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The Revenge
A full-blooded epic of passion, betrayal and revenge
Mimi Quinn's life is forever altered when, at the age of thirteen, she is caught up by the thrill of the music hall and joins Jolly Joe's troupe. Her dark treacle voice soon wins acclaim, just as her friend Betsy Bridges' extraordinary beaity marks her out as a star-to-be. But one night a terrible accident wrecks their ambitions and starts a grim feud which will continue for decades.
On screen, on stage and backstage, the subsequent battles threaten to ruin not only the lives of Mimi and Betsy but also of their families in this gripping story, which explores the difficulties of forgiveness... and the dangers of revenge. And after seventy years of trying to destroy each other, something entirely unexpected happens which might end the feud forever.
- GenresContemporaryFiction
704 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1998
5 people are currently reading
94 people want to read
About the author
Shirley Conran
50 books113 followersShirley Conran is the ex-wife of British designer, restaurateur, retailer and writer Sir Terence Conran. She is the mother of designers Sebastian Conran and Jasper Conran. A bestselling author in her own right whose most memorable books include Lace and Superwoman.
She was educated at the University of Portsmouth. In addition to novel writing, she wrote regularly for The Observer newspaper's women's page and was the first women's editor of The Observer Colour Magazine and women's editor of The Daily Mail newspaper where she launched the weekly women's magazine 'Femail'. She also has great experience as a designer in textiles and as a colour consultant - she had her own paint range. She handled the publicity for the Women in Media Campaign devoted to sex discrimination legislation. She was on the selection committee of the Council of Industrial Design for eight years. She also has been a columnist for Vanity Fair (magazine).
Shirley Conran is well known for having said: "First things first, second things never".
She was successfully treated for skin cancer several years ago.
She has homes in France and London.
She was educated at the University of Portsmouth. In addition to novel writing, she wrote regularly for The Observer newspaper's women's page and was the first women's editor of The Observer Colour Magazine and women's editor of The Daily Mail newspaper where she launched the weekly women's magazine 'Femail'. She also has great experience as a designer in textiles and as a colour consultant - she had her own paint range. She handled the publicity for the Women in Media Campaign devoted to sex discrimination legislation. She was on the selection committee of the Council of Industrial Design for eight years. She also has been a columnist for Vanity Fair (magazine).
Shirley Conran is well known for having said: "First things first, second things never".
She was successfully treated for skin cancer several years ago.
She has homes in France and London.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
September 29, 2022
Read (and even reread) this in the good old days when I actually had patience with teeny font sizes and 700 pages in a paperback. Found my old copy today while implementing some 'shelf-control' and felt nostalgic. Hence this review. :D
Story Synopsis:
I remember loving the story but finding the ending abrupt and disappointing. The proceedings are somewhat predictable, but then again, the book was written in 1999 – judge accordingly.
It must be more than 15 years since I last read this but Mimi and Betsy are still strong in my mind – that’s an indicator of the amazing character development in this book.
Despite the lacklustre climax, definitely recommended if you enjoy:
✔ Historical fiction with LGBTQ rep.
✔ A tale of friendship, betrayal, and revenge.
✔ Strong and well-sketched characters
✔ Interesting depiction of ‘behind-the-scenes’ of vaudeville shows and Hollywood movies in the silent era.
✔ A narrative of how rags-to-riches doesn’t necessarily have a happily-ever-after.
PS: If this book had come on my radar today, I wouldn’t even have cast a second glance at it because of its abysmal GR rating. I wonder how many good books I have thus missed out on, simply because I mostly ignore books with GR ratings of less than 3.8 stars. Oh well! C'est la vie.
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Story Synopsis:
The story of the rivalry between Mimi Quinn (extraordinary voice and stage presence) and Betsy Bridges (extraordinary looks). After an accident tests their friendship, their lives aren’t the same again. This tale begins somewhere in the early 1900s and lasts about 70 years.
I remember loving the story but finding the ending abrupt and disappointing. The proceedings are somewhat predictable, but then again, the book was written in 1999 – judge accordingly.
It must be more than 15 years since I last read this but Mimi and Betsy are still strong in my mind – that’s an indicator of the amazing character development in this book.
Despite the lacklustre climax, definitely recommended if you enjoy:
✔ Historical fiction with LGBTQ rep.
✔ A tale of friendship, betrayal, and revenge.
✔ Strong and well-sketched characters
✔ Interesting depiction of ‘behind-the-scenes’ of vaudeville shows and Hollywood movies in the silent era.
✔ A narrative of how rags-to-riches doesn’t necessarily have a happily-ever-after.
PS: If this book had come on my radar today, I wouldn’t even have cast a second glance at it because of its abysmal GR rating. I wonder how many good books I have thus missed out on, simply because I mostly ignore books with GR ratings of less than 3.8 stars. Oh well! C'est la vie.
———————————————
Connect with me through:
My Blog | The StoryGraph | Facebook | Twitter
October 19, 2013
This starts in the early 1900's with two friends hoping to make the big time in the theatre. There is a fire and one is injured and she blames her friend for her not being caught in the flames. This feud continues through their lives as one reaches the top in England and the other in America.
A light holiday read.
A light holiday read.
December 10, 2009
i realised i was nearly 3/4 of the way through the book before i put it down and gave up on it.
the story of mimi's tough childhood and teen years led into a reasonably interesting read about getting into theatre back in the early 1900's, and after a fire tragedy left her scarred and revenge-ful, the book just seemed to dwindle into nothingness. so i put it down.
i figure by 3/4 the way through the story should be well on it's way uphill to the climax at the end of the story, and if it hasnt excited me by this point... well, i just gave up, see?
after i put it down i re-read the blurb and it said that the story was a portrayal of early theatre and movie star life. if this indeed was such a portrayal, then we should all be glad we are not stars, coz it wouldn't be such an exciting life after all!
the story of mimi's tough childhood and teen years led into a reasonably interesting read about getting into theatre back in the early 1900's, and after a fire tragedy left her scarred and revenge-ful, the book just seemed to dwindle into nothingness. so i put it down.
i figure by 3/4 the way through the story should be well on it's way uphill to the climax at the end of the story, and if it hasnt excited me by this point... well, i just gave up, see?
after i put it down i re-read the blurb and it said that the story was a portrayal of early theatre and movie star life. if this indeed was such a portrayal, then we should all be glad we are not stars, coz it wouldn't be such an exciting life after all!
Read
August 2, 2015A story about actors and two women's friendship that turns sour. Some parts are graphic and refer to incest and rape be warned. In parts it's a bit slow and I lost enthusiasm for the main characters.
March 29, 2014
Predictable fluff
April 25, 2014
Good Story
January 24, 2016
r has read it 2.
August 13, 2025
slow and filled with drama
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews