savoy the first British hotel to actively publicize itself in the U.S. Rupert’s only daughter, Bridget, became president of the Savoy Hotel after her father’s death in 1948, and with the help of chairman Hugh Wontner, fended off a series of “hostile takeovers.” Williams drops plenty of names (Claude Monet painted the view from his hotel room; Bob Dylan was denied entry for not wearing a tie), folds in colorful anecdotes (one maid’s sole job was picking beads from flappers’ dresses off the dance floor), and incisively analyzes real estate deals and other business matters. The result is a delicious peek behind some rather luxurious curtains. (June)
Florida Times-Union
"Williams does not hang back when writing about how ornate and luxurious this hotel was. The reader will come away from reading about the Savoy with an intimate knowledge of this grand hotel."
Lady Anne Glenconner
A real triumph, beautifully written, with many wonderful stories of the Savoy.
From the Publisher
Advance praise for The Secret Life of the Savoy:
Bloomberg News
"Williams writes with authority and style, making her ideal to chronicle the story of the Savoy.
Francesca Cartier Brickell
"The story of how one family's vision shaped not only an institution but the very idea of luxury. From Belle Epoque scandals to Hollywood gossip, and from kitchen politics to corporate swashbuckling, Williams' writing is deliciously alive with the type of behind-the-scenes drama that will transport you back in time.
Lady Kinvara Balfour
A thoroughly entertaining account of some of London's most treasured history, with the beloved The Savoy at the heart of a fascinating and delightful plot. Bravo to Olivia Williams and her fantastically colorful cast of characters.
Laura Thompson
This is a fascinating story, and it could not be better told. Elegant, great fun, and with a finely-judged personal touch: much like the Savoy hotel itself.”
The Daily Telegraph
A cracking good read and a fascinating story that—amazingly—has not been told before.
The New York Times - Sarah Lyall
Thorough and entertaining. Who has stayed at the Savoy? Who hasn’t? The Savoy is where Vivien Leigh met her future husband, Laurence Olivier. It is where Oscar Wilde disastrously canoodled with young Lord Alfred Douglas. It is where the famous Parisian courtesan Marguerite Alibert — a former lover of Edward, the Prince of Wales — quarreled with and then murdered her husband, the Egyptian aristocrat Ali Kamel Fahey. Monet and Whistler painted scenes from the windows; the French author Emile Zola lived it up at the Savoy while, hilariously, visiting London 'to observe its poor.'
The Wall Street Journal
Lively. Williams has unearthed a wealth of fascinating details about three generations of the eccentric, secretive D’Oyly Carte family.
Booklist
"Entertaining anecdotes document legal wranglings, eccentric guests, titillating scandals, and accounts of unimaginable extravagance. Music theater enthusiasts, celebrity cognoscenti, and social history buffs will enjoy this account of timeless elegance and unparalleled service."
Ophelia Field
An elegantly crafted, yet spritely and sparkling book, perfectly befitting its subject. Williams uses group biography to beautifully illuminate some of London's greatest hotel and theatre landmarks.
The New York Times Sarah Lyall
Thorough and entertaining. Who has stayed at the Savoy? Who hasn’t? The Savoy is where Vivien Leigh met her future husband, Laurence Olivier. It is where Oscar Wilde disastrously canoodled with young Lord Alfred Douglas. It is where the famous Parisian courtesan Marguerite Alibert — a former lover of Edward, the Prince of Wales — quarreled with and then murdered her husband, the Egyptian aristocrat Ali Kamel Fahey. Monet and Whistler painted scenes from the windows; the French author E´mile Zola lived it up at the Savoy while, hilariously, visiting London “to observe its poor.
