Thanks to #netgalley and #penguinrandomhouse for the ARC. Happy paperback release day this book from Fiona Davis. It is always nice to find good historical fiction that is not set in WWII. While this book begins there, the main focus is on the McCarthy era in the states, especially within the theater circle. Davis is known for the setting each of her novels in an iconic building and I find that so interesting. The characters where very interesting and I really enjoyed reading this title. I hope to keep working my way through Davis backlist.

Fiona Davis is certainly a dominant force in the historical fiction genre and an absolute favorite of mine. She not only tackles important historical issues that affect women and the generations that follow but also delivers this through her writing. Davis gives the voice of empathy and strength through her astonishing characters you will absolutely love reading about. Also the stunning world she builds with beautiful descriptions that are rich and vivid in detail of whatever time frame she is writing about. With an impeccable attention to historical facts, her stories are always a winner for me. I love her writing style and she always delivers.

In the Chelsea Girls, the famed Chelsea Hotel is brought to life and we follow Hazel, a talented writer, and Maxine a captivating and beautiful actress. we follow their stories in this immersive read about the Red Scare and post McCarthyism world at the final years of WWII. Such an enjoyable read for me that truly captured my heart for these characters, whose hopes, dreams and friendship has come to be realized. Davis captured both the glamour and the dark underbelly of what was happening in the entertainment industry at the time. I absolutely adored this historical fiction read.

The Chelsea Girls takes place during the McCarthy Era and its tragedies. Where it was hit in one of the hardest areas New York theaters. Two Friends who met on a USO tour in Italy 1945 meet up again in 1950. Maxine and Hazel when Hazel has a play Wartime Sonota. Maxine getting her fame in Hollywood which also was heavily effected by the Red scare, she comes back to New York.


1950 War at Home. War on communism, Red scare is in Full swing, People are being turned in for being anti patriotic and more. Patriotism is questioned. Past connections and ideals. This road these friends go through different time periods is an interesting trip and ride. Going through who they meet what happens and basically what it is like to have a district impacted.

The author notes she talked with some survivors of the McCarthy Era blacklist. We also know some movie stars careers made it so they could never come back. I'm glad the art perspective was written about.

This Arc was given to me by Netgalley and Penguin Random House in exchange for an honest review.
12/8/2020 is when the book goes on sale.

If you haven’t read Fiona Davis’ The Chelsea Girls, it arrives in paperback on Tuesday. You know I love all her historical fiction novels, and this one revolves around the iconic Chelsea Hotel, NYC’s landing spot for artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other creatives. Maxine and Hazel have reunited years after performing for the troops overseas. Post World War II McCarthyism and its relentless search for so-called Communists takes it toll on the theater industry—and their friendship. Perfect for a cozy read by the fire or a little something for that special someone.

Perpetual understudy, Hazel Riley, befriends the enigmatic Maxine Mead after a tragic event during a USO acting tour in Italy during WWII. After returning to New York City at the end of the war, both Hazel and Maxine find themselves living in the Chelsea Hotel where Hazel is inspired to write a play and Maxine becomes the lead. However, McCarthy era paranoia spreads to the acting world and has lasting effects on the girls’ friendship and lives.

I always feel part of New York City while immersing myself in Davis’ books and this book made me want to live (for a time) at the Chelsea Hotel at its heighday. This book showed me the delicate process of putting together a Broadway production as well as the effects and anxiety of being in the acting world during the red scare. I did not find myself very interested in the love story and actually disliked Hazel’s love throughout. The twist in the middle was a good one. Overall, I enjoyed the aestheic of the setting and diving into the world of playwrights and actors at this time.

I love the opportunity to learn from my reading, and “The Chelsea Girls” covered events I don’t think I’ve read about in a fiction book before: the attacks on the entertainment industry under McCarthyism. Hazel Ripley and Maxine Mead first meet as actresses with the USO in World War II Italy. Years later, their paths cross again on a new Broadway production. With the hunt on for communist spies, no one in their artistic circle is safe from scrutiny and damaging accusations.⁣⁣
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This is the second book by Fiona Davis that I’ve read, and I love the common theme among the stories: women pursuing their dreams, despite hardship or societal expectations. “The Chelsea Girls” brought to life the heartbreaking stories of artists blacklisted during the McCarthy Era, and I learned so much from my reading. Be sure to read the author’s note, which touches on real-life corollaries to the characters. I also really enjoyed the behind-the-scenes glimpse into a Broadway production.⁣⁣
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The story had a few interesting twists, and while I appreciated the unpredictability, the events and jumps in time sometimes felt a bit abrupt. I would have liked softer transitions and more character development. This didn’t stop me from enjoying this book though. I recommend this one to fans of plot-driven historical fiction and stories about women chasing their dreams!

I have wanted to read books by the author Fiona Davis, but didn't have the time due to all my review commitments. Then publicist Becky O'Dell representing the publisher of Davis' novel, The Chelsea Girls, approached me about reviewing it. She asked me to post my review around December 8th when their new paperback edition would be published. I promised that the review would appear within the vicinity of that date on this blog, Flying High Reviews.

My co-blogger Tara reviewed The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis and called it "fantabulous" here when this blog was known as Book Babe. I hoped to follow her example. So I accepted a digital copy of The Chelsea Girls from Dutton Books via Net Galley.

Below is the cover of the new edition of The Chelsea Girls. I feel that it authentically depicts the women who are shown in this novel. They were living in the 1950's but were doing their best to avoid being confined by that decade's expectations of women.



The Chelsea Girls has a particular focus on the blacklisting of individuals as alleged Communists during the McCarthy Era. I had read non-fiction about this issue as a teenager such as The Strange Case of Alger Hiss by William Allen Jowitt. I knew about the Hollywood Ten, a group of Hollywood writers who were accused of being Communists and called before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).

I have never read any books about women accused of being Communists during this period, but I am now aware that playwright Lillian Hellman had actually been a member of the Communist Party and had been blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. Davis says in her Author's Note that the experience of The Chelsea Girls protagonist Hazel Ripley with HUAC was based on Lillian Hellman's.

Hazel was an actress and a playwright, but hadn't met with much success when she was blacklisted for attending an anti-fascist rally during WWII. Like many of the accused in the McCarthy Era, there had been no real basis for Hazel being labeled a Communist.

Playwright Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible (1953) about women being falsely accused of witchcraft in the Salem witch trials as an indirect representation of the red-baiting that was going on during the McCarthy Era.

I was inspired by Hazel's courage when she faced HUAC. I also liked the fact that she was vindicated in the end by the respect of her community. History shows us that before the end of the 1950's America had rejected both Communism and McCarthyism. The Chelsea Girls makes me feel optimistic about America's emergence from its current political crisis.

The Chelsea Girls is unsurprisingly topical considering it has a strong message against people turning on each other due to beliefs. Perhaps a bit more less stringent in the post-Trump US, certainly it is important to remember the Crucible and danger of innuendo, insinuation, and self righteousness that created McCarthyism in the 1950s. That said, the message is so heavy here as to completely overshadow characters and setting. There is no subtlety and the whole book felt more like a lecture than literature.

Story: Hazel meets the dynamic Maxine in Italy while working for the USO doing plays to keep soldier spirits high. The two don't hit it off immediately but with a shared tragedy soon become fast friends - even when one moves to Los Angeles to be a movie star while the other settles into the Chelsea Hotel in New York City and becomes a playwright. Reunited years later, both become heavily embroiled in the hunt for communists in the artist community - and mob mentality of McCarthy's midcentury witchhunts. Both actress and play manager/writer will be hunted, harassed, hounded, and betrayed - all under the unAmerican auspices of the House UnAmerican Committee.

Honestly, the name is a misnomer since I didn't really get a feel for either the Chelsea or the girls. Both felt like constructs there to obediently see the injustices in the world - be it German boys beaten to death in Italian jails or theater personnel driven to suicide from the McCarthy agents harassments. I didn't even get a feel for either the 1940s or the 1950s and neither of the leads seemed to change in a way that reflected the different decades. Perhaps because the bohemian Chelsea was already anachronistic on its own, the 'elegence' of the 1950s never really appeared in the book as expected or promised.

There is a twist near the end that really felt like it came out of left field and was yet another plot device to once again show the unfairness/injustice in the world. By about midway through, the lack of nuance, subtlety, and organic storyline became very frustrating. Neither character was interesting or relatable and the hotel itself was not nearly as interesting or exotic as promised. The only time the book actually became relatable is when the Chelsea Hotel finally came out of its time bubble and became the run down urine-soaked drug den of the 1970s. But by then, the flat characters and constant soapboxing of "America - McCarthyism is BAD! Don't let it happen again! became both egregious and repetitive.

Sometimes, you have to trust the reader by obfuscating the message instead of beating them over the head with it. Let the reader be intrigued rather than overwhelmed. More importantly, let the book's characters and settings have nuance and storylines beyond the message. Yes, the topic is relevant in 2020 politics - so let's not forget the past but at the same time, not sacrifice plot and characters in the process. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Not long ago I received an email from Penguin Group asking if I would read and review and spotlight the latest book by Fiona Davis. I read and reviewed her earlier work that released earlier this year, The Lions of Fifth Avenue. add I really enjoyed The Lions of Fifth Avenue, I was pretty sure I would enjoy this new release, The Chelsea Girls.

.It wasn’t until I began reading that I realized Chelsea in the title refers to the Chelsea Hotel in New York City. It was a popular place for the artistic talents. They seemed to clean inspiration at the hotel and from one another.

Hazel is off to join the entertainment group to support the troops in Italy towards the ending of WWII. She is thrown onto the stage practically minutes after arriving. While she’s full of nerves at first, she later becomes comfortable on stage and even helps her new friend Maxine with an impromptu radio show she’s thrown into.

Years after Hitler dies, Maxine finds comfort and inspiration at The Chelsea. What was intended to be a few days to write her play turned out to be a lifetime. She loved the inspiration she got from the atmosphere there. She’s also suddenly thrust into sharing her play and instantly creating this screenplay on Broadway.

Maxine seems to appear at the most opportune moments. Hazel’s friend becomes the lead in her play. This is where everything seems to go awry. Moments seem a bit strange, but Hazel doesn’t realize it until way later. Apparently there’s some political threat to the creative community and it’s bigger than any one person.

I really enjoy how Hazel grows into her character. She goes from very insecure and doubtful of herself to a confidence to stand up for herself even when it was still frowned upon for women to be a director. While she’s still insecure in some areas of her life, It seems Hazel can hold her own.

This is the first book I’ve read using my new speed reading tips I found this morning. A while book in one day?! Fantastic!

A digital copy of The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis was provided complimentary in exchange for an honest review by Penguin Group via NetGalley. I give this book 5 out of 5 tiaras because its so engaging and full of twists and turns that I never did expect!

Spanning WW2 to the mid 1960’s, this novel pulled me in from the beginning. What started out feeling like City of Girls, became a thrilling novel centering around the communist panic in the American entertainment industry. Definitely makes me want to dig deeper into the period of history. Thank you NetGalley for this advance reader copy of the paperback release.

What it’s about: Hazel Riley and Maxine Mead first meet in Naples, Italy near the end of WWII. Hazel has volunteered to be an actress on a USO tour after languishing in NYC as a Broadway understudy. Maxine is an actress and already part of the tour when Hazel arrives. They become friends, entertaining the troops while coping with the horrors of war. When the war ends, Hazel and Maxine go their separate ways. Hazel can’t return to life as an understudy, and she winds up living in the Chelsea hotel, a haven for writers, artists, musicians and poets. Hazel is determined to write a play about her experience in Naples. Maxine arrives in NYC as well after leaving LA and becomes Hazel’s neighbor at the hotel. The Chelsea Girls is told in three acts and spans two decades of history and of Hazel and Maxine’s complicated friendship.
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My thoughts: I love how Fiona Davis writes settings and time periods, and I love that the Chelsea Hotel was a character in the story, just as much as Hazel and Maxine were. I really felt like I was experiencing the struggle of a female playwright and an actress, living and working in NYC during the era of McCarthyism when so many artists were blacklisted for alleged ties to the Communist party in the United States. There is tons of background information on the theater and the frightening political climate of the 1950s. At the center of it all is the friendship between Hazel and Maxine. They are dynamic, complex women and I enjoyed reading their story. 4⭐️
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I recommend this one to anyone who loves historical fiction, the theater and the NYC setting in the 50s and 60s. Thank you so much to Dutton and NetGalley for my copy.

THE CHELSEA GIRLS is another great tale by author Fiona Davis whose interests in architectural highlights, history and friendships intertwine to once again provide a glimpse into a bygone era. This is a good solid tale of WWII and the McCarthy era and the many dreams that go awry along the way in peacetime. Davis uses her standard dual time period approach to tell a dynamic story of two women caught in a critical time trying to sort out their personal issues against a much larger historical backdrop. This is a very good book and well worth reading. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

This is the review I posted in 20 19 when the book was released.

An Iconic Hotel, Talented Women, and McCarthyism

Hazel Ripley was supposed to be an actress following in the footsteps of her famous family, but she’s never achieved better than understudy status. To try to improve her chance to shine, she joins a USO troop in Italy during WWII. There she meets Maxine Mead, a talented actress. Hazel also finds her calling, writing radio scripts for Maxine to read.

In the fifties, Hazel and Maxine come together again in the famous Chelsea Hotel. The gorgeous Victorian hotel has been famed for creative artists who lived there. Hazel has now written a play and Maxine is to star in it. Their hopes are high, but this is a volatile time in the entertainment industry. McCarthyism is sweeping the country and the girls are caught up in it.

For me, the best part of the book was the excellent descriptions of the Chelsea Hotel. I could see the art, the furnishings, and best of all the out of the way spaces and passages that are unique to the hotel. The author has done an excellent job of folding her substantial research into the story.

The history of the McCarthy era and the House Un-American Activities Committee was fascinating and gave a good background for the plot which centered around love, trust, freedom, and wartime memories affecting the main characters.

This is a good historical novel that well creates the era and showcases the famous Chelsea Hotel.

I received the book for this review from Net Galley.

Hazel and Maxine meet when they are both part of the USO show group during the War. Their friendship continues for decades as they continue to work together in the theater in NYC after their return home. The Chelsea Hotel is the center of the action in 1950s NYC, many creative talents take up residence there including Hazel and Maxine. When the country goes through a Red Scare after the War, many theater folks are questioned and unfairly blacklisted from working for suspicions of communism.

This historical fiction novel is told from alternating perspectives between Maxine and Hazel. Hazel, as the playwright and director of a new show, Maxine as the main character. Maxine and Hazel are highly engrossed in the theater scene of post-War NYC. This was a time that I did not know much about and enjoyed learning about the Red Scare, the HUAC and the FBI investigations of communism. All of this set against the backdrop of the Chelsea Hotel that is filled with free thinkers, writers, actors, etc. I really enjoy how the story is set in this historic hotel. NYC and the Chelsea Hotel are vibrant. This is a story of female friendship and how it ebbs and flows over time. Enjoyed this historical fiction by Fiona Davis and how the story is told through focus on a historic building.

This book is reminiscent of City of Girls and I think will be similarly received.

The Chelsea Girls by Fiona Davis
4.5 stars

As a fan of Fiona Davis’ books, I expect a good look at the history of a New York City landmark and an entertaining story each time. But this novel was, for me, even more enjoyable, as it has extra depth and an underlying seriousness of story. From the 30s to the 60s, each vignette resonates with accuracy and meaning.
The characters are particularly well-drawn. Hazel, from a New York stage family, is trying to prove herself in the theater. It is 1945 and, desperate to get some real onstage opportunities, she accepts an acting job in a USO tour. In Naples, Italy, she meets Maxine, the leader of the troop of actors, who is slightly older than Hazel. While Hazel is quiet and thoughtful, Maxine is outspoken, beautiful, and world-wise. They become lifelong friends through their shared experiences on the tour and later back in New York City. There, the reader is treated to a look at the inner workings of mounting a play on Broadway, as well as the eclectic denizens of the Chelsea Hotel.
The timeframe of this story ranges from the 1930s to 1967, and it delves a bit into the rise of socialism in post-Depression USA. Through the women’s eyes we observe the harsh justice of war-zone occupied Italy, and the injustices of HUAC and the McCarthy era in post-World War II America.
I especially enjoyed how the chapters alternated between Hazel, told in the 3rd person, and Maxine, told in the first person. I think it really adds to the reader’s understanding of the characters’ motivations for their actions.
The narrative is not presented as political, but as a look at how ordinary individuals react to the trends and pressures of the times in which they live. The women here are deeply affected by living through World War II and after that, the Cold War. There are strong themes of women supporting women, friendship, the effects of censorship, and the need for artistic freedom.
As Maxine sums it up: “How tenuous the line is between friends and enemies in a world at war.”

Thank you to PenguinRandomHouse and NetGalley for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

The Chelsea Hotel unites us with artists, musicians and creatives of all kinds during the 1940s and 50s when fear of a communist takeover was high and you begin to question those you thought you knew best.

While the lifestyle of artists during this time doesn't always intrigue me, Davis did a great job of drawing me into their personal lives and making me care. I always enjoy an epilogue where the author makes note of the real life stories that were the inspiration for the novel. It's why I love historical fiction.

* I will give a warning that there is abuse between an actress and her boyfriend that becomes a main part of the story throughout the last half of the book.

I have read all of Fiona Davis' books except for this one. So, when Fiona's publicist asked me to read and review this one, which comes out in paperback next week, I was thrilled to do so. Without knowing anything about the story, I dove in. As with her other books, the author draws such vivid characters that I could see as my friends, in this story, Hazel and Maxine. As their friendship unfolds, the reader is transported in time back to the last years of WW2 through their eyes and the entertainment industry. You follow their lives after the war, back in the USA, and the McCarthy era of flushing out communists, and the disastrous effect this period in our history had on people in theater. As always, the author's books make me want to take a trip into the city and explore the places she describes in the story. Fans of historical fiction, especially those that take place in New York City, will thoroughly enjoy this story.

To put my rating into perspective: I have two pet peeves regarding fiction. One is when the story is told by multiple narrators but the voices sound the same; the other is when as a layperson I spot a historical inaccuracy in historical fiction. "The Chelsea Girls" fed both of my peeves.

The story is told by an omniscient third-person narrator, by one of the two protagonists, and via excerpts from that protagonist's diary. The vocabulary and syntax was the same for all three and especially unconvincing coming from the character of actress Maxine. As for the historical accuracy, it was relatively small (Marilyn Monroe was not yet a star in early 1950, so there's no reason for Hazel, a playwright who is the novel's other protagonist, to be impressed that Maxine had gone up for the same role as Monroe) but it made me question the accuracy of many other elements of the story.

The story itself is an engaging one: Hazel and Maxine meet while touring with the USO during the last days of WWII. They rekindle their friendship after Hazel's first play is set to be produced just days after she finished writing it. (Yes, it's that kind of book. Hazel becomes the play's director under similarly unlikely circumstances, and her romance with Charlie is fueled by even more coincidences.) But the Red Scare threatens to destroy the production, there's a major surprise about two-thirds of the way through, the stakes get higher... Hazel is something of a Mary Sue and a mouthpiece for free speech and against McCarthyism, which makes her somewhat tiresome to spend time with.

I did love how the Chelsea Hotel was almost a character in its own right, and from what I've read about the place, its depiction seems spot-on. And the pace was speedy enough to keep me reading even after I grew annoyed at the clunky dialogue and several contrived actions. I just wish this had been the sophisticated, complex novel I'd been expecting rather than a superficial beach read.

Thank you, NetGalley and Dutton, for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Interesting historical fiction takes the reader to place the reader may not have explored. In this case, two USO entertainers strike up a friendship while in Naples after World War II. Returning to the US, Maxine roars off to Hollywood to fine fame, while Hazel remains in New York living in the Chelsea Hotel, a haven for the creative. Mix together Hazel’s play which is expected to open to good reviews, the Communist hunters of Senator McCarthy and his House of Unamerican Affairs committee, and the threat those in acting careers faced from this, Russian spies who show up in unexpected friends, and the story line is set for a look at the theater in the 1950’s. Although the characters at times seem a little shallow, the book is still worth reading.

Fiona Davis's The Chelsea Girls is a gripping read, and a perfect book to keep the curious mind company through quarantine. I've read all of Ms. Davis's books to date, and Chelsea Girls is far and away my favorite, not only because of the glimpse of backstage life it provides, but because the Chelsea Hotel, where much of the novel takes place, is such fertile ground for all sorts of characters.

Chelsea Girls begins in the final months of World War II, when Hazel and Maxine, USO entertainers and not quite friends, cross the line and become more than just "USO girls." They choose to be heroes, and that choice has ramifications for many years. The young women return to New York to become actresses, but it's the Cold War, and both Hazel and Maxine are faced with the choice between hero and bystander again and again.

With each novel, Davis's women become more complex and interesting, and she brings vintage New York to life on the page. I look forward to her next book, and I give The Chelsea Girls a ten-thumbs up.