You don't need to know the name Dorothy Parker to be able to appreciate this book. In this slow building story, author Gill Paul gives us the tale of four women. Four women who are all attempting to navigate what it means to be a woman in the 1920s. What should they wear, what should they drink, where should they drink (it is the era of prohibition after all), who should they socialize with, should they work or stay home and have families, who can/should they love? Dorothy Parker and her friends Jane Grant, Winifred Lenihan, and Peggy Leach form a bridge club after their male counterparts snub them from joining their newly formed poker nights. The bridge club turns out to be more than just a fun night with the girls, it gives the women the support system they need as they navigate through their lives. Jane, Winifred, and Peggy each learn the strengths and weaknesses of each other as they team up to keep Dorothy from self destruction.
This is one of those books that gets better as it moves on. The characters needed some quality development before they become relatable to the reader. About 1/3 of the way in the book really has the solid ground it needs and the story takes off from there. It was enjoyable reading about women who I knew nothing about.
I received a copy of this book via NetGalley.

"The Manhattan Girls" by Gill Paul
Release Date: 8.16.2022

Four girls live and work in New York City during the Roaring 1920s! Dorothy, Jane, Winifred, and Peggy each have hopes, dreams, and romance. Although from different backgrounds, they gossip, laugh, date, and support each other. Their biggest challenge -- keeping their friend Dottie safe from harming herself.

This was an interesting novel, focusing on the challenges women faced during the 1920s. The women needed to juggle their careers, dreams, and life at home. They fought to be respected on the job. The characters were relatable, and the author offered four different points of view.

Thank you to @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

THE MANHATTAN GIRLS goes down smooth, like the good gin these gals get to drink sometimes. Not the bathtub variety they are more often drinking throughout the Prohibition era in which this book takes place. Gill Paul traces the lives of Dorothy Parker and three of her closest, equally fascinating and brilliant friends, across a few years in the twenties, as they navigate their careers and most intimate relationships.. Paul captures Parker’s acerbic wit, as well as her deep despair, almost frighteningly well, and vividly depicts the wide and eclectic circle of artists, writers, and dilettantes among whom they moved. I loved this!

Loved the use of Dorothy Parker as a sex and the city type book, it was a beautiful idea and I believe that it worked really well. The characters felt like the people they were based on and I enjoyed getting to know them.

"Dottie was watching her from across the room with a wistful smile. Was she thinking that could be her one day? Or wishing she could have a drink? She still wasn’t allowed alcohol. Peggy raised a glass to her, in a silent toast."

I was drawn to this book by the description of it being a 1920's Sex and the City type story. I wasn't disappointed either.

While the book is supposed to be about Dorothy Parker I feel like equal time was given to her three friends. I enjoyed the dyanmic of their friendships as a group and with each other individually. Their friendship and lives faced many ups and downs which made the story very realistic and enjoyable to read.

THE MANHATTAN GIRLS is about a diverse group of best friends all determined to make their mark on life. The story is aglow with sparks of wit and romance in 1920's Manhattan, during the prohibition era, as four women, Dorothy Parker, Jane Grant, Winifred Lenihan and Peggy Leech meet at the Algonquin Hotel and become close friends. They are there for each other through thick and thin.

Dorothy, an unsteady, witty lady, suffers two failed suicide attempts and publishes a book of poems. Jane Grant and her husband start The New Yorker magazine with support from her best friends. The girls rally and cheer on lovely Winifred Lenihan when she lands a top act in a Broadway show directed by George Bernard Shaw. They also help jolly, Peggy Leech become a published author. They introduce her to a man who later becomes her husband named Ralph Pulitzer.

There is intrigue, seduction, blackmail, gossip, romance, a likable cast of characters, and spectacular scenes set among smokey bars and speakeasies in New York with food and booze galore. Each chapter alternates between the four ladies as told from their perspective. Romance ebbs and flows with abundant drama. Do each of the ladies achieve their lofty goals? There is also something sinister afoot. What is lurking in the shadows?

THE MANHATTAN GIRLS is a simply divine tale lavishly woven against the New York city night life in the 1920's. Four influential women, Dorothy, Jane, Winifred, and Peggy, who are best friends, delve into their inner lives and support each other though life's battles. You will laugh and cry as they each tell their life stories as they struggle through many problems, mental and physical. The author brilliantly depicts factual tidbits of each lady, their love conquests, the actors they meet, directors, gangsters and various prestigious people during the prohibition era. I loved the gossipy banter and the love the women have for each other. It's refreshing to see how they have each other's backs. I absolutely enjoyed the muggy, dark, and dank atmosphere of New York. It made all the difference to this stylish story. THE MANHATTAN GIRLS is like a Southern comfort old fashioned. A classic, smooth cocktail!

The Manhattan Girls is a richly-developed story about writer Dorothy Parker and her so-called "vicious circle" - a New York based social group that would convene during the prohibition era at the Algonquin Hotel. Although the novel introduces the reader to a host of famous writers, actors, and directors - both men and women - the story focuses on Dottie's closest female friends, and is told from each of their perspectives in alternating chapters.

What I loved about this novel is that it focused on positive aspects of who these women were. They were portrayed as strong, independent women with many dimensions: vulnerability, determination, talent, and grit, to name a few. The author deftly brought these women to life with her imaginative dialogue and well-researched factual information. If you have enjoyed Ms. Paul's previous novels and wish to read about these fascinating women, read this book!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for an advance e-reader copy of this book.

This book was an interesting premise with mediocre execution. I felt like many of the characters were remarkably unlikable, and while I continued to try and get into the plot, it felt like a historical fiction book about nothing at all, and I was inherently disinterested in the story - until about halfway through.
Once I got to the middle, I found the book picked up pace again, and I was drawn in again. I do think this has a lot of potential, but for my specific clientele (high school library) I don't think it would be a great fit, and honestly, I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to anyone, unless they were specifically looking for books about real people that have been fictionalized, and were into family drama.

Oh what fun The Manhattan Girls is. Set in the early 1920s when America was a place of flappers and talented young women living in New York.
Dorothy Parker, a cutting author who surrounded herself with intelligent friends, is central to this book.
Jazz age New York comes to life as four women live right in the middle of it. This group of friends see each other through life...romance, heartbreak and more.
Very well researched and characters that jump off the page make this a lovely read.

The Manhattan Girls, by Gill Paul, is a historical fiction read, with a modern day twist. Paul takes 4 woman, puts their very different lifestyles together, and comes out with a pleasant story of friendship and loyalty. If I had not been previously informed that this story takes place in NYC, the 1920's, I would have thought this to be a modern take on relationships, challenges, and determination. The story left me noting that even 100years later we are still the same core human beings.

It's the 1020's and the Great War has ended. It's a time of high fashion, speakeasies, and jazz. Each character, with their own distinct personalities and struggles, has an attachment to the literary/arts world and dreams of furthering their careers.. We have a smart witted, outspoken, short story writer, Dorothy Parker. Jane Grant is a hardworking NY Times feminist reporter who eventually becomes founder of the magazine The New Yorker. Winifred Leihan is a Broadway actress turned writer, director. Peggy Leech is a magazine writer, historian who strives to become a published author and Pulitzer Prize winner. These woman together are members of the high society literary Algonquin Round Table. These woman together are a force to be reconned.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read The Manhattan Girls in exchange for my honest review.

#netgalley #themanhattangirls

The Manhattan Girls, as a novel, was fine. I found the characters enticing and the writing style beautiful, but I lost interest in the plot the further I got into it. My 3 star rating is surprising, especially to me, considering how much I love the setting/era, but I couldn't bring myself to fully enjoy the novel. I think I was expecting something more along the lines of City of Girls, and was given much less than that. The Manhattan Girls wasn't bad, but it's likely that I won't pick it up again.

This tale follows four ladies of the famed Algonquin Round Table as they navigate the roaring twenties, their careers, and their relationships. I must admit I was not familiar with any of the characters (who are all based on historical figures) so I was constantly Googling names and places mentioned in the book.

While I appreciated Jane, Winifred, and Peggy, I found Dottie's arc to be a slog. Her constant neediness, and high brow emotional cruelty, made me wonder why the other three even bothered with her. I found this to be especially interesting as Dorothy Parker was the only character I was familiar with going into the book.

The writing of the book was well done and I appreciate the delicacy of writing from four different perspectives. I can only imagine the challenge of that plus getting the historical details of speech correct as well.

Fans of Fiona Davis will appreciate this book and I am going to look into more work by Gill Paul.

I was able to read this book as an ARC from Netgalley, and I am very glad for the opportunity. I am always amazed when I read about women who bucked the norms in society in different eras. How did they do this? When women were expected to be seen and not heard, or expected to stay home and raise the children-with no choices for careers of their own? These four real life women bucked the norms and the odds in the 1920's. Via Goodreads: "Dorothy Parker, renowned wit, member of the Algonquin Round Table, and more fragile than she seems. Jane Grant, first female reporter for The New York Times, who is determined to launch a new magazine. The Broadway actress Winifred Lenihan, beautiful, talented, and a casting-couch target. And Peggy Leech, magazine assistant by day, brilliant novelist by night." These are all real women who achieved great career success. I loved reading about their friendships and what they had to do to climb to the top- and what it cost them in terms of their personal lives and mental health. I know I enjoyed a book when I finish reading it, and immediately go to the internet to research the real life people. That is exactly what I did here. I am left wanting to know more about these fabulous women. This historical fiction novel about four strong women was a wonderful read.

A definite recommendation to read this one. I thought it was very well written and I enjoyed the story and all of the references to recognizable people in the story. My kind of of book.

There were many positives to this book. I loved the setting, the vibrant city, the quirky characters, and learning about how The New Yorker came to be. How much of the story was real and how much was fictionalized for the sake of the plot line is never clear.
I would have loved an afterword explaining what happened to them all after that one small pocket of their lives. What became of Dorothy, did Harold and Jane stay together, did Winifred find her happy ever after.
I have read other Gill Paul novels and very much enjoy the use of real historical events to weave a story around. Looking forward to reading more,
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

I actually knew nothing about the people Paul was writing about until i started putting pieces together halfway through! So maybe that’s an added star for a compelling story, even though i has no external investment in the characters! Even though the writing was a bit flat, I kept reading compulsively. Each character was clearly defined and I felt like I knew them each. I’m not sure I would have liked Dottie very much, but her place in history and the story is incontestable.

The character development was great, wanting to know their life story kept me reading. Unfortunately, when I got to the final page, I questioned the point of the entire book. Maybe some additional artistic liberties could have been taking or a secondary plotline. Solid writing other than the lack of climax.