Shrines of Gaiety: The Sunday Times Bestseller, May 2023

As an avid reader I would say that there have been three books by Kate Atkinson that have taken my breath away with their shear brilliance when I completed them. I do not think that "Shrines of gaiety" quite matches "Scenes from the museum", "Life after life" or "A god in ruins" but I found this book impossible to put down. The first hundred or so pages set the scene with the multitude of characters and , like alot of this author's books, you think that you can predict how the story will pan out. In this novel, two young girls run off to the bright lights of 1920's London and we are simultaneously introduced to night club owener Nellie Coker and her rather disfunctional family who both the police and other members of the whose relationship with the law comes from a variety of backgrounds. The book is hugely compelling and I would argue probably one of Kate Atkinson's faster -paced novels. By about page 300, all the various components are in place and things which had hitherto been alluded to start to become clear. I felt that the book then became impossible to put down and the various interactions between the various parties ensure that the story picks up it's pace as the different characters seem to move from one peril to the other.This book has many of the traits readers will be familiar with from KA's books. As per usual, the writing is laced with her dry humour which really resonnates with me and makes the writing a delight to read. She also maintains the non-linear story line which resembles pieces of a jigsaw puzzle which, when finally assembled, does not resemble the picture on the box. There were elements in this novel which I had guessed would happen whereas some parts came as a surprise. It is intriguing that other reviewers commented on the conclusion of the novel because I did feel the same. A lot of effort had been put in constructing the story and weaving the complicated plot yet when the various strands reached their conclusion, they were dealt with quite rapidly. The closing pages then picked up the fate the characters when I felt that they had been sufficiently interesting to warrant another book. There is no real disappointment in the conclusion yet the writer alludes to further escapades and the fate of Gwendollen was certainly worth another novel. Never-the-less, this was a real page turner.

This book is so clever and truly invokes the period. I had this as an Audible book and it was really good. The descriptions of the night clubs and the people who frequent them are very cleverly written. I found that I listened to most of this book in one day, I just couldn't put it down. There are so many twists and turns I felt if I put it down I wouldn't remember them all. The main female character is really strong, you almost feel like you know her. I was really drawn in to the night clubs. Kate Atkinson never disappoints.

This book was a joy to read- a right good old story at its very best. Characters extremely well developed, along with a rollicking engaging story. Great to get lost in!

Description:The matriarch of a lightly criminal family of nightclub owners gets out of prison and has to deal with a bunch of new threats, including a detective, a librarian, a corrupt policeman and some young girls. Set in the 1920s.Liked:The amount of times the word 'Amethyst' was used. Beautiful word! Otherwise, lots of things happened. Was easy to read and fairly entertaining. The son, Niven, was quite an interesting character. Also, it was kind of stupidly gratifying to see so many places I know and work and move around in referenced in a book set long ago.Disliked:The wrap up was pretty terrible - felt very rushed and not at all cathartic or clever. Everything played out much as you'd expect. Didn't really care about anyone much, which seemed odd considering there were so many characterful characters. And it's not like it was because they were all morally dubious or anything, either, they just all felt quite 2D. I think perhaps the tone was so flippant that it actively discourages you from getting invested in anyone.Would recommend, but only because there’s nothing really WRONG with it, and that tends to be my criteria for damning a book. Not sure I could really justify the time I’d spent on it if it hadn’t been our latest work book club book, though.

I started reading Ms. Atkinson's books about three years ago and was initially transfixed by her book "Transcription".. then the Jackson Brodie series...but this one.. well I never wanted it to end . The story is captivating, warm, humerous with a dash of whimsy nd excitement.. much like the cocktails she claims never to have sampled. The language is delicate and electrifying at the same time. The characters endearing and lovable and dastardly and everyone gets appropriate justice in the end. The story telling reminded me of"A gentleman in Moscow" which until now was top of my favourite books.. I think it still is but this one is running it awfully close... Thank you Ms Atkinson for a delicious escape...

As usually with Kate Atkinson's books, a joy to read. Vibrant, full of humour and intelligence.

I usually like Kate Atkinson's novels, this one I liked the least. The story idea is good and the setting interesting. The book takes awhile to get going, but ok, I do not mind that. The reader is treated to very detailed backstories and is not sure how they will connect - this is a good aspect of the novel, it made me want to find out. The middle section is faster paced and the characters started to grow on me. Someone said that the number of coincidences is too high, some can be explained by the fact that we learn about certain characters because they become part of the action later on, but the story is a bit far stretched at times. The resolution of the story is very disappointing, it is not well constructed and sloppily done. The storyline's resolution is superficial, we never learn many background facts or have to guess. The expectations and curiosity raised earlier were left unsatisfied. One of the main characters is randomly killed off, quite the deus ex machina solution, two others are left at a pivotal moment. We learn in short fashion about what the future holds for the other characters (often premature death) but it is quite unsatisfactory. All in all the book is strangely unbalanced, providing an excruciating level of detail at times and only a cursory glance at the end.

I enjoyed this book so much that I am going to read it again soon

I really enjoy this authors style. The humour she effortlessly injects, with just a few well chosen words, into even violent events. While the story and cast of characters, who weave together like a well knitted scarf, are enough to keep you wanting to read this book, the prose is a huge added bonus. I have read all of Atkinson's books and this rates among her best, in my opinion.