I really enjoyed this novel!

Phoebe Adler is working to make a living in a Man's World - namely in this case, the show-writing world. Phoebe writes scripts for a crime show (censor-approved of course,) and feels like she's finally about to get her big break - when on-set one day, she's informed she's been blacklisted for being a supposed communist, and immediately fired. Red Letter Days follows Phoebe's journey to England to escape a subpoena, along with the journey of Hannah, a female director working to get her first big show off the ground in England, with a team of escaped blacklistee script writers.

This book does an awesome job of showcasing both the insanity that came with the age of McCarthyism, along with some major girl-power in Hannah and Phoebe's stories, which are based on real life. Highly recommmend!

Usually, I read historical fiction set in the WWII era or earlier. This was a nice change and an interesting topic. I would recommend this book to my book club.

Linda's Book Obsession Reviews "Red Letter Days" by Sarah=Jane Stratford, Berkley, February 25, 2020

 Sarah-Jane Stratford, Author of "Red Letter Days" has written an intense, intriguing, captivating, compelling and thought-provoking novel. The Genre for this novel is Historical Fiction. The timeline for this story is set in the nineteen fifties, during the McCarthy trials. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. There are betrayals, and some characters are desperate to survive at any cost.

Phoebe Adler, a young woman from New York is hoping to write for television.  This is at a time when women are not supposed to get roles based on merit. It angers many men that a talented woman writer could possibly take a job away that belonged to him. It is also a time of prejudice and fear as writers, and other artistic people are being blacklisted for being Communists. 

Phoebe has been successful in her writing attempts and is shocked when she is fired and blacklisted as a Communist sympathizer. Phoebe has been trying to also support her ailing sister, who is in a hospital. Feeling, she has no choice, Phoebe leaves America and heads for London.

Hannah Wolfson is a successful American producer in London.  Helen does hire "blacklisted: Americans, although it is very dangerous. She has to take certain precautions. Some Londoners resent that the Americans get the jobs. In London, just like America, women are looked down upon, expected to marry, and have children, and not take jobs away from men.

Hannah does hire Phoebe, and they try to right what is wrong in society, but is it the correct timing? Little do they realize the danger, and the persistence of those who are seeking revenge.

I appreciate the amount of research that the author has done to provide the details in this story. The author vividly describes the witch hunts and prejudice in this story. I highly recommend this thought-provoking novel for those readers who appreciate Historical Fiction.

A book set in a time period that is written about and read often, but the focuses on something that I knew vaguely about, but didn't know the details and through this book was glad to find out the ins and outs of a cultural change in Hollywood. The "blacklist" of Hollywood included all sorts of names and professions where they were accused of promoting a Communist agenda to Americans through television and film and it was like a set of dominos falling as one would accuse another to hopefully gain freedom or favor. I had heard about this, but to read a book dedicated on this time and this moment was very very interesting.

Told through two women, one a writer who starts the story in Hollywood and the other a producer who headed to London early to escape the possibility of accusations end up colliding and helping each other through this time in their industry. I was so glad to hear from two different women in two different roles and circumstances in life describe how this time in history affected themselves and those around them. It was nice to read a story about Hollywood, television and film told not through actresses or actors but through a different viewpoint.

If you feel as though you have read all the behind the scenes books that are also historical fiction, I would challenge you to read this one as it just a little bit different from viewpoint and time and place.

Red Letter Days was my first book by this author, but I doubt it will be my last. LOVED this book! It is set about 10 years after WW2 in the mid-fifties during the second Red Scare and the blacklisting of many people in TV and film and during a time when the House Un-American Activities Committee and the FBI had a lot of power.

I loved that the story was about two women trying to make it in a man's profession (at that time) and how they were both often perceived as a threat (one to the point of being named as a communist when she really had no interest in politics at all). But it showed really clearly how un-American these people looking for communists had become in their efforts.

I loved that most of the book is set in London, during the time of Call the Midwives and the friendships that develop between these two American women living in London (though going on and on about the accents got to be a little too much). I thought the story had good pacing, I read most of it in about 2 days, because I just couldn't wait to find out what would happen. I fell in love with the characters and cried and yelled a few times because of the things that happened in the story. There was friendship, love, betrayals, men who were creeps, and men who were very, very good.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, and I can honestly say that this was my favorite book I've read so far this year.

I requested this book because we are currently running a promotion of Red Letter Days for Berkley marketing (Jessica M), and thus useful for me to know the story outline, which I found interesting. The book is scoring well with our member-reviewers - currently with a 4.2 average. Reviews are at https://www.bookbrowse.com/arc/arc_reviews/ and will be featured from time of publication. New reviews are also being sent to Jessica on a weekly basis.

A period, in time, not often written about. What really happened to, not just the men, but the women, affected by the Red Scare? Where did they go? How did they cope? What came out of this time period? The mixture of fact and fiction brilliantly interwoven makes an excellent read. A true eye opener that will stay with you.

This is a topic that has long fascinated me, but this was a “lite” version of the story of a woman caught in the web of the HUAC.

Although I enjoyed the topic, I felt there was something missing and I just couldn’t get involved with the characters.

Thank you Netgalley.

Enjoyable and well written novel about blacklisted writers, and others, fleeing America to London in the 1950's. Protagonist Phoebe decamps from Greenwich Village when she is subpoenaed to appear before Congress. Her former employer at a TV show puts her in touch with a studio owner known to hire those on the blacklist. Ties to home, where her invalid sister remains, and attempts to work pull Phoebe in multiple directions, all the while the fear of being "outed" keeps her anxious. A bit of romance and a well placed friend who is a member of the Upper class keep the plot and the interest moving. Recommend for fans of historical fiction and of authors such as Rhys Bowen, Beatriz Williams and others.

Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for the advanced reading copy. I'm sorry to say I did not even finish the book. I expected more historical events and found the characters to be unappealing. Maybe it got better after the point I stopped but I just could not work up the effort. The story just to be going nowhere.

This is a historical novel that makes an indelible impression. Set in the 1950's, during the Red Scare in the United States, screen writer Phoebe receives a subpoena to appear before HUAC while living happily in Brooklyn. Knowing the seriousness of possible outcomes, she decides to flee to London, even though she cannot understand what she may have been accused of. In England she makes her way as a writer for television, namely a Robin Hood series, thanks to the generosity of Hannah Wolfson, who has anonymously hired many exiled blacklisted writers, actors, and directors. Phoebe finds that she loves her life and relationships in London, but those are all jeopardized when an obsessive detective tracks her down and arrests her to return to Washington. The fear mongering, betrayals, and ruined lives brought about by the McCarthy era are made all too real in this novel, much of which was based on real people. Readers will have to wonder how such a national atmosphere of prejudice and menace could have ever happened, but then of course we have only to read the news of today to catch a glimpse.

I was interested to see how the author would portray the scary era of blacklisting and the tactics of the HUAC. The characters were well portrayed and the historical times brought to life. Very pertinent to current politics today.

This story brings history to life even though it is fiction. The story is based on past events that as a child and teenager I was barely aware of. It makes you think twice about how fragile our democracy really is especially with current events. A great story with wonderful characters.

3.5 stars

Even though I read historical fiction novels quite often, surprisingly the Red Scare of the 1940s and 1950s is not a subject I have seen explored all that much. So I was glad to see this author not only tackle the topic but do a pretty good job as well.

It's the 1950s and Phoebe Adler is a television writer, no small feat considering it's a male dominated industry. But unfortunately for Phoebe, the fear of Communism is still sweeping the nation and has hit Hollywood particularly hard. People are willing to name names whether there is truth to it or not and Phoebe finds herself on the infamous blacklist and decides her best option is to flee to London. Hannah Wolfson has found some success as a producer in England and even though she could be risking it all if the wrong people found out, she hires blacklisted writers to come work for her. Hannah, Phoebe, and other exiled Americans living in London are safe from what's going on over in America, right?

I read the The Chelsea Girls a month ago and because it's still fresh in my mind it's hard not to compare it with this book. The Hollywood blacklist is something that plays a role in both stories however Red Letter Days in my opinion explores the topic with a little more depth. And after reading the Author's Note, this one is more heavy on the historical side in terms of some of the characters being based on real life people.

Both Phoebe and Hannah were solid, strong female characters. Phoebe has had a rough life so you can't help but want to root for the underdog. And given Hannah was risking so much in order to help others, she was an intriguing character as well. In terms of their storylines, the only thing that fell a bit flat and didn't interest me as much was their love lives. Hannah's relationship with her husband didn't seem to enhance the story in my opinion.

The main criticism I have with this book is it was not a story I felt fully engrossed in. That doesn't mean I didn't like it, more it just wasn't a page turner or the type of book I would sit around reading for hours at a time. This book might not have hit amazing level for me but it still was a worthwhile read. I did love the combination of history and fiction and felt I walked away having learned a bit more about this time period. And that's always a good thing to be able to say after reading a historical fiction book. Would definitely recommend checking this one out if the whole Hollywood blacklist is a topic that interests you.

Thank you to Netgalley and Berkley for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

With so many people shouting about making America great again, one must realize that times that some thought were great were not great for everyone. When one thinks of the 1950's and the Eisenhower years, some people consider a perfect time as people started moving to the suburbs to live an Ozzie & Harriet life. But for many, the 50's were not at all great. Many parts of the country were still segregated & had Jim Crow laws.
And then there was the HUAC; the House Un-American Activities Committee.. The committee conducted witch hunts in an effort to rid the red tide of Communism from invading our country. It didn't matter if you were left-leaning or a card-carrying member, or even just knew someone who was, "Red Letter Days" by Sarah-Jane Stratford is about those days of terror. People from all walks of life were attacked - from famous actors, writers, musicians, as well as union leaders and your next door neighbor. This is the story of one young woman, Phoebe Adler, who fled the country because of unfounded attacks against her. (So-called friends & neighbors self-righteously would name names to get themselves off the hook.) The author writes about the reality of always having to look behind; of not knowing whom to trust; and of trying to create a new life, never knowing when it might all collapse around you. For readers who are not familiar with this period in U.S. history, this is an easy to read introduction to the subject. And you will want to find more to read about this scary time, which we can even see popping up in our country today.

Phoebe was finally making some money for her scripts and getting well known, but then for some reason she was tagged as being a communist by the government and blacklisted by the playwrights.

Phoebe had no idea what she did to be tagged, but she decided to leave the country and head to London where there was someone who would take her scripts no matter who or what she was.

We follow Phoebe on her trip across the ocean and when she arrives in London determined to make a name for herself in the seven weeks she was granted to be in the country.

I enjoyed the characters in RED LETTER DAYS. LOVE the cover.

Phoebe was funny and lovable and eager to take chances. Hannah was talented but flighty. Phoebe’s sister, Mona, was upbeat even though her life wasn’t.

We see the historical struggles and worries that play writes had at this time and how the blacklisted writers could get into deep trouble.

Historical fiction fans, fans of the theater and television productions, and fans of Robin Hood will enjoy RED LETTER DAYS.

Ms. Stratford did marvelous, in-depth research, but The Robin Hood pages that took up a great deal of the book actually were of no interest, and that did make the story drag for me. 3/5

This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

After the end of World War II, the United States became a world of prosperity and unlimited possibilities - for some. For others, such as those who were suspected of having Communist leanings and beliefs, lives were turned upside down. Phoebe is a young writer, living in New York, trying to earn enough with her craft to support herself and to keep her sister Mona, who suffers from a life-threatening disease in comfort in a nursing facility. Phoebe is aware that artists are being targeted as Communists, and if they don't name names of others, they will be blacklisted or jailed. Mona suggests that Phoebe flee to London to try her hand at writing there. When Phobe is subpoenaed by the House on UnAmerican Activities, she sees that the danger is real and leaves the country, With help from her new-found friends, Phoebe makes a life for herself, But then the long arm of the law reaches across the ocean and threatens to bring her down. Is Phoebe going to be able to clear herself without endangering anyone else? Or will she be jailed even though she is not a Communist but only suspected of being one? Red Letter Days does illuminates this period of history and makes the reader wonder if something like this is still possible.