The Chelsea Girls

The bright lights of the theater district,the glamour and danger of 1950s New Yorkand the wild scene at the iconic Chelsea Hotel come together in a dazzling new novel about a twenty-year friendship that will irrevocably change two women’s livesΓÇöfrom the New York Times bestselling author of The Lions of Fifth Avenue. From the dramatic redbrick facade to the sweeping staircase dripping with artthe Chelsea Hotel has long been New York City’s creative oasis for the many artistswritersmusiciansactorsfilmmakersand poets who have called it homeΓÇöa scene playwright Hazel Riley and actress Maxine Mead are determined to use to their advantage. Yet they soon discover that the greatest obstacle to putting up a show on Broadway has nothing to do with their artand everything to do with politics. A Red Scare is sweeping across Americaand Senator Joseph McCarthy has started a witch hunt for communistswith those in the entertainment industry in the crosshairs. As the pressure builds to name namesit is more than Hazel and Maxine’s Broadway dreams that may suffer as they grapple with the terrible consequencesbut also their livelihoodtheir friendshipand even their freedom. Spanning from the 1940s to the 1960sThe Chelsea Girls deftly pulls back the curtain on the desperate political pressures of McCarthyismthe complicated bonds of female friendshipand the siren call of the uninhibited Chelsea Hotel.