Victoria Swann is a feminist hero in this book about a female author in the gilded age. This is one of those books that reminds you how far we have come, and how far we have to left to go. So many of the things Swann was fighting for— equal pay, respect in the workplace, bodily autonomy, agency in her marriage— are things so many are still fighting for today.

What I loved…
- the plot
- the main character and so many of the side characters
- the major issues this takes on
- the historical fiction aspects of the book

My main issue was just the pacing. At times, this felt like a bit of a slog or just too slow-moving for me. It made some parts of it hard to get through.

📖I recommend this if the history of women’s rights is really your jam, or if you love books about books and the writing process.

REVIEW(3.5 stars)
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”
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First of all, I'd like to commend the authors wonderful writing, she did a good job of showing rather than telling. I really loved her description of the scenes. I liked the storyline, but I felt it was underdeveloped. I enjoyed reading about Victoria and her writing journey from Mrs Swann to Miss Meeks. However, I wanted more showing when she finally released her controversial book, The Boston Harbor Girl. The author had been building my interests since the beginning of the book, and it fell flat when she finally released it. I think the whole release of the book only occupied a few pages of a chapter, and I was disappointed. It felt like the main purpose of the book was rushed
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I would have loved a dual timelines showcasing the struggles Victoria went through during her first years of marriage, I was curious as to how she was then and how her husband was.
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Nevertheless, Victoria Meeks/Swann/Byrne was an amazing, strong character. I admire her for fighting for what was hers to begin with. The book was a good one, and I enjoyed it. I just wanted little tweaks here and there. But it's worth your time
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I received this book for free from Netgalley. That did not influence this review.

The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann by Virginia Pye is the story of a woman author’s triumph in Gilded Age Boston.

Victoria Meeks is an enormously successful Romance-Adventure author, writing under the pen-name Victoria Swann and living a hidden and unhappy life as Mrs. Byrne. She’s at a crossroads. Her marriage is a diaster. She has grown bored with writing romance and wants to create something serious. And her publisher has just been bought out and is soon to go under. She desperately needs a change.

While any one of her many, many readers would imagine Victoria’s life to be a series of exciting adventures taking place all over the world, in truth Victoria has never traveled anywhere. She loves writing but hates being forced to churn out very similar novels one after another, along with a series of shorter penny-dreadfuls, and writing (or at least putting her name on) an advice column for troubled young women. She’s worn down. While it’s true she has made a fair amount of money, her publisher has made a huge fortune off of her, something Victoria is only beginning to understand. When she tries to tell her editor that she wants to stop writing her popular series and try something grittier and true-to-life, he tells her no. She cannot. She has to write what sells.

But Victoria knows her own mind. In the face of numerous challenges, she reinvents herself.

The novel is both a critique and a defense of romance literature. But it is a very definite critique of the way men have looked down on women’s literature while reaping the profits of women writers and a female readership. This is an enjoyable peek into the world of the late 1800s in Boston. Victoria’s difficulties seemed a little too easily resolved at times, but she is a feisty heroine and easy to root for.

This is my first encounter with this author's work - and I hope it's not my last.

Mrs. Swann is a successful author and writes in a frivolous style which her publisher is sure merits her success. However, Victoria would like to write in a different style but her publisher isn't having it. Who will win the battle?

From the very beginning, I loved Mrs. Swann - she was definitely a woman ahead of her time. As the story unfolds and we get to know the real Victoria better, my admiration increased. She is a strong independent woman in a time when a man's word is law, and this is a riveting read with lots of ups and downs. Victoria was a woman ahead of her time and I enjoyed reading all about her trials. Beautifully written with lots of content, I'm happy to recommend this one and give it 4.5*.

My thanks to the publisher for my copy via NetGalley; this is - as always - my honest, original and unbiased review.

Set in gilded age Boston, THE LITERARY UNDOING OF VICTORIA SWANN is a charming historical with heft and rapid-fire banter. In a lot of ways, this novel reminded of the screwball comedies of the 1930's; I could easily imagine Katherine Hepburn and Cary Grant as the female and male leads. In addition to being a sly look at the publishing industry—the more things change and all that—Pye's novel is beautifully written and a lot of fun. Many thanks to NetGalley and Regal House publishing for the early read.

This is a lovely, light and clever novel that deals with serious issues with a charmingly light touch. Victoria Meeks is a young woman exploited by men at every turn in Golden Age Boston, we we follow her journey to liberation and freedom, taking in many issues revolving around women and their lack of freedom and choice in such a judgemental and restricted society.

Victoria's tale is told lightly but with real weight, the story is touching and the characters you meet along the way are very endearing. A lovely read.

An absolutely captivating and emotional story, with just the right amount of humor, heartbreak, and rage, The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann is a feminist tale about women carving out their own places--starting with our protagonist Victoria, who risks everything she holds dear for the simple right to publish the stories that she wants to write about and get a fair percentage of return for her books.

The story starts out as one woman’s fight for equal pay as a published author, and the simple freedom to write the stories she wants to tell. However, from that point on, The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann by Virginia Pye dives deep into crucial social commentary beyond feminism–there are beautiful, thoughtful explorations of the plights of immigrants and their place in America, and there are conversations about the need for representation for all diverse people, including the LGBTQ community.

I think the best part about this book is that the author touches on themes that are one hundred percent relevant in modern times–including abortion rights, equal opportunities, representation of diverse and minority communities, protection for immigrants, and much more.

And what’s truly amazing, is that she carefully weaves all of these themes slowly but surely into the plot, in a way that perfectly fits the context of our characters and the events they experience throughout the novel.

There’s also a lot of focus on overcoming grief and trauma, with several chapters showing our own character’s struggles with mental health and suicidal thoughts.

In particular, there is one interesting parallel that I cannot help but point out: throughout the novel, a common criticism of Victoria’s novels is that they are very exaggerated, steeped in melodrama, and they all have the same pattern: a hapless heroine with a too-perfect, too charming and luxurious life, followed by a sudden crisis that turns escalates too quickly thanks to a stereotypical mustache-twirling villain–all of that coming right before a rosy, happily ever after that reassures the reader that good will always triumph.

In some ways, The Literary Undoing Of Victoria Swann follows the same pattern too–the story begins by presenting Victoria as a glamorous woman of class, money, and elegance, but we quickly find out how hard she hard worked to reach and maintain that lifestyle.

Too quickly, all of Victoria’s hard-earned wealth and comforts are snatched from her, and we witness her trying to return to her roots after her sudden fall from grace. And while the ending of the story certainly is not the victory that our protagonist had wanted, it is still a happy ending, one that inspires the reader and leaves them hoping for a better future.

I loved the relationship between Victoria and Jonathan. The trust and absolute faith they have in each other, and the way they understand each other despite having very different experiences in life was incredible. I found it particularly amusing how every other character seemed to think that they had chemistry–in fact, even in the pages of the book, they did have chemistry and for a very short while, I too was fooled into thinking Jonathan would become Victoria’s love interest.

But as the story progressed, it became clearer that Jonathan and Victoria had the kind of chemistry that is born of mutual understanding and respect, rather than sexual tension, and I loved the way they both complemented one another as editor and author.

While The Literary Undoing Of Victoria Swann does have a bit of queer romance, it is certainly not the main focus of the plot. In fact, The Literary Undoing Of Victoria Swann actually feels more like a love letter to readers and authors alike, with several plot points focusing on the importance of representation in literature and how the stories we read shape us and help us understand one another with more compassion and empathy.

In several chapters, we even see a searing criticism of the impact of high literature–while they are no doubt valuable for enriching culture, fantastical and adventurous stories, stories about romance or the supernatural, all of these stories have an important place in the hearts of the readers who read them and should not be cast aside as being frivolous.

A truly mesmerizing story that celebrates the joy of reading and writing stories, The Literary Undoing Of Victoria Swann is an unforgettable feminist story that I would strongly recommend to everyone, especially for those who are fans of the historical fiction genre.

Historical fiction is one of my favorite genres and this book did not disappoint. The novel is set in Boston in the late 19th century with a strong main character who is determined to defy the odds and change her writing her career. Victoria Swann is a novelist who writes adventure stories about women but longs to write about current issues even though her editor and husband are against it. Victoria is a strong woman who chases her dreams and refuses to let others stand in her way any longer. She is who every woman desires to be.
Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced reading copy in exchange for an honest review.

"Stories, as we all know, are woven into the fabric of our lives. Each book we have read and those that some of us have written, create a thicket of recollections and emotions too tangled to unravel in our minds. It is a challenge to parse what was read from what is real in our lives, which only makes our experience of life the richer."

A fictional story inspired on a real woman writer The Literary Undoing of Virginia Swann by Virginia Pye is set in the gilded age. This is a time period when women writers were not considered real writers, and there was a huge discrepancy between men and women.

Virginia Swann, a romance writer, is a huge draw for her publishers, but she herself is not that happy with what she writes. She wants to write real stories, but she is bound by the rules for the society that women have to follow. The rules that gentlemen follow have ripple effects on her life as well as many women.

This book is so true even today on so many levels. The discrepancies that women go through in society are addressed in this story. Though initially it was a bit slow, once the story picks up, I could not put it down.

Thank you, Regal House Publishing, for this book.

A brilliantly written insight into the sexism in nineteenth century publishing and the struggles of womanhood in the late nineteenth century, Pye brings these ideas and more to life in a fascinating historical fiction novel. Following lady writer Victoria Meeks Byrne (who uses the pen name Mrs. Swann for her immensely popular novels), readers fall into a novel about narrative telling, public and private personas, the challenges of marriage and working in a male-dominated field, and truths. Readers find themselves interacting with those around Victoria, from her editor and his family to her assistant, husband, bosses, relatives, and readers, and as Victoria struggles with her writing, she comes to realize what her writing means to those she does not see or know. Pye’s characters are brilliantly lifelike, with realistic, period-typical struggles and challenges as well as vividly powerful emotions and responses to an ever-challenging world. Setting too plays a part in this novel, both for Pye and for Victoria, bringing up some other fascinating discussions and concepts for readers of this fascinating novel. Pye’s novel is a brilliant piece of historical fiction with riveting characters, compelling struggles and situations, all while raising some salient points about the struggles of writers (then and now).

Historical fiction set in Boston during the late 19th century. This was an enjoyable read with a great main character. The story is slow to get going, but worth the wait.

3.5/5

My Thoughts:
The title of this one immediately caught my eye. The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann is about a 19th century author living in Boston. I LOVE books about books and appreciated reading about the ins and outs of publishing during that time period. The mention of other books and authors just made it that much better. Engaging and heartfelt, this is a great read for a cozy, fall afternoon.

"Of course...we readers and writers know the profound way that books help us to understand one another. In the pages of a story, we enter into the lives of people we might not otherwise meet, and we grow only the wiser for it."

About the Book:
At first glance, one might think Victoria Swann has it all. She's a successful romance writer in 19th century Boston. Her editor and publishing house fawn over her every time she visits. She lives with her husband in a fashionable neighborhood in a home she bought. Under the surface, Victoria isn't happy though. Will she be brave enough to let go of Mrs. Swann and start living true to herself?

📚 Read this if you like 📚
• Strong female MCs
• Women's rights
• Found family
• Books about writing and publishing

A wonderful piece of literary historical fiction exploring women's writing and publishing in New England at the turn of the century. Lots of literary cameos make this feel like a romp through the geographical and temporal landscape of turn of the century Boston literary society.
Victoria writes daring romance novels under the pen name of Mrs Swann, and she's an absolute hit. Unbeknown to her, her books are pretty much funding the work of lesser known but more 'worthy' books written by men. But all this changes when she decides that she's had enough of Mrs Swann and wants to write as herself with her own voice.
What follows is a romp through the neighbourhoods of Cambridge Mass where Victoria has lots of contacts and it would seem lots of friends.
A well crafted story of gender politics and literary snobbery. A quick read and a fun one with a message that is still incredibly important.

This is an excellent read. The point it makes is obvious, that a women has to fight to be treated as an equal to a man. In this case it is in the world of novel writing and publishing in the late Victorian period. Despite being hugely talented, the MC never gets deserved recognition in terms of pay or kudos. The story is carefully woven to illustrate that with some gumption and help, a woman can overcome significant prejudice and be successful. Great stuff

This is simply put, a love letter to books.

I personally love reading about the writers who create the worlds that I routinely lose myself into and this book took me right into the world of best-selling writer, Victoria Swann. It does a marvellous job of showing the behinds the scenes of publishing that most readers never get to see. At the end of the day, publishing is a business, but one that historically has not willingly embraced diversity.

We see literary snobbishness set against popular appeal, the weight of bending to commercial realities versus the freedom to explore new territory, and the struggle to find and claim one’s voice.

Virginia Pye brings us into this world where women and their realities are unacknowledged or completely discountenanced and shows how brave Victoria is to stand up for her beliefs.

I think the book veered into a level of preachiness towards the end with its rather heavy-handed style of conveying the depth of Victoria’s passion for her emerging sense of self, the importance of libraries in nurturing readers and writers, among other topics. So, this is something to note if you prefer being left to draw your own conclusions yourself.

This is not a book that takes a lukewarm stance on any of the featured issues and in these times of increased book bans, that takes some courage.

I received the ARC from NetGalley to review.

For a book set at the turn of the Twentieth Century, this is remarkably modern in its outlook, therefore I was both surprised and pleased to discover that it was inspired by a real woman author, who did indeed take her publisher to court.

Victoria Swann hasn't had the easiest time of things, but she is a forceful young woman who is determined not to be short-turned by life. The deadbeat husband holding her back is more than just the proverbial millstone round her neck and when she finally decided to get rid of him, I was delighted. He is a thoroughly unpleasant character, as is Louis Russell, the main antagonist of the book. However, even the characters who think they are good people don't always turn out to be so.

I was intrigued by Jonathan. At first I thought that he was going to become a love interest for Victoria, but it soon becomes clear that his interests lay elsewhere. However, there are multiple moments where it seems their relationship might become more than it is and at first this confused me. Nevertheless, once I began to understand Jonathan himself, this relationship became much clearer and it was obvious that theirs was a meeting of minds rather than anything else - they are soulmates but not in the romantic sense of the word. Whilst I was reading this, I was simultaneously listening to Nora Ephron's 'Heartburn' and although the books are very different in almost every way, I was struck by the similarity in some of the ways the main characters think. Victoria and Rachel both view the world around them with something of an outsider's gaze. For Rachel, she imagines how a relationship might pan out with most of the men she meets. For Victoria, it is almost as though she envisions a relationship with Jonathan, even when she realises that this is unlikely to ever happen. She views their relationship through a romantic lens, but that is simply the way she thinks - she isn't really seeing him as a potential romantic partner, it's just that her being is so caught up in the essence of her writing, that their partnership is every bit as intense in her mind as a romantic one would be.

One thing I did find interesting was the constant references to the quality of her writing - it doesn't seem to be that good and yet her books are immensely popular and this is a common misconception when it comes to writing. Some of the most popular books are not particularly well written, but they succeed because they tell a cracking good story. So why is it that writers are often guilty of assuming their work is no good if it doesn't immediately get published/win competitions. Victoria herself is just as guilty of this - she gets flustered, but incredibly (and rightfully) proud when she is told someone admires her work, but at other times, she dismisses her Mrs Swann books as frivolous and unworthy. Perhaps there is a lesson for all of us in this - books are meant to be enjoyed, so as long as they have fulfilled that purpose, does it really matter whether they are 'high' or 'low' brow?

An intriguing and compelling historical fiction set in the Gilded Age. STrong main characters, vivid and well researched historical background.
I liked the storytelling and the style of writing.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Publishing seems to be a common theme in my fall reading this year. Similar to Yellowface, The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann deals with author identity and pen names, inequality in publishing and literary snobbery. However, unlike Kuang's contemporary thriller Virginia Pye's novel is in the Gilded Age Boston, at the cusp of women's liberation movement.
Victoria Swann is a well-established but secretive romance writer who is running out of steam to keep up with her publisher's demands. She wants to break the cycle of swooning heroines, rogues and dashing heroes and write something, well, real. Going against her publisher's wishes she simultaneously exposes the house of cards and the forces behind it, whilst also tackling her own past. At her side is her new editor, whose story might also need some revising.
There is a lot to unpack in TLUOVS, and I mean a LOT. I feel Pye might be a chronic overpacker. Aside from the historical details, descriptions, famous Boston literati, the writing processes and relationship drama, even the minor side characters come with character arcs. The novel itself walks the rope between historical fiction and romance. The main story arch seemed a bit jumbled for my taste, but I could see what the author was going for.
If you enjoyed Great Circle, but want goss about early 1800-century publishing, The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann is your book!

Mrs Swann is s very successful romance novelist, having a stream of successful books to her name with her globetrotting exploits of exotic lands - but that's a pseudonym - her real name is Victoria Meeks and she's never left her local area.

Victoria's husband is an awful man, frequently away for long periods of time at brothels and talking drugs, so she finally decides its time to divorce him, and that's when her life starts to crumble and all she's worked for and earnt could be lost if the public discover her own shady past.

This is a brilliant feminist tale, inspired by a woman writer of the time, and you can't help but root for Victoria through it all - and to want the men who have trodden on her along the way to get their commupance!

The Gilded Age Boston isn't a time or place that I am too familiar with so it was refreshing to read a historical novel set somewhere new to me. "The Literary Undoing of Victoria Swann" by Virginia Pye shared the struggles of Victoria Meek (Mrs Swann), writing in a male dominated society in the late 1800s. However, unlike her English counterparts, she didn't feel the need to write as a man, just in the guise of Mrs Swann. She certainly is a popular writer (Mrs Swann) and as she churns out escapist romances for women, she begins to realise that society around her is changing and perhaps the best way to liberate women is to educate them in real life situations. Coupled with the revelation that her publishing house had swindled her out of her rightful share of the profits, Victoria Meek has a lot going on. The story is enjoyable but I did find the ending a little bit twee for my liking.