A Beautiful Rival
A Novel of Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $25.19
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Lisa Flanagan
-
By:
-
Gill Paul
About this listen
In this stunning new novel, bestselling author Gill Paul reveals the unknown history of cosmetic titans Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein and their infamous rivalry that spanned not only decades, but also broken marriages, personal tragedies, and a world that was changing dramatically for women—perfect for fans of Fiona Davis, Marie Benedict, and Beatriz Williams.
Who would have guessed that the business of making women beautiful was so cutthroat?
They could have been allies: two self-made millionaires who invented a global industry, in an era when wife and mother were supposed to be the highest goals for their sex. Elizabeth Arden and Helena Rubinstein each founded empires built on grit and determination…and yet they became locked in a feud spanning three continents, two world wars, and the Great Depression.
Brought up in poverty, Canadian-born Elizabeth Arden changed popular opinion, persuading women from all walks of life to buy skincare products that promised them youth and beauty. Helena Rubinstein left her native Poland, and launched her company with scientific claims about her miracle creams made with anti-ageing herbs.
And when it came to business, nothing was off-limits: poaching each other’s employees, copying each other’s products, planting spies, hiring ex-husbands, and one-upping each other every chance they had. This was a rivalry from which there was no surrender! And through it all were two women, bold, brazen, and determined to succeed—no matter the personal cost.
In this sweeping novel from the bestselling author of Jackie and Maria and The Manhattan Girls, two larger-than life fashion icons come alive with all their passion, bitterness, and ambition as they each try to live the American dream.
©2023 Gill Paul (P)2023 HarperCollins PublishersListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Collector's Daughter
- A Novel of the Discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lady Evelyn Herbert was the daughter of the Earl of Carnarvon, brought up in stunning Highclere Castle. Popular and pretty, she seemed destined for a prestigious marriage, but she had other ideas. Instead, she left behind the world of society balls and chaperones to travel to the Egyptian desert, where she hoped to become a lady archaeologist, working alongside her father and Howard Carter in the hunt for an undisturbed tomb.
-
-
Great read!
- By Peddoc on 11-25-21
By: Gill Paul
-
The Manhattan Girls
- A Novel of Dorothy Parker and Her Friends
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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, and determined to launch a new magazine she calls The New Yorker. Winifred Lenihan: beautiful and talented Broadway actress, a casting-couch target. And Peggy Leech: magazine assistant by day, brilliant novelist by night.
-
-
Boring and contrived
- By Haydenseesme on 09-05-22
By: Gill Paul
-
Jackie and Maria
- A Novel of Jackie Kennedy & Maria Callas
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jackie Kennedy is beautiful, sophisticated, and contemplating leaving her ambitious young senator husband. When she's offered a holiday on the luxurious yacht owned by billionaire Ari Onassis, she says yes...to a meeting that will ultimately change her life. Maria Callas is at the height of her operatic career and widely considered to be the finest soprano in the world. And then she's introduced to Aristotle Onassis, the world's richest man and her fellow Greek. Little by little, Maria's and Jackie's lives began to overlap, until everything they know about the world changes on a dime.
-
-
Appendix not recorded 😔
- By tahoe23 on 08-21-20
By: Gill Paul
-
The Secret Wife
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Laura Kirman, Thomas Judd
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The stories of two very different women, linked by the secrets and lies of history, merge together as past and present weave together in this stunning story of love, loss and resilience. 2016. Kitty, fleeing from a devastating revelation in her own life, finds herself at her great-grandfather's cabin in Lake Akanabee. There she discovers a gorgeous necklace, which leads her uncover to long-buried family secret. 1914. Tatiana, Grand Princess of Russia, falls in love with Dmitri, a Russian solider, as she nurses him back to health.
-
-
An unexpected jewel with refreshing perspectives
- By Amazon Customer on 12-17-16
By: Gill Paul
-
Astor
- The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune
- By: Anderson Cooper, Katherine Howe
- Narrated by: Anderson Cooper
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From 1783, when German immigrant John Jacob Astor first arrived in the United States, until 2009, when Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, was convicted of defrauding his elderly mother, the Astor name occupied a unique place in American society. The family fortune, first made by a beaver trapping business that grew into an empire, was then amplified by holdings in Manhattan real estate. Over the ensuing generations, Astors ruled Gilded Age New York society and inserted themselves into political and cultural life, but also suffered the most famous loss on the Titanic.
-
-
A family first made, then destroyed by wealth.
- By Barbara W. on 09-23-23
By: Anderson Cooper, and others
-
Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1938, and a young woman selling face cream out of a New York City beauty parlor is determined to prove she can have it all. Her name is Estée Lauder, and she’s about to take the world by storm, in this dazzling new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Social Graces and Park Avenue Summer.
-
-
Lots of fun
- By Robin on 05-01-23
By: Renée Rosen
-
The Collector's Daughter
- A Novel of the Discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lady Evelyn Herbert was the daughter of the Earl of Carnarvon, brought up in stunning Highclere Castle. Popular and pretty, she seemed destined for a prestigious marriage, but she had other ideas. Instead, she left behind the world of society balls and chaperones to travel to the Egyptian desert, where she hoped to become a lady archaeologist, working alongside her father and Howard Carter in the hunt for an undisturbed tomb.
-
-
Great read!
- By Peddoc on 11-25-21
By: Gill Paul
-
The Manhattan Girls
- A Novel of Dorothy Parker and Her Friends
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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, and determined to launch a new magazine she calls The New Yorker. Winifred Lenihan: beautiful and talented Broadway actress, a casting-couch target. And Peggy Leech: magazine assistant by day, brilliant novelist by night.
-
-
Boring and contrived
- By Haydenseesme on 09-05-22
By: Gill Paul
-
Jackie and Maria
- A Novel of Jackie Kennedy & Maria Callas
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jackie Kennedy is beautiful, sophisticated, and contemplating leaving her ambitious young senator husband. When she's offered a holiday on the luxurious yacht owned by billionaire Ari Onassis, she says yes...to a meeting that will ultimately change her life. Maria Callas is at the height of her operatic career and widely considered to be the finest soprano in the world. And then she's introduced to Aristotle Onassis, the world's richest man and her fellow Greek. Little by little, Maria's and Jackie's lives began to overlap, until everything they know about the world changes on a dime.
-
-
Appendix not recorded 😔
- By tahoe23 on 08-21-20
By: Gill Paul
-
The Secret Wife
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Laura Kirman, Thomas Judd
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The stories of two very different women, linked by the secrets and lies of history, merge together as past and present weave together in this stunning story of love, loss and resilience. 2016. Kitty, fleeing from a devastating revelation in her own life, finds herself at her great-grandfather's cabin in Lake Akanabee. There she discovers a gorgeous necklace, which leads her uncover to long-buried family secret. 1914. Tatiana, Grand Princess of Russia, falls in love with Dmitri, a Russian solider, as she nurses him back to health.
-
-
An unexpected jewel with refreshing perspectives
- By Amazon Customer on 12-17-16
By: Gill Paul
-
Astor
- The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune
- By: Anderson Cooper, Katherine Howe
- Narrated by: Anderson Cooper
- Length: 8 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From 1783, when German immigrant John Jacob Astor first arrived in the United States, until 2009, when Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, was convicted of defrauding his elderly mother, the Astor name occupied a unique place in American society. The family fortune, first made by a beaver trapping business that grew into an empire, was then amplified by holdings in Manhattan real estate. Over the ensuing generations, Astors ruled Gilded Age New York society and inserted themselves into political and cultural life, but also suffered the most famous loss on the Titanic.
-
-
A family first made, then destroyed by wealth.
- By Barbara W. on 09-23-23
By: Anderson Cooper, and others
-
Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1938, and a young woman selling face cream out of a New York City beauty parlor is determined to prove she can have it all. Her name is Estée Lauder, and she’s about to take the world by storm, in this dazzling new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Social Graces and Park Avenue Summer.
-
-
Lots of fun
- By Robin on 05-01-23
By: Renée Rosen
-
Another Woman's Husband
- A Novel
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Laura Aikman
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1911: When 15-year-old Mary Kirk meets Wallis Warfield at summer camp, she’s immediately captivated by her fearless, brazen, and self-assured personality. Though Mary’s family isn’t crazy about Wallis, Mary stands by her side - even years later when rumors swirl about Wallis and her reckless behavior with the Prince of Wales. But when Mary’s loyalty to Wallis comes into question, their friendship will be put to the test. 1997: After a romantic proposal in Paris, Rachel and her fiancé Alex are in a cab when the car ahead crashes.
-
-
Binge worthy
- By Amanda Pelaez LCSW on 12-24-19
By: Gill Paul
-
The Royal Windsor Secret
- A Novel
- By: Christine Wells
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon
- Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Cleo Davenport has heard the whispers: the murmured conversations that end abruptly the second she walks into a room. Told she was an orphan, she knows the rumor—that her father is none other than the Prince of Wales, heir to the British throne. And at her childhood home at Cairo’s Shepheard’s Hotel, where royals, rulers, and the wealthy live, they even called her “The Princess.” But her life is turned upside down when she turns seventeen. Sent to London under the chaperonage of her very proper aunt, she’s told it’s time to learn manners and make her debut.
-
-
Slow start- a wonderful journey in the end
- By Sailormommy on 01-06-24
By: Christine Wells
-
The Lost Daughter
- A Novel
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Helen Duff
- Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1918: Pretty, vivacious Grand Duchess Maria Romanov, the 19-year-old daughter of the fallen Tsar Nicholas II, lives with her family in suffocating isolation, a far cry from their once-glittering royal household. Her days are a combination of endless boredom and paralyzing fear; her only respite are clandestine flirtations with a few of the guards imprisoning the family - never realizing her innocent actions could mean the difference between life and death.
-
-
Slow....Very Slow....
- By D. Fields on 04-10-20
By: Gill Paul
-
The Roaring Days of Zora Lily
- By: Noelle Salazar
- Narrated by: Natalie Duke, Jesse Vilinsky
- Length: 13 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
2023, The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History: A costume conservator is preparing an exhibition featuring movie costumes from the 1920s to present day. As she gingerly places a gown once worn by Greta Garbo on a mannequin, she discovers another name hidden beneath the designer's label, leaving her to wonder—who is Zora Lily?
-
-
great listen
- By thejessa on 12-30-23
By: Noelle Salazar
-
An American Beauty
- By: Shana Abe
- Narrated by: Gail Shalan
- Length: 11 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1867, Richmond, Virginia: Though she wears the same low-cut purple gown that is the uniform of all the girls who work at Worsham's gambling parlor, Arabella stands apart. It's not merely her statuesque beauty and practiced charm. Even at seventeen, Arabella possesses an unyielding grit, and a resolve to escape her background of struggle and poverty. Collis Huntington, railroad baron and self-made multimillionaire, is drawn to Arabella from their first meeting. Collis is married and 30 years her senior, yet they are well-matched in temperament, and flirtation rapidly escalates into an affair.
-
-
Loved everything about it
- By Leigh H. on 07-10-23
By: Shana Abe
-
The Tiffany Girls
- A Novel
- By: Shelley Noble
- Narrated by: Caroline Hewitt
- Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Louis Comfort Tiffany, famous for his stained-glass windows, is planning a unique installation at the Paris World’s Fair, the largest in history. At their fifth-floor studio on Fourth Avenue, the artists of the Women’s Division of the Tiffany Glass Company are already working longer shifts to finish the pieces that Tiffany hopes will prove that he is the world’s finest artist in glass. Known as the “Tiffany Girls,” these women are responsible for much of the design and construction of Tiffany’s extraordinary glassworks, but none receive credit.
-
-
So good
- By John on 07-02-23
By: Shelley Noble
-
The Spectacular
- A Novel
- By: Fiona Davis
- Narrated by: Rachel L. Jacobs, Kimberly Farr
- Length: 12 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion Brooks knows she should be happy. Her high school sweetheart is about to propose and sweep her off to the life everyone has always expected they’d have together: a quiet house in the suburbs, Marion staying home to raise their future children. But instead, Marion finds herself feeling trapped. So when she comes across an opportunity to audition for the famous Radio City Rockettes—the glamorous precision-dancing troupe—she jumps at the chance to exchange her predictable future for the dazzling life of a performer.
-
-
Entertaining
- By Maryellen H on 06-15-23
By: Fiona Davis
-
A Dress of Violet Taffeta
- By: Tessa Arlen
- Narrated by: Hannah Curtis
- Length: 13 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lucy Duff Gordon knows she is talented. She sees color, light, and texture in ways few people can begin to imagine. But is the male dominated world of haute couture, who would use her art for their own gain, ready for her? When she is deserted by her wealthy husband, Lucy is left penniless with an aging mother and her five-year-old daughter to support. Desperate to survive, Lucy turns to her one true talent to make a living. A
-
-
love the narrator
- By Bird Miller on 09-22-22
By: Tessa Arlen
-
The Glovemaker's Daughter
- By: Shari J. Ryan
- Narrated by: Henry Nott, Hannah Genesius
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paris, 1943. German soldiers drag me out onto the cobbled street and push me toward the waiting truck. I force myself to face forward as tears stream down my cheeks. If I look back, they’ll know. I can’t let them find my baby girl....
-
-
Not your typical WWII story
- By Amazon Customer on 08-04-24
By: Shari J. Ryan
-
The Moon in the Mango Tree
- By: Pamela Binnings Ewen
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Evans
- Length: 14 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It is a dazzling decade, and Barbara Bond is a beautiful young singer torn between her fierce desire for independence and her deep, abiding love for her husband, a brilliant doctor. She has trained for years to sing grand opera, but soon after her marriage to Harvey Perkins, she learns that he has accepted an assignment as a medical missionary in the country of Siam. Suddenly Barbara is forced into the duty of a “good wife"—to support her husband’s career, not her own. As resentment slowly grows, she travels with Harvey first to the jungles of Siam, then to the capital city of Bangkok.
-
The Grand Design
- A Novel of Dorothy Draper
- By: Joy Callaway
- Narrated by: Gina Carlson
- Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Dorothy Draper has one last chance to prove she chose the right course for her life. With the restoration of The Greenbrier resort at her fingertips, Dorothy aspires to give new life to a place that’s sentimental to her, and to bring a new spark to interior design.
-
-
The Greenbriar
- By Amazon Customer on 07-10-22
By: Joy Callaway
-
Mrs. Winchester's Biographer
- By: Deanna Lynn Sletten
- Narrated by: Jennifer Groberg
- Length: 9 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Morgan Connors is helping her mother go through her recently deceased grandmother’s possessions when she comes upon an old manuscript. The title states it is Sarah Winchester’s autobiography. Morgan works as an acquisition editor at a publisher in San Francisco and knows that no such book has ever been published. When her mother explains that Morgan’s great-great-grandmother, Olivia Collins, once worked for Mrs. Winchester, she’s intrigued. Who was Olivia Collins, and why did she have a manuscript of Sarah Winchester’s life story?
-
-
Reads like a Jr. High biography.
- By Willaim B Wright on 07-05-24
Related to this topic
-
The Royal Correspondent
- A Novel
- By: Alexandra Joel
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The author of The Paris Model captures the glamour, style, excitement, and romance of a bygone era in this sumptuous novel - set in the Sydney and London of the 1960s - about an up-and-coming young Australian reporter with a deadly secret.
-
-
Story engaging. Narrator not so much.
- By Anne M. Kelley on 09-15-22
By: Alexandra Joel
-
Three Words for Goodbye
- A Novel
- By: Hazel Gaynor
- Narrated by: Heather Webb, Suzanne Toren, Ann Marie Gideon, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York, 1937: When estranged sisters Clara and Madeleine Sommers learn their grandmother is dying, they agree to fulfill her last wish: to travel across Europe - together. They are to deliver three letters, in which Violet will say good-bye to those she hasn’t seen since traveling to Europe 40 years earlier. Clara, ever-dutiful, sees the trip as an inconvenient detour before her wedding to millionaire Charles Hancock, but it’s also a chance to embrace her love of art. Budding journalist Madeleine relishes the opportunity to develop her ambitions....
-
-
Listened to the whole thing because I wanted to know how the authors handled the ending
- By Beth♥️Amazon on 08-04-21
By: Hazel Gaynor
-
Youngblood Hawke
- By: Herman Wouk
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 41 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Arthur Youngblood Hawke, an ex-Navy man moves from rural Kentucky to New York to assault the citadel of New York publishing with his first novel, an oversized manuscript that becomes an instant success. Toasted by critics and swept along on a tide of popularity, he gives himself over to the lush life that gilds artistic success. Love comes with an affair with an older married woman and an unfulfilled flame with his editor, while wealth pours in with the publication of his second novel, and participation in real-estate developments.
-
-
More than a good yarn
- By Arken on 10-24-18
By: Herman Wouk
-
Murder on the Golden Arrow
- Kitty Worthington Mysteries Series, Book 1
- By: Magda Alexander
- Narrated by: Kim Bretton
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England. 1923. After a year away at finishing school where she learned etiquette, deportment, and the difference between a fish fork and a salad one, Kitty Worthington is eager to return home. But minutes after she and her brother Ned board the Golden Arrow, the unthinkable happens. A woman with a mysterious connection to her brother is poisoned, and the murderer can only be someone aboard the train. When Scotland Yard hones on Ned as the main suspect, Kitty sets out to investigate.
-
-
Cozy mystery
- By Patricia V. on 06-26-23
By: Magda Alexander
-
The Love Note
- By: Tracy Rees
- Narrated by: Jasmine Blackborow
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perfect for fans of The Keeper of Lost Things and The Villa in Italy. Blue lives a charmed life. From her family's townhouse in Richmond, she lives a life of luxury and couldn't want for anything - well, on the surface at least. Then, on the night of her 21st birthday, her father makes a startling toast: he will give his daughter's hand to whichever man can capture her heart best in the form of a love letter. But Blue has other ideas, and, unwilling to play at her father's bewildering games, she sets out on her own path to find her own destiny....
-
-
The Love Note❣️
- By Leslie Gail Mnich on 10-25-20
By: Tracy Rees
-
The Godmothers
- A Novel
- By: Camille Aubray
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan, Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meet the Godmothers: Filomena is a clever and resourceful war refugee with a childhood secret, who comes to America to wed Mario, the family's favored son. Amie, a beautiful and dreamy French girl from upstate New York, escapes an abusive husband after falling in love with Johnny, the oldest of the brothers. Lucy, a tough-as-nails Irish nurse, ran away from a strict girls' home and marries Frankie, the sensuous middle son. And the glamorous Petrina, the family's only daughter, graduates with honors from Barnard College despite a past trauma that nearly caused a family scandal.
-
-
Easy Enjoyable Read
- By Bunny on 06-23-21
By: Camille Aubray
-
The Royal Correspondent
- A Novel
- By: Alexandra Joel
- Narrated by: Caroline Lee
- Length: 14 hrs and 12 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The author of The Paris Model captures the glamour, style, excitement, and romance of a bygone era in this sumptuous novel - set in the Sydney and London of the 1960s - about an up-and-coming young Australian reporter with a deadly secret.
-
-
Story engaging. Narrator not so much.
- By Anne M. Kelley on 09-15-22
By: Alexandra Joel
-
Three Words for Goodbye
- A Novel
- By: Hazel Gaynor
- Narrated by: Heather Webb, Suzanne Toren, Ann Marie Gideon, and others
- Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York, 1937: When estranged sisters Clara and Madeleine Sommers learn their grandmother is dying, they agree to fulfill her last wish: to travel across Europe - together. They are to deliver three letters, in which Violet will say good-bye to those she hasn’t seen since traveling to Europe 40 years earlier. Clara, ever-dutiful, sees the trip as an inconvenient detour before her wedding to millionaire Charles Hancock, but it’s also a chance to embrace her love of art. Budding journalist Madeleine relishes the opportunity to develop her ambitions....
-
-
Listened to the whole thing because I wanted to know how the authors handled the ending
- By Beth♥️Amazon on 08-04-21
By: Hazel Gaynor
-
Youngblood Hawke
- By: Herman Wouk
- Narrated by: Nick Sullivan
- Length: 41 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Arthur Youngblood Hawke, an ex-Navy man moves from rural Kentucky to New York to assault the citadel of New York publishing with his first novel, an oversized manuscript that becomes an instant success. Toasted by critics and swept along on a tide of popularity, he gives himself over to the lush life that gilds artistic success. Love comes with an affair with an older married woman and an unfulfilled flame with his editor, while wealth pours in with the publication of his second novel, and participation in real-estate developments.
-
-
More than a good yarn
- By Arken on 10-24-18
By: Herman Wouk
-
Murder on the Golden Arrow
- Kitty Worthington Mysteries Series, Book 1
- By: Magda Alexander
- Narrated by: Kim Bretton
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
England. 1923. After a year away at finishing school where she learned etiquette, deportment, and the difference between a fish fork and a salad one, Kitty Worthington is eager to return home. But minutes after she and her brother Ned board the Golden Arrow, the unthinkable happens. A woman with a mysterious connection to her brother is poisoned, and the murderer can only be someone aboard the train. When Scotland Yard hones on Ned as the main suspect, Kitty sets out to investigate.
-
-
Cozy mystery
- By Patricia V. on 06-26-23
By: Magda Alexander
-
The Love Note
- By: Tracy Rees
- Narrated by: Jasmine Blackborow
- Length: 14 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Perfect for fans of The Keeper of Lost Things and The Villa in Italy. Blue lives a charmed life. From her family's townhouse in Richmond, she lives a life of luxury and couldn't want for anything - well, on the surface at least. Then, on the night of her 21st birthday, her father makes a startling toast: he will give his daughter's hand to whichever man can capture her heart best in the form of a love letter. But Blue has other ideas, and, unwilling to play at her father's bewildering games, she sets out on her own path to find her own destiny....
-
-
The Love Note❣️
- By Leslie Gail Mnich on 10-25-20
By: Tracy Rees
-
The Godmothers
- A Novel
- By: Camille Aubray
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan, Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 13 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Meet the Godmothers: Filomena is a clever and resourceful war refugee with a childhood secret, who comes to America to wed Mario, the family's favored son. Amie, a beautiful and dreamy French girl from upstate New York, escapes an abusive husband after falling in love with Johnny, the oldest of the brothers. Lucy, a tough-as-nails Irish nurse, ran away from a strict girls' home and marries Frankie, the sensuous middle son. And the glamorous Petrina, the family's only daughter, graduates with honors from Barnard College despite a past trauma that nearly caused a family scandal.
-
-
Easy Enjoyable Read
- By Bunny on 06-23-21
By: Camille Aubray
-
City of Girls
- A Novel
- By: Elizabeth Gilbert
- Narrated by: Blair Brown
- Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Beloved author Elizabeth Gilbert returns to fiction with a unique love story set in the New York City theater world during the 1940s. Told from the perspective of an older woman as she looks back on her youth with both pleasure and regret (but mostly pleasure), City of Girls explores themes of female sexuality and promiscuity, as well as the idiosyncrasies of true love. In 1940, nineteen-year-old Vivian Morris has just been kicked out of Vassar College, owing to her lackluster freshman-year performance.
-
-
A strong story
- By Anita Kristensen on 06-08-19
-
The Personal Librarian
- By: Marie Benedict, Victoria Christopher Murray
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture in New York City society and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps create a world-class collection.
-
-
A Treat For This Academic Librarian!
- By AlTonya on 07-14-21
By: Marie Benedict, and others
-
Between Two Thorns
- The Split Worlds Series, Book 1
- By: Emma Newman
- Narrated by: Emma Newman
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The new season is starting and the Master of Ceremonies is missing. Max, an Arbiter of the Split Worlds Treaty, is assigned with the task of finding him - with no one to help but a dislocated soul and a mad sorcerer. There is a witness, but his memories have been bound by magical chains only the enemy can break. A rebellious woman trying to escape her family may prove to be the ally Max needs. But can she be trusted? And why does she want to give up eternal youth and the life of privilege she’s been born into?
-
-
I hate writing Bad reviews but.....
- By Joseph Reeves on 04-26-17
By: Emma Newman
-
House of Trelawney
- By: Hannah Rothschild
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 13 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The seat of the Trelawney family for over 700 years, Trelawney Castle was once the jewel of the Cornish coast. Each successive Earl spent with abandon, turning the house and grounds into a sprawling, extravagant palimpsest of wings, turrets, and follies. But as the centuries passed the Earls of Trelawney, their ambition dulled by generations of pampered living, failed to develop other skills.
-
-
Really fun read
- By Ruthi on 04-12-20
-
The Inheritance
- A Novel
- By: JoAnn Ross
- Narrated by: Ann Marie Gideon
- Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When conflict photographer Jackson Swann dies, he leaves behind a conflict of his own making when his three daughters, each born to a different mother, discover that they’re now responsible for the family’s Oregon vineyard - and for a family they didn’t ask for.
-
-
Great story a few little quirks
- By Dawn Starostka on 09-15-21
By: JoAnn Ross
-
Burr
- A Novel (Narratives of Empire, Book 1)
- By: Gore Vidal
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 21 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Here is an extraordinary portrait of one of the most complicated - and misunderstood - figures among the Founding Fathers. In 1804, while serving as vice president, Aaron Burr fought a duel with his political nemesis, Alexander Hamilton, and killed him. In 1807, he was arrested, tried, and acquitted of treason. In 1833, Burr is newly married, an aging statesman considered a monster by many. But he is determined to tell his own story, and he chooses to confide in a young New York City journalist. Burr is the first novel in Gore Vidal's Narratives of Empire series.
-
-
Finally! Vidal's Great Take on the Life of Burr
- By John Norton on 06-12-19
By: Gore Vidal
-
My Mrs. Brown
- A Novel
- By: William Norwich
- Narrated by: Angela Brazil
- Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the grand dame of Ashville passes away, Mrs. Brown is called upon to inventory her estate and comes across a dress that changes everything. This isn't a Cinderella confection; it's a simple yet exquisitely tailored Oscar de la Renta sheath and jacket - a suit that, Mrs. Brown realizes with startling clarity, will say everything she has ever wished to convey. She must have it. And so Mrs. Brown begins her odyssey to purchase the dress.
-
-
Sweet story
- By Pam Hewitt on 05-01-20
By: William Norwich
-
The Last Tiara
- By: M.J. Rose
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 12 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sophia Moon had always been reticent about her life in Russia, and when she dies, suspiciously, on a wintry New York evening, Isobelle despairs that her mother's secrets have died with her. But while renovating the apartment they shared, Isobelle discovers something among her mother's effects - a stunning silver tiara, stripped of its jewels.
-
-
absolutely beautiful!
- By Nita on 12-20-22
By: M.J. Rose
-
The Secret Life of Sunflowers
- By: Marta Molnar, Dana Marton
- Narrated by: Kendra Murray
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Hollywood auctioneer Emsley Wilson finds her famous grandmother's diary while cleaning out her New York brownstone, the pages are full of surprises. The first surprise is, the diary isn't her grandmother's. It belongs to Johanna Bonger, Vincent van Gogh's sister-in-law.
-
-
Nothing like a expected…
- By LOVETOQUILT on 05-06-23
By: Marta Molnar, and others
-
The Razor's Edge
- By: W. Somerset Maugham
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Great War changed everything and everyone, and Larry Darrell is no exception. Though his physical wounds from the war heal, his spirit is changed almost beyond recognition. He leaves his betrothed, the beautiful and devoted Isabel; studies philosophy and religion in Paris; lives as a monk, and witnesses the exotic hardships of Spanish life. All of life that he can find - from an Indian Ashrama to labor in a coal mine - becomes Larry's spiritual experiment as he spurns the comfort and privilege of the Roaring 20s.
-
-
An Classic of Love and the Desire for Meaning
- By Eric on 01-06-17
-
The Marriage Bureau
- The True Story of How Two Matchmakers Arranged Love in Wartime London
- By: Penrose Halson
- Narrated by: Jane Copland
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the spring of 1939, with the Second World War looming, two determined 24-year-olds, Heather Jenner and Mary Oliver, decided to open a marriage bureau. They found a tiny office on London's Bond Street and set about the delicate business of matchmaking. Drawing on the bureau's extensive archives, Penrose Halson - who many years later found herself the proprietor of the bureau - tells their story and the stories of their clients.
-
-
Splendid!
- By Nadia on 06-27-20
By: Penrose Halson
-
Devoted to the Duke
- The St. Clairs, Book 1
- By: Alexa Aston, Dragonblade Publishing
- Narrated by: Price Waldman
- Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
After returning to London from his Grand Tour, serious-minded Jeremy St. Clair, the Marquess of Sather, attends a ball and meets a luminescent beauty who draws him out of his shell. They share a searing kiss - her first - and though he never planned to wed, Jeremy desires to make this young woman his. But his life takes an unexpected turn when he leaves her that night.
-
-
EXCELLANT NARRATION!!
- By Edwina "I Love books" on 11-09-19
By: Alexa Aston, and others
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Manhattan Girls
- A Novel of Dorothy Parker and Her Friends
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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, and determined to launch a new magazine she calls The New Yorker. Winifred Lenihan: beautiful and talented Broadway actress, a casting-couch target. And Peggy Leech: magazine assistant by day, brilliant novelist by night.
-
-
Boring and contrived
- By Haydenseesme on 09-05-22
By: Gill Paul
-
Jackie and Maria
- A Novel of Jackie Kennedy & Maria Callas
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jackie Kennedy is beautiful, sophisticated, and contemplating leaving her ambitious young senator husband. When she's offered a holiday on the luxurious yacht owned by billionaire Ari Onassis, she says yes...to a meeting that will ultimately change her life. Maria Callas is at the height of her operatic career and widely considered to be the finest soprano in the world. And then she's introduced to Aristotle Onassis, the world's richest man and her fellow Greek. Little by little, Maria's and Jackie's lives began to overlap, until everything they know about the world changes on a dime.
-
-
Appendix not recorded 😔
- By tahoe23 on 08-21-20
By: Gill Paul
-
Another Woman's Husband
- A Novel
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Laura Aikman
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1911: When 15-year-old Mary Kirk meets Wallis Warfield at summer camp, she’s immediately captivated by her fearless, brazen, and self-assured personality. Though Mary’s family isn’t crazy about Wallis, Mary stands by her side - even years later when rumors swirl about Wallis and her reckless behavior with the Prince of Wales. But when Mary’s loyalty to Wallis comes into question, their friendship will be put to the test. 1997: After a romantic proposal in Paris, Rachel and her fiancé Alex are in a cab when the car ahead crashes.
-
-
Binge worthy
- By Amanda Pelaez LCSW on 12-24-19
By: Gill Paul
-
The Secret Wife
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Laura Kirman, Thomas Judd
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The stories of two very different women, linked by the secrets and lies of history, merge together as past and present weave together in this stunning story of love, loss and resilience. 2016. Kitty, fleeing from a devastating revelation in her own life, finds herself at her great-grandfather's cabin in Lake Akanabee. There she discovers a gorgeous necklace, which leads her uncover to long-buried family secret. 1914. Tatiana, Grand Princess of Russia, falls in love with Dmitri, a Russian solider, as she nurses him back to health.
-
-
An unexpected jewel with refreshing perspectives
- By Amazon Customer on 12-17-16
By: Gill Paul
-
The Woman Before Wallis
- A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, and Royal Scandal
- By: Bryn Turnbull
- Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the summer of 1925, Thelma Morgan arrives at the Paris Ritz still stinging from the heartache and humiliation of her failed marriage. Her twin sister, Gloria, newly and blissfully wedded to Reginald Vanderbilt and with a baby in tow, has invited her to spend the summer - and though romance is the last thing on Thelma’s mind, she can’t deny that Reggie’s friend Duke Furness is as charming and dapper as he is keen to win her affection.
-
-
Beautifully Written
- By Amazon Customer on 11-29-20
By: Bryn Turnbull
-
Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1938, and a young woman selling face cream out of a New York City beauty parlor is determined to prove she can have it all. Her name is Estée Lauder, and she’s about to take the world by storm, in this dazzling new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Social Graces and Park Avenue Summer.
-
-
Lots of fun
- By Robin on 05-01-23
By: Renée Rosen
-
The Manhattan Girls
- A Novel of Dorothy Parker and Her Friends
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 10 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
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, and determined to launch a new magazine she calls The New Yorker. Winifred Lenihan: beautiful and talented Broadway actress, a casting-couch target. And Peggy Leech: magazine assistant by day, brilliant novelist by night.
-
-
Boring and contrived
- By Haydenseesme on 09-05-22
By: Gill Paul
-
Jackie and Maria
- A Novel of Jackie Kennedy & Maria Callas
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 12 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jackie Kennedy is beautiful, sophisticated, and contemplating leaving her ambitious young senator husband. When she's offered a holiday on the luxurious yacht owned by billionaire Ari Onassis, she says yes...to a meeting that will ultimately change her life. Maria Callas is at the height of her operatic career and widely considered to be the finest soprano in the world. And then she's introduced to Aristotle Onassis, the world's richest man and her fellow Greek. Little by little, Maria's and Jackie's lives began to overlap, until everything they know about the world changes on a dime.
-
-
Appendix not recorded 😔
- By tahoe23 on 08-21-20
By: Gill Paul
-
Another Woman's Husband
- A Novel
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Laura Aikman
- Length: 13 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1911: When 15-year-old Mary Kirk meets Wallis Warfield at summer camp, she’s immediately captivated by her fearless, brazen, and self-assured personality. Though Mary’s family isn’t crazy about Wallis, Mary stands by her side - even years later when rumors swirl about Wallis and her reckless behavior with the Prince of Wales. But when Mary’s loyalty to Wallis comes into question, their friendship will be put to the test. 1997: After a romantic proposal in Paris, Rachel and her fiancé Alex are in a cab when the car ahead crashes.
-
-
Binge worthy
- By Amanda Pelaez LCSW on 12-24-19
By: Gill Paul
-
The Secret Wife
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Laura Kirman, Thomas Judd
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The stories of two very different women, linked by the secrets and lies of history, merge together as past and present weave together in this stunning story of love, loss and resilience. 2016. Kitty, fleeing from a devastating revelation in her own life, finds herself at her great-grandfather's cabin in Lake Akanabee. There she discovers a gorgeous necklace, which leads her uncover to long-buried family secret. 1914. Tatiana, Grand Princess of Russia, falls in love with Dmitri, a Russian solider, as she nurses him back to health.
-
-
An unexpected jewel with refreshing perspectives
- By Amazon Customer on 12-17-16
By: Gill Paul
-
The Woman Before Wallis
- A Novel of Windsors, Vanderbilts, and Royal Scandal
- By: Bryn Turnbull
- Narrated by: Mary Jane Wells
- Length: 11 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the summer of 1925, Thelma Morgan arrives at the Paris Ritz still stinging from the heartache and humiliation of her failed marriage. Her twin sister, Gloria, newly and blissfully wedded to Reginald Vanderbilt and with a baby in tow, has invited her to spend the summer - and though romance is the last thing on Thelma’s mind, she can’t deny that Reggie’s friend Duke Furness is as charming and dapper as he is keen to win her affection.
-
-
Beautifully Written
- By Amazon Customer on 11-29-20
By: Bryn Turnbull
-
Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber
- Length: 12 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
It’s 1938, and a young woman selling face cream out of a New York City beauty parlor is determined to prove she can have it all. Her name is Estée Lauder, and she’s about to take the world by storm, in this dazzling new novel from the USA Today bestselling author of The Social Graces and Park Avenue Summer.
-
-
Lots of fun
- By Robin on 05-01-23
By: Renée Rosen
-
The Queen's Secret
- A Novel of England's World War II Queen
- By: Karen Harper
- Narrated by: Bianca Amato
- Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this riveting novel of royal secrets and intrigue, Karen Harper lifts the veil on one of the world’s most fascinating families and how its “secret weapon” of a matriarch maneuvered her way through one of the most dangerous chapters of the century.
-
-
It doesn’t deserve a review.
- By Kevin Graves on 02-05-21
By: Karen Harper
-
White Collar Girl
- A Novel
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Lauren Ezzo
- Length: 12 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There’s a story out there buried in the muck, and Jordan Walsh, coming from a family of esteemed reporters, wants to be the one to dig it up. But it’s 1955, and the men who dominate the city room of the Chicago Tribune have no interest in making room for a female cub reporter. Instead Jordan is relegated to society news, reporting on Marilyn Monroe sightings at the Pump Room and interviewing secretaries for the White Collar Girl column. Of course, that all changes the moment she establishes a secret source inside Mayor Daley’s office.
-
-
Couldn’t listen for more than 3 chapters.
- By Gigi k on 02-22-22
By: Renée Rosen
-
The Socialite
- A Novel of World War II
- By: J'nell Ciesielski
- Narrated by: Daisy Parsons
- Length: 11 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the daughter of Sir Alfred Whitford, Kat has a certain set of responsibilities. Chasing her wayward sister, Ellie, to Nazi-occupied Paris was never supposed to be one of them. Now accustomed to the luxurious lifestyle that her Nazi boyfriend provides, Ellie has no intention of going back to the shackled life their parents dictate - but Kat will stop at nothing to bring her sister home.
-
-
Good
- By Laura on 05-13-21
-
The Collector's Daughter
- A Novel of the Discovery of Tutankhamun's Tomb
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Imogen Church
- Length: 11 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Lady Evelyn Herbert was the daughter of the Earl of Carnarvon, brought up in stunning Highclere Castle. Popular and pretty, she seemed destined for a prestigious marriage, but she had other ideas. Instead, she left behind the world of society balls and chaperones to travel to the Egyptian desert, where she hoped to become a lady archaeologist, working alongside her father and Howard Carter in the hunt for an undisturbed tomb.
-
-
Great read!
- By Peddoc on 11-25-21
By: Gill Paul
-
The Lost Daughter
- A Novel
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Helen Duff
- Length: 14 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1918: Pretty, vivacious Grand Duchess Maria Romanov, the 19-year-old daughter of the fallen Tsar Nicholas II, lives with her family in suffocating isolation, a far cry from their once-glittering royal household. Her days are a combination of endless boredom and paralyzing fear; her only respite are clandestine flirtations with a few of the guards imprisoning the family - never realizing her innocent actions could mean the difference between life and death.
-
-
Slow....Very Slow....
- By D. Fields on 04-10-20
By: Gill Paul
-
The Social Graces
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Hillary Huber, Saskia Maarleveld
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1876. In the glittering world of Manhattan's upper crust, women are valued by their pedigree, dowry, and, most importantly, connections. They have few rights and even less independence - what they do have is society. The more celebrated the hostess, the more powerful the woman. And none is more powerful than Caroline Astor - the Mrs. Astor.
-
-
Disappointing Effort
- By HistoryNerd on 05-11-21
By: Renée Rosen
-
Dollface
- A Novel of the Roaring Twenties
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Rebekkah Ross
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Vera Abramowitz is determined to leave her gritty childhood behind and live a more exciting life, one that her mother never dreamed of. Bobbing her hair and showing her knees, the lipsticked beauty dazzles. As the ultimate flapper, Vera captures the attention of two high rollers, a handsome nightclub owner and a sexy gambler. On their arms, she gains entrée into a world filled with bootleg bourbon, wailing jazz, and money to burn. She thinks her biggest problem is choosing between them until the truth comes out. Her two lovers are really mobsters from rival gangs....
-
-
Unsympathetic characters
- By Bruno Roger on 09-11-21
By: Renée Rosen
-
Scandalous Women
- A Novel of Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann
- By: Gill Paul
- Narrated by: Lisa Flanagan
- Length: 10 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
1966, NYC: Jacqueline Susann’s Valley of the Dolls hits the bookstores and she is desperate for a bestseller. It’s steamy, it’s a page-turner, but will it make the big money she needs? In London, Jackie Collins’s racy The World Is Full of Married Men launches her career. But neither author is prepared for the price they will pay for being women who dare to write about sex. Jacqueline and Jackie are lambasted by the literary establishment, deluged with hate mail, and even condemned by feminists. In public, both women shoulder the outcry with dignity; in private, they are crumbling.
-
-
Perfection
- By sarah stephens on 09-19-24
By: Gill Paul
-
The Widows of Champagne
- By: Renee Ryan
- Narrated by: Karen Peakes
- Length: 11 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Champagne, 1939. Gabrielle Leblanc Dupree is taking her family's future into her hands. While she should be preparing for a lavish party to celebrate two centuries of champagne making, she secretly hides Chateau Fouché-Leblanc's most precious vintages behind a fake wall in the cellar in preparation for the looming war. But when she joins the resistance, the coveted champagne isn't the most dangerous secret her cellar must conceal.
-
-
Good but a bit religious
- By Far North on 03-31-23
By: Renee Ryan
-
What the Lady Wants
- A Novel of Marshall Field and the Gilded Age
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Kirsten Potter
- Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In late 19th-century Chicago, visionary retail tycoon Marshall Field made his fortune wooing women customers with his famous motto, "Give the lady what she wants." His legendary charm also won the heart of socialite Delia Spencer and led to an infamous love affair.
-
-
Wasn’t expecting that!
- By Meghan Jones on 12-19-17
By: Renée Rosen
-
Park Avenue Summer
- By: Renée Rosen
- Narrated by: Kathe Mazur, Renée Rosen
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
New York City is filled with opportunities for single girls like Alice Weiss, who leaves her small Midwestern town to chase her big-city dreams and unexpectedly lands a job working for the first female editor in chief of Cosmopolitan magazine, Helen Gurley Brown. For Alice, who wants to be a photographer, it seems like the perfect foot in the door, but nothing could have prepared her for the world she enters.
-
-
It’s Beach Read Season
- By Boots on 05-23-19
By: Renée Rosen
-
Diva
- A Novel
- By: Daisy Goodwin
- Narrated by: Lorelei King
- Length: 11 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the glittering and ruthlessly competitive world of opera, Maria Callas was known simply as la divina: the divine one. With her glorious voice, instinctive flair for the dramatic and striking beauty, she was the toast of the grandest opera houses in the world. But her fame was hard won: raised in Nazi-occupied Greece by a mother who mercilessly exploited her golden voice, she learned early in life to protect herself from those who would use her for their own ends.
-
-
How I love a Great Diva!
- By Lianne Bremer on 04-01-24
By: Daisy Goodwin
What listeners say about A Beautiful Rival
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Bianca Sabrkhani
- 08-13-24
Enjoyable Book Misses Crucial Historical Moment
When I read the description of this book, I saw the timeline and the subjects it covered and was very excited because many WWII-era books discuss 'Victory Red' lipstick, which I assumed would be part of this story since Elizabeth Arden developed it. While the book was very good, I was disappointed to reach the end of the war and realize that such a significant aspect of that timeline was skipped over completely, with only a passing mention of a military contract.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Jane Scibilia
- 10-13-24
Easy listening read
Loved the plot and the way the story moved. It is a plausible take on reality.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Barbara A
- 11-22-23
Loved it
I never knew about the story. Absolutely incredible. Well written and well performed. I especially appreciated the epilogue and appreciated that the author explained which parts she took liberty with and which parts were true. Well done.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Laura Stokes
- 07-14-24
I saw it as a Broadway show
Loved the narrative. Loved the story. Legendary women. Easy listen. Very good narration. Listened to it all in one weekend.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Linda E. Wilson
- 04-27-24
Couldn’t stop listening
This is the first book I listened to by Gill Paul. I loved it and zipped through it, listening every chance I got. It’s a fascinating story, entertaining, with deep character portrayals. I enjoyed learning about these two fashion icons.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amanda
- 08-10-24
Strong Women
I had absolutely no idea that there was such a fierce rivalry between Elizabeth Arden and Helen Rubinstein in the early 1900s. These two women, each of them being titans of industry in the cosmetic world, were strong, independent, smart, and sadly lonely and untrusting. They lived in a time when women were still expected to marry, manage a home, and raise children. They each faced hardship, failed marriages, and deceit from their supposed friends and family. Despite all of the shared success and hardships and the fact that they had so much in common, they likely never met on friendly terms, and each spent decades of their lives trying to outwit the other. The story is told from each woman's point of view in alternating chapters. I really enjoyed the story and will look through other books by this author. The history was well researched, and from what I've found by reading a little on my own, it is very accurate with a few liberties from the author on private conversations and thoughts/emotions, of course.
The narrator did a good job and made this one a pleasant listen.
Mild spoiler warning:
There is a chapter near the end of the book that describes a very sad scene involving animals. There are descriptions of injury and suffering that I had to skip past. I imagine while I read, and those are images that will never leave my mind, so I wanted to give fair warning to anyone else with a soft heart for animals. If you, like me, want to skip this chapter, you'll know it because Elizabeth Arden gets a call in the middle of the night about a fire. Just go ahead and ove to the next chapter.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Lila
- 06-10-24
Very interesting fictionalized history of two famous beauty icons
The narrator is extremely talented. She can do various accents and differentiate between numerous characters. Perfect diction, pacing, inflections.
The novel was a times a bit wearing due to the very lengthy entity between the two main characters over decades. But it was always interesting and included many Scenes in which the lives and the businesses evolved and developed over many years.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Amazon Customer
- 07-06-24
Not even if it were free
This was terrible, couldn’t even finish. Such unrefined utter nonsense. Two strong intelligent women who rose up in a man’s world, made an iconic name for themselves and created an industry in which they dominated and the author wrote pure petty crap of a storyline for both. No depth of character…..she stole my ribbon, well she stole my crayon first nonsense. All I can say is not only do I want my money back, I want my time back too!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
2 people found this helpful