​Scandalous Women. A novel of Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins

 
Two women authors first took the book world by storm in tandem with the sexual revolution during the 1960s and caused scandal by daring to give the female perspective on a genre that had hitherto been the domain of macho authors like Harold Robbins. Jacqueline Susann and Jackie Collins busted through the prejudices of a misogynistic publishing industry to become massive success stories with their flamboyant and sexy novels that were the nightmare of critics but adored by millions of readers.
 
In this novel, both women are determined to get published, inspired by their personal experiences in show business. Susann’s Valley of the Dolls will expose the underbelly of drugs - “dolls” being the slang term for uppers and downers - and Collins’ The World is Full of Married Men will be the first in many novels that dish the dirt on Hollywood sexuality.
 
But behind their glitzy and glamorous personas, there are disappointments and tragedies. Susann has a severely autistic son hidden from view and her main drive is to make enough money to keep him in safe care for life. Collins’ first husband is a manic-depressive and commits suicide after she divorces him, and she is consumed with guilt. Linking the two women together is Nancy White, a young graduate with ambitions to be a book editor.

All three negotiate many personal and career challenges. Susann and Collins become close friends although the author admits in her notes they probably never met. Also, Nancy turns out to be a fictional character and so her inclusion raises numerous questions, the main one being:- Would two prominent authors with hectic lives of their own really concern themselves with a lowly editorial assistant’s relationship issues? 

Thus, this is a difficult novel for me to review - or decide on a star rating.

If it had been a fully fictional tale, with differently named characters inspired by, or loosely based on, Susann and Collins, I'd have been much happier about it. The sub-plots featuring Nancy's career ladder, romantic life and her tragic cousin Louise are interesting enough to warrant a complete story on their own. I might be too pedantic, but I believe it's unfair on readers to choose real-life characters (especially those within living memory for many of us) and then put them in situations for which there is no evidence. I also don't like being short-changed by such revelatory author's notes at the end and would much rather be forewarned in the beginning to avoid finding out later that it's all make-believe.
 
If you're not in the least bothered at all by veracity in your historical fiction, you'll no doubt enjoy this latest novel from Gill Paul about two more dynamic women of the 20th Century.#  
 
With many thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC.
  
amazon.com
 
amazon.co.uk
 
# See my earlier review of A Beautiful Rival about Helena Rubenstein and Elizabeth Arden.

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