This book is set in 1920s New York. It is a great narrative about the lives and lives of four women. This is a fast paced story with lots of action. It is a character study and the characters are engaging.

I loved The Collector's Daughter, and this book was no different. The author has a unique way of touching upon interesting topics with a fresh angle that keeps readers interested with all the details.

Roaring 20's New York and Gill Paul's excellent writing?! What could make for a more perfect historical fiction read! I absolutely loved every minute of this story of love, loss, friendship, and ambition. The story follows four friends living in Manhattan and their lives. It was so enjoyable coming alongside each of these characters and through them I was truly transported right into the time period. This is a book that I would consider a pure pleasure read as it's not necessarily one I walked away taking a lot from, but it sure was absorbing and a delightful escape, something I don't often say about historical fiction books. But it sure did work here! There was clearly a whole lot of research that went into this story to make this world and these ladies lives come to life in such an enthralling and realistic way.

All the love and words of praise for The Manhattan Girls from me! This is a book I will highly recommend, especially for my fellow historical fiction lovers looking for something different and refreshing.

Many thanks to Avon Books and NetGalley for the gifted e-copy!

I love time. Novels. And the roaring 20s is a great time to read about. I think there is an audience out there for this but I just felt it was a little slow.

I agree with others who say this book is similar to sex and the city. I’m not a fan of the show so maybe that’s why I didn’t particularly enjoy this book. It seems like by the end 2 of the 4 girls still didn’t learn anything.


2 stars

When readers who have heard of Dorothy Parker think of her, they often imagine her at the Algonquin Hotel issuing bon mots. Sarcastic and seemingly in possession of herself, many envied her. However, this historical novel about Dorothy and some of her friends and acquaintances reveals that she had many reasons to feel unsettled and unhappy. The support of three friends helped her to get through.

Early in this novel readers learn that Dorothy is having trouble finding work. She is also having many difficulties in her marriage; her husband came back from WWI a changed (and unpleasant) man. Dorothy’s friends include Jane, a newspaper reporter; Winifred who is an actress and, Peggy who works at a magazine. They form a bridge group where they not only learn to play cards but reflect on life.

These characters are surrounded by many men. They include those who spent time at the Algonquin. All are men of their time and their treatment of women is often condescending.

Will these friends find their happy/happier endings? Find out in this well written work of historical fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this title. All opinions are my own.

A gripping book that I struggled to put down. Brilliant plot with a host of interesting characters, I will definitely read more by this author.

I absolutely loved this book, and wish I could read it again for the first time. The story follows four friends: Dorothy Parker, Jane Grant, Peggy Leech, and Winifred Lenihan. While these four women did live in Manhattan during the 1920's, the author imagines the innerworkings of the friendships, ambitions, relationships, and everything in between. Reading about the famous Algonquin Roundtable and 1920's New York transported me there. Gill Paul's writing style kept me engaged and wanting more.

What do all these things have in common?

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MargaretLeech

They are all works of women who participated in the Algonquin "Round Table" back in the '20s when booze was prohibited and gangsters were recognized on the street of Manhattan. I didn't really know anything about any of the women profiled here--Dorothy Parker, wit and poet, Jane Grant NYTimes reporter and co-founded of The New Yorker, Winifred Lenihan, Broadway actress voted in McCalls as one the most beautiful women in the world and Margaret Leech, winner of not one but two Pulitzer prizes (and married a Pulitzer!).

So, I realized that Dottie was a real piece of work and I don't think we would have been friends at all. The other women were so striven and ambitious they really didn't have time for friends, much less hob-nobbing at the club. I can't say I was impressed by any of the men at the Algonquin ("Gonk") even though they included playwrights, critics and writers. They talked the talk but didn't walk the walk. Other women were Edna Ferber (who wrote ShowBoat) and Helen Hayes.

Even though the book is over 400 pages, it read quickly and I never had a problem remembering who was who. (And there's a helpful list of characters at the front.) So much research had to have gone in this, from playing bridge to codewords for booze all within the real framework of the women featured.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
2 likes

While I loved the topics of this book, it just didn't land for me. I felt like Paul could have pushed some of these themes a bit deeper, especially as so many of them are still very relevant today.

The Manhattan Girls by Gill Paul. Pub Date: August 18, 2022. Rating: 3.5 stars. I have read a few of Gill Paul's other novels and she is a great historical fiction writer. I love the way she develops imagery to tell a story. In this novel, she takes the reader to the 1920s to immerse in a "girl gang" filled with class, social status, theater, bad relationships, male encounters and everything in between. I really enjoyed the theme of female friendship during adversity throughout the book. The characters were lively and I really enjoyed this story. Thanks to Avon Books UK and NetGalley for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #netgalley

I enjoyed this look at Dorothy Parker's life, as well as learning about her friends, especially Jane and her quest to begin the New Yorker. I really loved all the stories but I think Jane's was my favorite. Dottie was actually an unlikable character!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Masterpiece! Gil Paul pushed all of my buttons for an engaging historical fiction piece. I visited the Algonquin Hotel on a trip to New York in the mid 1980’s. Having a drink on the first floor, I remember imagining people who might have visited in the 1920s. I loved reading about “the bridge group”composed of Dottie Parker, Winifred Lenihan, Peggy Leach, and Jane Green. These women were a “self-help group” before this term was coined. My heart cried, laughed, had angry moments, wanted to hug and tell one of them as Gil Paul allowed the reader to be the fifth character of the group. Dottie’s story seemed to be the main thread to keep them together. She had an abortion, attested suicide, and seemed unlucky in love. The others had their problems but were true friends to Dorothy.

Paul really did her research, and she had me looking people up to find out more about them as I was reading. This is definitely a book I will read or maybe listen to again. It is also a book that I will be thinking about for a long time.

I have read all of Gills books so far and enjoyed this one.Loved the era it is set on and based on true characters but fiction.Loved how strong and resiliant the ladies where in a difficult era for women.

Girl friends are often closer to you than family. They see you at your worst and at your best. Dotti, Winifred, Peggy and Jane are all totally different in character but bounded by a time and place.
1921 New Yorker is a time of jazz, dancing, prohibition, Broadway and print media. Based loosely on real ladies of the time (Dorothy Parker with her wit and one liners, Jane Grant, first female reporter for The New York Times, Conde Nast advertising executive, Margaret “Peggy” Leech and Winifred Lenihan Broadway actress), this is a biographical work of historical fiction.
Each chapter focusses on 1 of the girls. Some of the themes are dark, with attempted suicide and marriage breakup. But also uplifting in discovering themselves, their sexuality and their power in a male dominated world. Each girl has a character, that rounds off the group. Dorothy is neurotic and fragile, Jane is dependable, sensible and resilient, Peggy is comforting and a mother figure while Winifred is young and beautiful...attracting unwanted attention as she discovers own strength and sexuality.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The time was fun and exciting and girls gave an extensive bite of life in New York......sounded like fun to me!
Thanks to NetGalley, Gill Paul and Avon Books UK for my copy to review.

Rating: 4.5 Stars

Gill Paul is at her most dazzling with an atmospheric, enjoyable and addictive new novel, The Manhattan Girls.

It’s 1921 and the world is at peace. The war is over, the twenties are roaring and people everywhere are making up for lost time tripping the light fantastic and having the time of their lives. Not everyone, however, is keen to dance their troubles away – not even in Manhattan where a frustrated Dorothy Parker finds herself struggling to make a name for herself in a world that is still dominated by men. Dorothy cannot seem to catch a break. Not only has her career stalled, but she is penniless, unemployed and her marriage is on the rocks. Will Dorothy ever find the fulfillment she is seeking? Will she ever be happy? Or will the only thing she has to look forward to in the future be disappointment?

Setting up a bridge group with three extraordinary women, Dorothy finds fun, friendship, support and a reason to continue to fight for her dreams and her ambitions. However, when tragedy strikes and her future is threatened, Dorothy will need to rely on Peggy, Winifred and Jean more than ever. Will Dorothy be able to confront the truth before it’s too late? Or just when happiness is within reach, will she end up losing everything all over again?

Gill Paul is a wonderful writer with a fantastic ability of breathing life into the past and spinning a story rich in intrigue, romance, drama and emotion and in The Manhattan Girls, she has once again penned a captivating tale of love, courage and friendship that will have readers cheering on the four beautifully drawn characters that people this wonderful book.

Gill Paul never lets her readers down and she has outdone herself with her gorgeous new novel, The Manhattan Girls.

This book felt tailor-made for me. I’m such a fan of Dorothy Parker and I’m fascinated by the Algonquin Roundtable, and I just can’t get enough of the glamour and debauchery of 1920s Manhattan. I was so entertained learning about these women and their lives, I felt like I really got to know them as people, not just as one-dimensional characters. And how refreshing to read a book set in this time period that’s not about women as flighty socialites but as intelligent, substantial people. Loved it!

This was a cute read about a group of friends in NYC in the 1920’s.. I was definitely interested in learning more about Dorothy Parker. I loved the NYC setting, but this book did drag a bit here and there.

I very much enjoyed this feminist story taking place during the Roaring Twenties, focusing on female friendship and the trials and tribulations thrown their way.

The Manhattan Girls is a fun, sassy, heart wrenching tale of four women in New York in the 1920s. This story is the perfect balance of historical context and fictional flare, the women are flawed while impeccably flawless, and I kept turning the pages waiting to see where the story goes. I ended up googling the characters as I was reading - and I learned so much more about one of my favorite decades in history. Overall such an enjoyable read!