It is 1875 and the young adventure seeking Sutherland sisters
are at it again. Elinor and Lucy are hiding under a
dressing table in the ladies room at Government House on the
Isle of Jersey. They are waiting for their idol, actress
Lily Langtry, scheduled to arrive any minute. They have cut
out peepholes using scissors so that when Ms. Langtry
appears to primp, they will have a good look at this beauty.
Hailed as "The Jersey Lily," Ms. Langtry, is lovely, has
been painted by many artists, and reported to be dallying
with the Prince of Wales. She did, however, marry Mr.
Langtry "because he owned a yacht." When Lily spies the
young girls they come out from under the table. Ms.
Langtry laughingly shakes their hands, telling them they are
very clever. Then with the glass of champagne she was
holding, she toasted them hoping they would leave Jersey and
wishing them wonderful future endeavors Their pasts would
meet again but many years later.
The Sutherland girls had dreams and were always ahead of their
time. In that era, it was still a man's world. They longed
to be independent both financially and personally. When
Lucile began to design and create her beautiful gowns, each
with a personalized name, she changed the world of fashion.
She introduced her goddesses, now referred to as models who
"strut the runway." After a bad first marriage she found love
with a Scot, Cosmo Duff-Gordon, who I adored. He helped
her with the financial woes of her first Lucile Salon and
she continued to open shops and design beautiful dresses and
even sexy underwear as Lucile Ltd. Cosmo traveled with her
when possible but returned to Scotland, which he loved, and
oversaw his vast properties there. They married and had a
long, but bumpy time together.
Elinor has one dream. To write, be published, and become
famous. She has a serious love affair with Dr. Morell
Mackenzie, a brilliant doctor. He dies of a heart attack.
She meets Clayton Glen, a country squire, owner of estates,
and breeder of Jersey cows. He, however, loves to travel the
world and leaves his properties to be managed. He courts
Elinor and promises to take her to all the faraway places
she dreams about. He drinks too much, is unfaithful to her
and their marriage becomes a sham. Her books became popular
and risque. She continues and is invited to Hollywood to
work on a screenplay. There she meets Hollywood Royalty,
including Charlie Chaplin and Rudolph Valentino. In a
glamorous and glitzy setting, Elinor makes tons of money and
her books become movies.
Karen Harper is a sterling storyteller and historical
fiction is my favorite genre. Well researched, she
captures the locales in Jersey, London, Paris, New York,
Hollywood, and Scotland. These amazing sisters, competitive,
complex but always determined become the IT GIRLS. They
always live up to their pledge to each other "onward and
Upward" and in the end they become friends. An enjoyable
read filled with facts, trivia, adventure and love. Bravo,
Ms. Harper, I am a fan!
From New York Times bestselling author Karen Harper comes
a novel based on the lives of two amazing sisters . . .
One sailed the Titanic and started a fashion empire . . .
The other overtook Hollywood and scandalized the world .
. .
Together, they were unstoppable.
They rose from genteel poverty, two beautiful sisters,
ambitious, witty, seductive. Elinor and Lucy Sutherland
are at once each other’s fiercest supporters and most
vicious critics.
Lucy transformed herself into Lucile, the daring fashion
designer who revolutionized the industry with her
flirtatious gowns and brazen self-promotion. And when she
married Sir Cosmo Duff-Gordon her life seemed to be a
fairy tale. But success came at many costs—to her
marriage and to her children . . . and then came the
fateful night of April 14, 1912 and the scandal that
followed.
Elinor’s novels titillate readers, and it’s even asked in
polite drawing rooms if you would like to “sin with
Elinor Glyn?” Her work pushes the boundaries of what’s
acceptable; her foray into the glittering new world of
Hollywood turns her into a world-wide phenomenon. But
although she writes of passion, the true love she longs
for eludes her.
But despite quarrels and misunderstandings, distance and
destiny, there is no bond stronger than that of the two
sisters—confidants, friends, rivals and the two “It
Girls” of their day.
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