This was an interesting study of a person I did not know much about.
I am a big fan of art and museums but I never think about how things are saved and displayed.
Interesting family history with a terrific eye catching cover!

Peggy Guggenheim has always been relegated to a peripheral character in other books I've read, and often portrayed without much depth. "Peggy" by Rebecca Godfrey changed that completely, by giving Peggy the room to shine in her own right, through both her triumphs and tragedies. Godfrey imagines Peggy with such beautiful nuance, as someone who is complex, quick-witted, and full of desire. It was wonderful to see her portrayed in this level of detail, flaws and all.

It was bittersweet reading Peggy, knowing that Rebecca Godfrey passed away in 2022 before being able to complete the work. Knowing this, I appreciated each page even more, after reading about how hard she worked to ensure this story would still come to life after her passing.

This is a depiction of Peggy Guggenheim unlike any other I've seen, and I highly recommend it.

Well written, interesting plot and intriguing, relatable characters; this novel fictionalizing the life of Peggy Guggenheim is wonderful!

I was really looking forward to reading this book but unfortunately, it's a DNF for me a few chapters in. I’m not fond of the writing style; the first-person, whatever random thought pops into her head approach doesn't work for me. It reads less like a story and more like a composition of random thoughts. Disappointed.

Thank you for the opportunity.

This is quite a fascinating, well researched historical fiction based on the life of Peggy Guggenheim. Within the pages of this book, Rebecca Godfrey has shown what an amazing, determined woman Peggy was! Based on historical records and Peggy's own diary, the author has brought Peggy vividly to life. Peggy endured many losses, had an abusive husband, and lived to see the rise of the suffragettes, as well as two world wars. She was a courageous, sometimes flawed woman who struggled to find her place in the world, as well as to bring freedom and dignity to all women and artists. She was a champion for surrealistic art, so its creators and their creations could be recognized as the groundbreaking, beautiful work that she so admired. This eventually led to the Guggenheim Museum as it is today. It is tragic that Rebecca Godfrey died prior to fully completing the book, which has been expertly completed by Leslie Jamison as Rebecca wished. The epilogues at the end of the book are a wonderful tribute to Rebecca and her creation of "Peggy". I thoroughly enjoyed the book! Thank you to the author(s), publisher, and Netgalley for my advance copy. The opinions of this review are my own.

Modern Art owes its very existence to Peggy Guggenheim. Peggy was an art collector who saved modern masterpieces from Hitler's clutches. Rebecca Godfrey (with a posthumous assist from Leslie Jameson) tells Guggenheim's story in her novel Peggy. Peggy Guggenheim was born into wealth on both sides of her family, both sides not exactly too open about their Jewish faith. Early in her life Peggy learned the definition of libertine and decides that's the path for her. Peggy socialized with the rich, famous, and intellectuals of her era. She carried on many love affairs and married artist Max Ernst. Peggy captures the bon-vivant spirit of a bold woman who blazed her own path and changed the art world and the definition of Modern Woman.

I knew nothing about Peggy Guggenheim before reading this book. It started strong but then got messy. Usually, I like learning about famous women through historical fiction but I had to look up her adult life on Wikipedia while reading the book so I could get through it. Perhaps if I knew more about her before beginning the book, I would have enjoyed it more.

When I received an invitation from the publisher to read and review this book, I quickly searched the Guggenheims as I knew very little about the historical family. Peggy offers a fictional narrative that vividly portrays the captivating story of Peggy Guggenheim, a notable socialite from the early 1900s. Admittedly, I struggled through the two writing styles but found Peggy's story poignant.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read and review this eARC.

“Peggy” by Rebecca Godfrey is a historical fiction novel that covers the younger years of Peggy Guggenheim’s life from the death of her father aboard the Titanic through her tumultuous and abusive marriage and art patronage. While I usually enjoy historical fiction, the author’s writing style was a bit hard for me to follow, and it made it difficult to get into the book and finish it.

The timeline jumps around, and the author employs a first-person stream of consciousness style without quotation marks that made it hard for me to keep track of who was speaking. The story also relies a little bit on readers recognizing the names of Twentieth Century artists and socialites and knowing a bit of their backstories. I had to stop reading a few times and look up the names that were mentioned throughout to be able to follow some portions. I will say that that this helped me to learn quite a bit as I read, and the history was interesting. I also wasn’t invested in the characters, as none of them struck me as particularly likable.

This might be a more engaging book for readers who were already familiar with Peggy Guggenheim’s life and the art scene of the time. Readers who enjoy stream-of-consciousness style might also like this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the book in advance of publication in exchange for my honest review.

The novel Peggy is a collaboration between two writers. Rebecca Godfrey wrote more than two-thirds of the book before dying of cancer in 2022. Leslie Jamison completed it, and the publisher did not just publish it as-is posthumously at the original author’s death. Godfrey had already invested 10 years of her life working on the project and wanted to see it completed correctly. And so, we have this book. It’s the fictional biography of art collector Peggy Guggenheim. However, those hoping to glimpse the early 20th-century art world will be disappointed. Instead, Peggy is more about Guggenheim’s inner life. For that, the book is already being lauded: Publishers Weekly gave the book a starred review, and, in Canada, Heather Reisman — the CEO of Canada’s largest book chain, Indigo Books and Music — promoted the work in an e-mail blast. Even noted author Gary Shteyngart has championed the work in a blurb. Thus, Peggy is finding its audience amongst intellectuals and the glitterati.

What could be said about Peggy? Well, it’s the story of a Guggenheim from when she was a young girl — her father died on the Titanic when she was 14 — following her as she finds love from both sexes living in New York City. The novel then joins her overseas to Paris, where she lives with a brut for a husband and poses for photographs by Man Ray. The novel’s arc follows the woman from the death of her older sister to the deaths of the children belonging to her younger sister to approximately the beginning of World War II — with a brief coda set in Venice some 20 years later. As noted, there’s not a lot in her here about the work that the book’s subject became famous for, though much hay is made about the lives of the bohemians that she befriends and beds, and that includes (I didn’t know this) Samuel Beckett. If anything, Peggy will have you wanting to read more classic fiction or go to an art museum for all the pieces of artwork and novels that get named here. It’s also a searing look at the lives of flappers in the 1920s.

Peggy is a richly poetic work that reads as though it were written by a singular voice. However, it has its quirks. My electronic galley copy sometimes did and sometimes didn’t include quotation marks around people’s speech in the novel. I don’t know if that was done deliberately or not. (Not to criticize the quality of the e-galley, but if it is a legitimate artistic choice of the novel, it’s strange.) I found Peggy interesting, as it is a novel primarily about relationships, particularly with men and between sisters and mothers. Guggenheim is looking for something of a father figure to fill the void left by her dad’s death, and her relationship with her mother is usually frosty as the elder is more of the old-monied world. (At the same time, the younger offspring plays the role of the spoiled heiress.) And that brings me to my one criticism of the book. As she’s presented here, I found Peggy Guggenheim to be shrill sometimes. I can understand the appeal of reading about the lives of the rich and famous to see how the other half live. Still, I also found that my sympathizes for the erstwhile “brat,” if I could call her that (though you can’t libel the dead), to be limited.

Still, Peggy is well written, and it would be hard to discern that it was written by two people if you didn’t know better. It was a labor of love for at least one of its writers, having spent the better part of a decade wrestling with the text. However, at the risk of floggin a dead horse, those looking for a blow-by-blow account of Guggenheim’s life events will also be bitter at this roman à clef that uses real names. In a sense, Peggy is a rarity: it reveals the hidden world of a noted figure. It does so fictitiously — leaving the author of this work to imagine what lurked behind the gaps in the lives of its subjects. To that end, Peggy is a fabulous novel. While it wasn’t entirely to my tastes — I felt the work didn’t pick up speed until it crossed the ocean and ended up being an account of a troubled relationship between husband and wife — I’m sure those of the upper crust will enjoy this just fine. Peggy is a work of grace, a work of art, a work about endless play and hedonism. I’m sure it’ll find its audience as, in a way, it already has. This is a worthwhile portrait for those interested in learning about Peggy Guggenheim’s life, but not what she’s most noted for.

Historical fiction about a dynamic, interesting woman, blurbed by Jenny Offill? Yes, please! The writing in this book is a piece of art; how very fitting for a book about Peggy Guggenheim.

I really enjoyed this book; it’s a very well-written historical fiction novel following the life of Peggy Guggenheim, spanning from her adolescence in New York City, to her adulthood in Paris and then the South of France, to her opening of a gallery in London, and to her final years in Venice.

I visited the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice earlier this year, but knew little about her, except that she was a great patron of the arts with wonderful taste. This book portrays her as a vibrant, full person, who lived an interesting—and often heartbreaking—life. She really came alive within the pages.

Often, when historical fiction is written about a real person, I’ll recommend the book only if I know someone is interested in that person. This book, however, was so well-written that I’d recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about the fascinating life of a complex woman.

A literary historical biographical fiction of Peggy Guggenheim, the art collector and philanthropist that led a tragic life. I knew nothing about Peggy before this book, recognizing her last name but that’s it. Her life story is one of loss beginning with her father’s death on the Titanic (while traveling with his mistress) to the heartbreak of her first marriage that was filled with abuse and betrayal. Some parts were hard to read but the sheer grandeur of her rich life made the book compelling. From the glitz of Fifth Avenue to the sparkling sand beaches of the Cote d’Azur, Peggy’s life was one filled with glossy parties and avant-garde friends but lacking in the love of family. With her fraught relationships and her absence from her children, I ended up feeling mostly pity for Peggy and the choices she made. It’s a historical fiction novel unlike any other I’ve read!

Thank you Random House and NetGalley for this arc!
I was unfamiliar with the details of Peggy’s life prior to this book. It was a fantastic depiction of her life, love and tragedy that she experienced in her lifetime. The book captured so many aspects from childhood to her adult life.

Felt this book was very long - I was interested in the story and even did my own brief research after reading, but just felt the writing dragged on and wasn't as exciting as I feel like it could have been

Thank you Netgalley & Random House Publishing for an eARC ♥️

After reading and watching the series 'Under the Bridge', I became fascinated with Rebecca Godfrey's writing style and wanted to explore more of her work. 'Peggy' caught my eye, and I was eager to learn more about the life of Peggy Guggenheim, which was previously unknown to me.

As I delved into the book, I found myself captivated by Peggy's story. Her life was a complex tapestry of privilege and hardship, and I was struck by her resilience and determination. From her family's tragic loss in the Titanic to her own pioneering spirit in the art world, Peggy's journey was truly inspiring.

While the book's non-linear structure and multiple characters occasionally made it challenging to follow, I appreciated the depth and nuance that Godfrey brought to the narrative. It's clear that she was passionate about telling Peggy's story, and that enthusiasm shines through on every page.

My only regret is that Godfrey didn't get to see the book's completion, as she passed away during the writing process.😞 However, the co-author did a wonderful job of honoring her vision and voice.♥️

I highly recommend 'Peggy' to anyone interested in art, history, or simply learning more about an extraordinary woman who left an indelible mark on the world.

Peggy by Rebecca Godfrey with Leslie Jamison. I really didn’t know much about the Guggenheims. Only by name recognition so I was interested in reading this novel. It starts with a young Peggy and continues through her life. It was a very interesting life and not an easy one due to many family tragedies. Peggy was referred to as the wild child. The book gave her more respectability. For me, it was at times confusing due to the memories that were part of the story. I didn’t realize the writing at the end was from a different author due to Rebecca being ill.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The poetic writing style in Peggy captured me as much as the story. The nontraditional wordsmithing is immersive, but offers a semi-detached, artful overview of her life instead of a deep, emotion-tugging journey. Analyzing what’s left unsaid, readers are left with the realizations that Peggy Guggenheim pursued destructive men and spent very little time with her two children, while seeking to establish herself in the art world. Not that she came off unlikable, but instead, rather hazy due to the perspective. Original author Rebecca Godfrey sadly passed before completion, and Leslie Jamison is to be admired for taking on the daunting task of pulling the threads together and writing the final chapters. Overall, I do recommend this book for the writing and intriguing insights into Peggy and other famous characters’ nonconforming, creative existences.

This was good although it took me a long time to finish it. It was fascinating and it was written in such a way that you felt like you were there. Even if you know nothing about Peggy Guggenheim, you will enjoy this. It is hard to imagine such a life except while reading this book.

Peggy comes out next week on August 13, 2024, and you can purchase HERE!

I AM THE DAUGHTER OF TWO DYNASTIES; I am believed to have more money than anyone in this city, second only to our neighbor, Rockefeller. Both my grandfathers were born in stables, like Jesus, and both came to America in steerage, running from Bavaria and Switzerland. These are not fables. These are not myths of the American Dream. The facts: both were fourteen, dark-haired boys, mute at first, then stumbling with the consonants of English; Joseph and Meyer, these were my grandfathers, and both men were peddlers, peasants, despised. In the Midwest, they knew neither cowboy nor coal miner. They sold shoehorns, spectacles, shoelaces, glue, cigars. If they got word two hens were sick in a village, they walked twenty miles to this village and sold off their own two hens. Soon Meyer invented a kind of stove polish; soon he was selling uniforms to the US Army. Then it was mines, amassing one, a hundred, all the silver mines in Alaska and Chile, all the copper mines in Mexico. Joseph learned math, stocks, and began his own bank. President Grant wished him to run the Department of Treasury. (He said no; he was too shy). By the time I was born, in 1898, Manhattan was hurtling toward a kind of European regality, and my grandfathers were no longer peasants but kings, driven toward the gilded palaces all along Fifth Avenue.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House, Rebecca Godfrey and Leslie Jamison for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of Peggy.
This is a well written, intriguing story of the life of famous heiress, Peggy Guggenheim. Her life was filled with tragedy, love (not always reciprocated) family and ambition. I was fascinated with her relationships with her sisters, parents and extended family. Money certainly does not buy happiness but it helps you to see opportunities in the world.
I wanted more of how society viewed the Guggenheims during pivotal points in history especially the Great Depression and World War II. Some of the characters were flat and needed more emotion and depth. The timeline was choppy and a bit uneven but I was relieved that the story was told in a linear fashion without jumping back and forth in events.
This is an interesting story and I would recommend it.

PEGGY
BY: REBECCA GODFREY & LESLIE JAMISON

About 4 Solid Stars!

This was a highly anticipated historical novel called, Peggy, which the late Rebecca Godfrey who passed in 2022, put in extensive amount of research to write portions of this book about Peggy Guggenheim's life. It took me a second time to read this since I felt that an author who spent ten years working on this deserved a second look from me. The impact of this hit its mark with me if Rebecca Godfrey's intent was for me as the reader to feel affected emotionally by Peggy Guggenheim's life altering hardships by the blows that she dealt with. In the end, both Peggy and this author left a lasting legacy, despite all of their challenges, both Peggy and this author were successful in creating a memorable achievement. This was not my favorite writing style, and yet when I reread it I can't deny that it gave me a fresh and haunting, unforgettable impression of Peggy that was moving and touching that will leave a lasting impression of Peggy's life. I had already known quite a bit about the huge icon that Peggy was before choosing to read this historical fictional novel which I was hoping to learn more than I already knew. That did turn out to be the case with this one being an unexpected visceral feeling that will stay with me and left me feeling that I got to know Peggy's emotional depth on a personal level. I came away feeling as if I empathized with Peggy's feelings with her great obstacles she experienced throughout her journey before she became the great legend that left a lasting mark in history. It did offer me a new way of how I was able to feel as if I actually knew Peggy as a person and feel as if I felt all that she endured while she left a lasting mark with her being much more human than just an iconic contributor in the art world. It has a great sense of meeting my expectations even though I feel that it takes for granted that the reader already knows certain people in the narrative. Unlike most historical novels there's a lack of an introduction to who the lesser known characters are with no short explanation of their significance in how Peggy knew them in quite a few instances. I could tell two different authors worked on this, which in my opinion the writing was not seamless and it meandered about in a non cohesive storytelling that made this not as compelling and memorable as I was hoping it to be. I will remember Peggy's generosity and her positive attributes and my renewed admiration of her because of this powerful impact of how it evoked me to connect with Peggy on a humanistic level through her having been written in the first person, but the author assumes that the reader knows everybody which with approaching the lesser known characters weakened my reading experience.

I knew about Peggy Guggenheim being born in 1898, into a family that merged two Jewish dynasties in New York City where she started out in life. I already knew that she suffered tremendous losses during her lifetime, particularly losing the parent she was closest to whom they both shared a love of art, her father. Benjamin Guggenheim had booked a passage on the Titanic which he was trying to get home in time for his daughter's birthday. Sadly, we all know the fate of that voyage with the ship striking an iceberg that literally split the ship in two, eventually sinking with great many brave souls drowning in April, 1912. He was noble enough to not try to use his privilege and wealth to try to get in one of the lifeboats, instead courageously assisting women and children towards their entering them. For all its opulence and grandeur, the Titanic didn't have enough life boats on board for most of the men who perished in the depths of the freezing ocean. At first the Guggenheim family thought that he had been saved by the rescue of the British passenger ship RMS Carpathia, but after inquiries were made that turned out that it was hopeful thinking and false information. He had booked a ticket for his mistress, which was revealed to the family. Peggy was only fourteen years-old and this loss of her father had a significant impact that shaped her trajectory later in life in her love of art. Her mother moved them from their home trying to live more frugally. Nevertheless, Peggy had shared her appreciation for art with her father which seemed to influence her continued appreciation for it and gives insight into why she collected it throughout her adult life. Even doing what she could to save it from the Nazi's, with antisemitism that she faced which I could feel with it being presented in the novel to be a regular occurrence happening frequently.

I did love how Peggy Guggenheim was written into this historical fictional account in first person point of view, which made me feel like she spoke directly to me giving this labor of love an intimate voice from Peggy. I also loved how Peggy was always so generous with helping out writers or other artists whenever she was asked, she was kind and met the requests freely giving what was asked of her, which she acted remarkably selfless. I felt that this novel succeeds at portraying Peggy with her thoughtful nature and giving spirit such as the gesture when she gave the photographer's assistant the gift that changed her life--her own camera. I could feel Peggy's deep love of her sister, Benita and felt the depths of her grief after learning of her death. Her guilt at having two children when that seemed to be Benita's greatest desire to have a child of her own. Of Peggy's feeling of sorrow that if she had stayed by Benita's side, like she really wanted to. Instead her selfish husband ended up talking her into leaving Benita, to go with him to visit his acquaintance, leaving Peggy feeling that Benita wouldn't have died if she stayed. I think this author succeeded in showing that for all of the strengths and fierce determination that were a part of Peggy's character, that she also had a great vulnerability juxtaposed to her passion. I felt it especially with feeling so much loss which was most palpable to me with the loss of her father and Benita. Her loss of respect--maybe her loss of her idealistic view of her marriage turning out to be a disappointment when she saw the initial stages of it beginning to sour. I also felt it with her accepting the abuse that she endured from her husband and her taking so long to extricate herself from it. I felt her inner pain whenever someone called her "money bags." I also felt like it must have cut deep when her son lived with his father after Peggy and her husband finally divorced. Finally with her daughter staying with her father most of the time, but it's not explored more than just a brief sentence stating it happened. Even though her sister Hazel's loss of her two children and Hazel's institutionalization were losses I didn't feel any emotional grief from Peggy. I don't remember anywhere in the novel of Peggy ever meeting Hazel's two children.

Peggy Guggenheim was born as the middle child, had two sisters and was closer to only one of them. She lost a sister to childbirth. She was known to feel as if her family was cursed, from losing a father at such a young age, it would have a tremendous effect that would shape her outlook. She was an independent woman who sought to live her life with a passion, but the men in her life were not always the best suited partners that she chose. Her mother tried to warn her daughters about the fact that there were those with not authentic values and to be cognizant that because of their vast fortunes that opportunistic sorts were to be avoided. Her husband was cruel and abusive and there were indications that some of the adult relationships she had were those that were interested in her money as much as they were of her. I was looking forward to this historical novel of her life, but it turned out to have impacted me more than I thought it would and left me feeling sad and a less enjoyable reading experience. I kept contemplating reading this before others that had a sooner publication date. It still surprises me how emotionally haunting this turned out to be. The writing just suffered from the author assuming that I knew who several of the characters were who weren't famous without a reference of a short explanation in a lot of characters who were secondary. I can't lie and say otherwise or I wouldn't give an honest opinion which is the whole point of my reading an early ARC and submitting my experience of how I truly felt while I was reading this. I did end up reading this twice to see if my second reading experience improves, but I shouldn't have to do it since I am familiar with Peggy Guggenheim's life prior to reading this, and I've found this to be fascinating even though it lacks introduction of the lesser known characters who aren't famous. Additionally, the writing style meanders throughout this novel. I'm still very grateful that I read this. My heart goes out to Rebecca Godfrey, and she should get the deserved accolades for her massive amount of time collecting as much material that she did, which reflects that her love for this project was able to have enough information for it to be finished by a respected colleague of hers.

Publication Date: August 13, 2024

Thank you to Net Galley, Rebecca Godfrey and Random House Publishing Group for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#Peggy #RebeccaGodfrey #RandomHousePublishingGroup #NetGalley