Feminism and Art in Postwar Italy: The Legacy of Carla Lonzi
Francesco Ventrella and Giovanna Zapperi
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A renowned art critic of the 1960s, Carla Lonzi abandoned the art world in 1970 to found Rivolta...
Unwritten Diary of Israel Unger
Carolyn Gammon and Israel Unger
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At the beginning of the Nazi period, 25,000 Jewish people lived in Tarnow, Poland. By the end of the...
Fado and the Urban Poor in Portuguese Cinema of the 1930s and 1940s
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Colvin studies the evolution of Fado music as the soundtrack to the Portuguese talkie. He analyzes...
In Two Minds: A Biography of Jonathan Miller
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New in paperback, In Two Minds is the first comprehensive biography of Jonathan Miller - the story...
ClareR (5721 KP) rated Shrines of Gaiety in Books
Dec 5, 2022
Shrines of Gaiety is set in the 1920’s, post First World War, and encompasses post war life with all of its excesses, poverty, grief and debauchery.
Nellie Coker is a self made woman who owns a series of nightclubs in London. She’s a single mother, and five of her six children help her to run her empire (the sixth is too young). How she came to own these clubs is a mystery. But the chances are that it wasn’t legal money!
Then there are the 14 year old runaways, Freda and Florence, who want to take to the stage to find fame and fortune.
Detective Chief Inspector Frobisher is determined to bring Nellie Coker and her corrupt empire down, as well as the corrupt police officers that support her. He also becomes involved in the search for the two runaways, thanks to Gwendoline Kelling, a librarian who has inherited a considerable amount of money. She’s a friend of one of the runaways sister, and vows to find her.
I won’t just regurgitate the story, that’s no fun, and you need to read this book for yourself! Needless to say, I loved these characters - the whole novel in fact! It’s a gripping, entertaining story, and it was a joy to read.
Very highly recommended.
Oh, and for the book cover fans, it’s a gorgeous one!
About a Village Boy: A Memoir
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Chris Dunning overcame the after-effects of polio to win some of the world's biggest ocean racing...
Looking to London: Stories of War, Escape and Asylum
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This book looks at five communities of refugees living in London, who have travelled from the...
The Greatest Traitor: The Secret Lives of Agent George Blake
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'Sober, accurate and all the more thrilling for it. The best thing on Blake that we are likely to...
Corsets: Historic Patterns and Techniques
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Progressing through almost two centuries of corset-making, this fascinating collection showcases an...
The German Pacific Locomotive: Its Design and Development
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The German Pacific Locomotive (Its Design and Development) is David Maidments fourth book in the...