Author: The Lit Bitch

The bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society and Bloomsbury Girls returns with a brilliant novel of love and art, of grief and memory, of confronting the past and facing the future.

In 1955, Vivien Lowry is at a crossroads in life. Her latest play, the only female-authored play on the London stage that season, has opened in the West End to rapturous applause from the audience. The reviewers, however, are not as impressed as the playgoers and their savage notices not only shut down the play but ruin Vivien’s last chance for theatrical success. With her future in London not looking bright, at the suggestion of her friend, Peggy Guggenheim, Vivien takes a job as a script doctor on a major film shooting in Rome’s Cinecittà Studios. There she finds a vibrant moviemaking scene filled with rising stars, acclaimed directors, and famous actors in a country that is torn between its past and its potentially bright future, between the liberation of the post-war cinema and the restrictions of the Catholic Church that permeate the very soul of Italy.

As Vivien tries to forge a new future for herself, she also searches for the long-buried truth of the recent World War and the fate of her deceased fiancé lost in battle. Every Time We Say Goodbye is a bold and moving exploration of trauma and tragedy, hope and renewal, filled with dazzling characters both real and imaginary, from the incomparable author who charmed the world with her novels The Jane Austen Societyand Bloomsbury Girls.

(Every Time We Say Goodbye is linked to The Jane Austen Society, & Bloomsbury Girls by characters, but is a stand-alone novel.) 

Continue reading “Cover Reveal: Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner” →

I first discovered Gill Paul a few years ago when I had absolute cover lust over Another Woman’s Husband. I saw it in a bookstore and couldn’t pass it up, and from then on I was hooked on her writing style. Not to mention she always picks interesting women with stories that are often overlooked or just not what one would consider ‘mainstream’ in the historical fiction world.

She continues this theme of unsung women in history with her latest novel, A Beautiful Rival, which follows the well known feud between Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein. I read a book earlier this year about Estée Lauder and I was intrigued about pioneering women in the beauty industry so when I saw that Gill was coming out with this book I was super excited to check it out. Sadly this fall is full for me to review this one but I have it on my review schedule for later in the winter.

One thing I can say about Gill, she researches the hell out of her novels. I always find the main characters believable and developed with a clear desire to portray them in an honest and accurate way even if the book is ‘fiction’ she tried really hard to be true to the real lives of her subjects. They early beauty industry promises to be a battleground for drama and with two driven main characters, this book promises a lot! Early reviewers are raving about it and I cannot wait to check it out! If you love well written and researched historical fiction then this book is one not to be missed!

Continue reading “Special Feature: A Beautiful Rival by Gill Paul” →

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Near the end of the Cold War, a CIA code breaker discovers a symbol she recognizes from her childhood, which launches her across the world to the heart of Berlin just before the wall comes tumbling down.

November 1989—After finding a secret cache of letters with intelligence buried in the text, CIA cryptographer Luisa Voekler learns that not only is her father alive, but he is languishing in an East German Stasi jail. After piecing together the letters with a series of articles her grandfather saved, Luisa seeks out journalists Bran Bishop and Daniel Rudd. They send her to the CIA, to Andrew Cademan—her boss.

Luisa confronts Cademan and learns that nothing is a coincidence, but he will not help her free her father. So, she takes matters into her own hands, empties her bank account, and flies to West Berlin. As the adrenaline wears off and she recognizes she has no idea how to proceed, Luisa is both relieved and surprised when a friend shows up with contacts and a rudimentary plan to sneak her across the wall.

Alternating storylines between Luisa and her father, The Berlin Letters shows the tumultuous early days of the wall, bringing Berlin, the epicenter of the Cold War, to life while also sharing one family’s journey through secrets, lies, and division to love, freedom, and reconciliation.

Continue reading “Cover Reveal: The Berlin Letters by Katherine Reay” →