I’m always delighted to see a new Kate Atkinson in the publishing schedules, a treat to look forward to. Loosely based on the life of Kate Meyrick, Shrines of Gaiety takes us back to Soho in 1926, long before gentrification, when it was home to nightclubs offering a whole host of delights, not all of them legal. Nellie Coker is the acknowledged queen of this particular realm, just out of prison and determined to reassert her authority.
The filthy, glittering underbelly of London was concentrated in the nightclubs, and particularly the Amethyst, the gaudy jewel at the heart of Soho’s nightlife
Nellie is a self-made woman, taking herself and her children off after her husband gambled the family fortune away. Her capable daughter, Edith, has been holding the reins while Nellie was inside. Betty and Shirley have yet to snare the well-connected husbands Nellie has in her sights, Ramsey has decided to write a novel and Kitty has got herself expelled. Niven, her firstborn, has become even more of an enigma since the war. Nellie is keen to renew her working relationship with Maddox, the police chief in charge of Bow Street station, but has begun to wonder if Maddox’s agenda clashes with her own. Meanwhile D I Frobisher has been seconded to Bow Street, tasked with rooting out corruption. When Gwendolyn Kelling contacts him about two missing girls, they come to an unorthodox arrangement in which Gwendolyn will go undercover and infiltrate the Coker clan, a scheme which is almost too successful. As the plot thickens, which it pleasingly does, it seems that Nellie has more than one reason to be concerned. Meanwhile bodies keep washing up at Dead Man’s Hole, some of them girls.
He set off from Bow Street once more. Life was all just coming and going, wasn’t it? And eventually it was just going
Atkinson’s novel is wonderfully atmospheric, replete with a multitude of sharply drawn characters, rich in backstories, and an intricate plot into which revelations are casually dropped like cakecrumbs to be snapped up. As ever, there’s a great deal of sly humour to enjoy with the occasional downright comic moment but there’s a serious side: girls are being trafficked, just as they are today, and no one seems much to care. Nellie is a brilliantly imagined character – ruthless, shrewd and formidably Machiavellian – but the melancholic Frobisher was my favourite, reminding me a little of Jackson Brodie, last seen in Big Sky, with his literary allusions, tender concern for women and girls and acquiring of a dog. It’s a glorious slice of entertainment which paints a vivid picture of 1920s London over which the spectre of the First World War still hangs while the Bright Young Things party, oblivious to the poverty and exploitation rife in the city. In the right hands, it would make a fabulous piece of TV drama.
Doubleday: London 9780857526557 448 pages Hardback (Read via NetGalley)
Has a bit of a Babylon Berlin feel to it. Have put it on my wishlist.
Lots of decadence set against a grim background for many, for sure. I’m always impressed by the way Atkinson combines serious messages with wit and entertainement.
This seedier side of London in the 1920’s sounds different – gangs and the bad guys – certainly takes a different spin on the detective thriller. Would you sympathise with them or the detective?
Perhaps evenly spread! Although there’s a detective and lots of crime it isn’t essentially a crime novel. Atkinson’s very good at portraying complex characters, too.
I haven’t read a Kate Atkinson for ages, thank you for the reminder this sounds excellent!
You’re welcome, Jane. It’s a treat, one of her best.
Ooh, this does sound good! I’ve had a mixed reaction to Atkinson, but this sounds more traditional in style than some of her recent books. On the wishlist!
It’s excellent. A hugely entertaining, atmospheric story underpinned with a sobering message.
I like Atkinson for the atmosphere she evokes, and the characters she paints. This is on the list for sure, as I got to know Soho in the years before it became a Destination (Nothing seedy, only grocery shopping with my parents!)
Definitely a place to buy ‘exotic’ food back in the day! Her characterisation is unfailingly excellent, isn’t it. Hope you enjoy it when you get to it.
It’s on order from the library.
Excellent!
I’m excited to read this! Glad to hear Atkinson continues to be excellent!
Hope you love it as much as I did!
The setting and period of this one, as well as that fascinating sounding central character really appeal to me. However, I am not sure I like Kate Atkinson all that much, I have had mixed feelings on previous books of hers.
I think you’d enjoy the period detail In this one and Nellie’s quite a character.
So glad you enjoyed this. Any book by Kate Atkinson is on my must-read list.
Cheers!
I’m sure you’ll love it!
Kate Atkinson, the interwar years, a London setting – three of my favourite things! This was already a must-read for me but I’m delighted to hear how much you enjoyed it Susan.
You’ve sold me on Nellie! I might have to bump this one up over a couple of others of hers I haven’t read yet. 🙂
Shrines of Gaiety’s an absolute treat. I raced through it!
Looking forward to reading this – it’s next in the queue 🙂
You’ve a treat in store!