I was in a reading slump. I had started a couple of books but weeks went by without finishing anything. Now, maybe it had to do with the fact that I was in the first trimester of pregnancy. I was frankly too tired to read! But as I fell behind on my reading challenge for the year when I was previously books ahead, I decided to do something I normally never do.

I put down one book to start another. And The Chelsea Girls is what finally saved me. This historical fiction book spans the end of World War II into the late 60s. It follows a couple girls in the entertainment industry and how they were affected by the government’s hunt for Communist sympathizers.

I found this book very interesting. There were many scenes and settings and what I found to be a unique focus. I have never read anything related to the communist movement in the United States and really enjoyed reading about something new.

I thought the characters had a lot of depth and were very intriguing. I savored following their stories and appreciated their representation of strong women. Theater is not the most compelling subject to me, but I still found it all very amusing and would definitely recommend if you are a fan of this genre.

After I started reading this book I realized that I previously had read this. As a big historical fiction lover Fiona Davis books never disappoint and this is no exception. I look forward to reading more from her.

I enjoyed this novel and the bonds of friendship that are explored between the two female leads who narrate the story. Having not lived through the "Red Scare" time frame the majority of the novel takes place in, I can't know if it is an accurate reflection of how US citizens were treated. However, from a purely fictional standpoint, it added excitement to the story line.

I absolutely LOVED The Chelsea Girls. Each setting was so vividly described and the characters felt so real. You might think a novel about the HUAC and its effect on the arts would be dark, but Davis expertly balances the glamour and humor of the Chelsea Hotel and the theatre world with the paranoia and fear of the McCarthy era. I did not at all expect the major plot twist of the book, which I thought was brilliant, and I love that the ending doesn’t tie everything up in a neat package. Highly recommend!

I really enjoy books by Fiona Davis. In her latest novel, we follow two friends, Hazel and Maxine. The two actresses met one another while performing in Italy for the troops during the war. Later, they were both in New York and were staying in rooms of the Chelsea Hotel. Actors and actresses were closely watched during this time. Many were accused of being spies. Because of these accusations, Hazel and Maxine found their friendship tested. They end up spending many years apart. What brings the former friends together is a special moment for them both. Fiona Davis has a way of writing that really beings each scene to life. I found myself easily picturing what was going on. I thoroughly enjoyed this!

Based on the history of the Chelsea Hotel in New York, an avant garde for artists and bohemians, I expected this book to be lively and eccentric. But I went into the book blind, something I often prefer, which made my assumption completely inaccurate. This book is a dark tale about a dark and troubling period of our history- McCarthyism. Hazel and Maxine are friends and creatives, drawn to the Chelsea, it’s mystic and inspiration. Hazel has just written the next big Broadway hit, and Maxine shows exceptional talent as the leading lady in a remarkably different role than she normally plays. Just as their hard work begins to pay off and allow them to enjoy success, the paranoia of communism dulls their accomplishments.

Hazel’s story is an ode to the many who suffered at the hands of this nations worst tendencies. It exposes how a society was corrupted from the inside out during the decade that the House Un-American Activities Committee waged war on the entertainment industry blacklisting individuals and derailing careers.

The Chelsea Hotel was an intriguing backdrop for this story. It gave a charm to the story which counterbalanced the dark time period. I found myself wanting to meander its halls and be amongst the brilliance of its inhabitants. Oh to have been there in it’s heyday!

While the hotel itself brought charisma to the tale, the characters themselves fell flat and one dimensional to me. The storyline itself appeared to be the author’s primary focus, leaving her to tell us about the characters rather than showing us their multidimensional nature. We never truly got to know them intimately. Hazel experiences much devastation. I knew that about her, but I wanted to feel it for her.

I read historical fiction extensively, but this is my very first book from the McCarthy era. Bravo to Davis for bringing it to the forefront!

Many thanks to Fiona Davis, Penguin Group Dutton, Dutton Books, and NetGalley for this free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Artists, musicians, writers, and actors often took up residence at the Chelsea Hotel, the setting for this story. The main characters meet in Europe as USO entertainers during 1945 and friendships formed which lasts into the 1960’s. One becomes a famous movie star while the other becomes a playwright. During the Cold War, people in the entertainment suffered blacklisting, unfair allegations and investigations leading to imprisonment, lost livelihoods, ruined careers and some suicides. And under pressure...how does some of these friendships survive?

I have always been fascinated with the Chelsea Hotel, there is so much history there from musicians and poets who lived there to the death of Nancy Spungen supposedly by her boyfriend Sid Vicious.

The new book Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis deals with the iconic hotel in the ’50s when Maxine Mead, an actress and Hazel Riley, a playwright meet up again at the hotel. They had met on a USO tour during WWII. McCarthyism was at its height in the entertainment industry during the ’50s and it finds its way into Fiona and Maxine’s life.

I loved the characters in Chelsea Girls, Maxine and Hazel are both authentic and relatable as were most of the characters in the story. The glamour of New York and the theater is written beautifully, as well as the entirety of the hotel, which seems like just another character in the story.

This historical novel makes me wish even more, that I could have experienced the iconic Chelsea in its prime, but it also gave me a glimpse into a period of history I know very little about. Chelsea Hotel is a must-read if you like historical novels or New York.

Great book! I love Ms. Davis' premises of featuring a historic building in its heyday. She weaves together strong female characters, historical scenes and information into a lovely story of friendship, strength and believing in yourself.

"The Chelsea Girls" is a fascinating glimpse into the McCarthyism that plagued creative communities in the 1940s and 50s, though Davis’ novel focuses primarily on its effect on the Broadway community in 1950. She tells the story from the point-of-view of two women, Hazel and Maxine, actresses who meet in Italy during World War II while performing as part of a USO tour. The story then jumps forward five years and the bulk of it takes place in New York, where Hazel, who is now a playwright, is in danger of having her work boycotted.

This was a well-written, fast-paced story where the research was apparent without being at all pedantic. There was also a very well-placed and unexpected twist that amped up the suspense and took me completely by surprise.

Hazel’s story was told in third-person POV while Maxine’s was in first-person, and I found the switch between them slightly jarring, but since Maxine’s portion of the story was told via journal entries it was a clever choice.

I would highly recommend this engrossing, intricately crafted novel.

Another beautiful and heart-wrenching historical novel by Fiona Davis. This one focuses on the fabled downtown Chelsea Hotel, beginning in the 1940s.

As a transplanted New Yorker, I love reading about old New York and its most famous haunts. Once again, just as in The Lions of Fifth Avenue, Davis transports the reader to a magical and complex time in the history of the Chelsea Hotel. Not just a story of the hotel itself, but also a beautiful (and at times, tragic) story of a changing New York.

This book is a little more intense than The Lions of Fifth Avenue, dealing with issues like war and McCarthyism. But it’s all done very well, and makes you think, while also enjoying the depth and sincerity of Davis’ trademark “independent girl in New York” characters. The book is lovely the way it shows that some things about New York and it’s institutions never change — like girls who come to New York to be actresses, and the Chelsea Hotel that waits to embrace them. At the same time, it’s a powerful reflection of how far we, and New York, have come over the years.

This is my second book by Fiona Davis and it won’t be the last. I adore the way each of her books focuses on a storied New York building. I’d love to see what she could do with the Empire State Building or the Rainbow Room.

4.5 sentimental stars. ❤️🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 Thanks to Penguin Group Dutton for introducing me to this lovely author and for providing me with a copy of a second book of hers to read!

Fiona Davis books never fail to draw me in.Loved The Chelsea girls the setting the intrigue the romance, .She writes so well her characters the location comes alive.Higlh y recommend her latest novel and all her historical fiction #netgalley#penguinbookdutton,

Fiona Davis can do no wrong when it comes to historical fiction and Chelsea Girls is no different. I love Davis' ability to shine a light on a New York landmark and present it in a page turning novel. The Chelsea Girls follows two best friends from 1940 to 1960 and it is full of history, twists and turns, and glitz and glamour. I didn't know much about the Red Scare and this novel got my intrigued and lead me to a Google search after I finished. The one thing I missed was the dual timeline and the big mystery that is usually present in Fiona Davis novels, but this one still kept my attention and kept me turning the page. LOVE the new cover too!

All I knew about The Chelsea Girls going in was the title and a rough sketch of two actresses living in NYC in the 1950s.

What I got was a complex depiction of friendship between very different women, set against the backdrop of the HUAC trials of the McCarthy era.

The story has a sparse but descriptive nature that reminds me of writers of the time. I'm glad I read it; it's important not to forget the lessons of our history.

Broadway Lives in a Turbulent Era
This book follows the lives of two women from USO entertainers in WWII to NYC theatre and through the blacklisting of the 1950s. It is an honest look at life in such a different era. These women had to struggle for work in writing and directing the plays as well as trying to get good roles without the casting couch. The Red Scare and blacklisting affected several generations of artists from all areas. The author takes an honest look at all of this using the Chelsea Hotel as a backdrop. The Chelsea was an artist's oasis almost since it was built. It was a secluded home for rising stars in all areas. A place where they were left alone to learn their lines, write the lines, paint the pictures, or compose their masterpieces. The book in an intriguing look at the history, a glimpse into life as it was. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Fiona Davis is a staple in the historical fiction genre, and for good reason! Davis effortlessly brings the 40s and 50s to life via her vibrant characters, developed setting, and compelling plot. I absolutely loved how the Chelsea Hotel was such a character itself and acted as the center hub for everything else in this book. I really loved the way that Davis incorporated the political climate and managed to convey what the atmosphere was really like during this time in history. Fiona Davis is an author I plan to read more from as soon as I can!

Oh this was such a treat! I had been in a reading slump, unable to focus or finish anything until I picked up The Chelsea Girls...I'm cured! This is such a great work of historical fiction, I couldn't put it down and now I'm sorry it's over! It has all the best things--mystery, romance, intrigue--all handled with an amazing attention to detail. Excellent!

The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis takes us back in time with Hazel Ripley and Maxine Mead. From 1945 through the late 1960s we join Hazel and Maxine on their journeys. Hazel joined the USO in 1945 to finally get a chance to be on stage instead of being an understudy. She meets Maxine Mead in Italy where she is the star performer of their all-female troupe. A terrible incident forms a bond between the ladies that aids them in their careers. The Chelsea Hotel in New York City is a haven for creative types (writers, artists, musicians, actors, singers, etc.). Hazel ends up at the Chelsea Hotel in 1950 when she needs a place to write a play that is bursting to come out. Maxine needs an escape from California and soon joins her. Hazel’s play is about to be produced when communism rears its ugly head and FBI agents are patrolling the Great White Way. The 1950s is not the best time to be in the entertainment industry as Senator McCarthy begins his witch hunt for communists. Many careers are ruined in McCarthy’s search. I thought The Chelsea Girls was well-written with developed characters. The author provides detailed descriptions which brings the characters and scenes to life. The pacing was gentle which went with the story. I like how the author made the Chelsea a character. It became a living and breathing entity. We get to know its history of the establishment along with the various characters who have lived and worked there. I enjoyed the variety of intriguing and lively characters that inhabited the hotel. It was interesting learning more about Broadway and how a play comes to life. Fiona Davis captured the time period along the feelings of the people being questioned and persecuted by McCarthy. The emotions poured from the pages. It was fascinating to read about this time period. It is not an era that is usually addressed in fiction. I liked that there was a good twist later in the book. We get to see two women whose friendship is tested during a tumultuous time. I do not want to say too much and spoil the story for you. The Chelsea Girls is a complex novel that transports readers to New York City during the 1950s and early 1960s. I am curious where Fiona Davis will take us next time.

The Chelsea Girls
A Novel
by Fiona Davis
Read an Excerpt
PENGUIN GROUP Dutton
You Like Them
Dutton
Historical Fiction
Pub Date 08 Dec 2020 | Archive Date 28 Feb 2021

A completely absorbing novel! I think every book I read by Fiona Davis gets better and better, Thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley for the ARC.

4 star

A huge thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this story.

I was completely invested in Hazel's journey of self-discovery. Her experiences as a performer in the European Theater at the end of World War II were a catalyst for her talent. Hazel finally gains the competence to rise above the stress of parental pressure.

Hazel's rise from obscurity is shaped by her sojourn at the iconic Chelsea Hotel. She rubs elbows with other itinerant artists as well as has-beens and rising stars.

When the country is overwhelmed by the witch hunt of Senator Joe McCarthy, Hazel and her friends must learn to navigate perilous, shark-infested waters. The impact of the Red Scare on the artistic community unfolds in lavish detail against the backdrop of the Golden Age of Hollywood and Broadway.

If you loved The Lions of Fifth Avenue, I highly recommend picking up this wonderful snapshot of a glorious, forgotten New York.