Zelda's Cut

by Philippa Gregory

Delicious combination of confused identities, personal dramas and moral dilemmas in a contemporary chiller from one of our most outstanding novelists. For years, Isobel Latimer has composed serious novels for serious people, but to dwindling acclaim and ever-more dwindling gain. Now her husband is ill and she must carry their financial burden alone, and in secret. But if the public don't want careful moral fables any longer, why not provide an outrageous tale of sex and satanism, and an author to match? The incomparable, uncontrollable Zelda de Vere is born. What began with the best of intentions snowballs into a disorienting blur of passion, gender-bending, loss of innocence, to betrayal and beyond. Isobel Latimer might feel she's on the brink of losing everything, but what would Zelda do?

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Novels

432 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

About the author

DR PHILIPPA GREGORY studied history at the University of Sussex and was awarded a PhD by the University of Edinburgh where she is a Regent and was made Alumna of the Year in 2009. She holds an honorary degree from Teesside University, and is a fellow of the Universities of Sussex and Cardiff. Philippa is a member of the Society of Authors and in 2016, was presented with the Outstanding Contribution to Historical Fiction Award by the Historical Writers’ Association. In 2018, she was awarded an Honorary Platinum Award by Neilsen for achieving significant lifetime sales across her entire book output. In 2021, she was awarded a CBE for services to literature and to her charity Gardens for the Gambia. and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.

She welcomes visitors to her site www.PhilippaGregory.com.

Philippa's Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/PhilippaGregoryOfficial

Reviews

[Samantha Symes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well. I am not really sure how to start. As anyone (and I am pretty sure that is no one) who reads my reviews knows, I dont really write a review as much as a commentary about my thoughts of the book.

I usually and unashamedly love Philippa Gregory's books. This book is not her usual historical fiction, but I knew that when I started reading.

I have never ever hated characters as much as I hated them in this book. I hated Isobel, I hated Philip, I hated Murray and I hated Troy. I did not like Mrs M and I guess I hated Zelda too. So if that was Philippa's objective, it worked for me. Hmm - negative Nelly over here.

I found Isobel pathetic. She was disapointing in many ways, but it was her pompous nature that really bugged me. For someone who would have others believe she was the epitome of moral fibre, her lack of back bone was exceptional and also her lack of faithfulness left me bitter everytime she snapped at someone or felt self righteous - which was all the time. The woman needs a slice of humble pie, and a spine.

Philip. What can I say? The man is a self important pot of urine. Selfish, Childish, and at the end of the day a snipey, whiney, demanding goober.

Troy, Mrs M and Murray are all along for the ride and I dont like them either.

The book kept me interested enough to move forward, and I did feel something. Just Disapointment that the characters were so easy for me to hate. So, overall I think the book was good - it sure as shit kept me reading, if only because I wanted the characters to fail.

[Viktoriya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Whoa....This was one the most bizarre books I've read in a while. The double identity, secret life, mysterious illness that seems to just disappear overnight, fraud that can be seen from miles away...and the ending that makes you say "WTF!?!?!". There is so much going on here...To be honest the idea of literally shedding your own life and be someone else for a while seemed very appealing to me. And I really liked the way Philippa Gregory made the transformation of Isobel into Zelda. Then enters Troy, the weird one. Not sure it was really necessary to make him that way (sorry, trying to be vague here) The book is full of sexual desire, tension, unfilled promises, and yet it's not filled with erotica to the point of being nauseous. A big plus here. I had problems picturing all characters as Brits. For some reasons they were very non-British to me (aside from drinking tea once in a while). And I don't even know how to describe the last 10 or so chapters. Talking about crashing end...Whoa...

[Phoebe · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointed. Picked it up with an open mind knowing it would be very different from the historical novels Philippa Gregory is known for. I skimmed numerous paragraphs and only finished it through sheer determination. The premise is good but execution is dismal. It needs a good edit and could be cut back by a third. The interesting story is interspersed with descriptive passages and semi-erotica/porn which really adds nothing to the story and is quite unbelievable. For example, repetitive detailed descriptions of putting on Zelda's make up is boring. I can see that the author may have been intending to get the reader into Zelda's character but it became tedious. I cannot iterate enough that it was a struggle to get through this book. The characters were quite well drawn and rounded out and their day to day interactions realistic. However, the overall story was not well executed.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very hard to believe that the author of this went on to write The Other Boleyn Girl. It's a rather bizarre story, with a good premise - struggling literary author comes up with a glamorous alter ego to write a trashy best-seller. It's then complicated by cross-dressing, implausible naïveté by both main characters, irritating repetitions - how many times does she have to refer to baked beans as a metaphor for books? - and a weird ending.
Like the other PG books, it's easy to read and engrossing enough that you want to find out what happens even if you're not actually enjoying the story or characters. I felt Isobel deserved everything she got, she should have been honest all along, instead of constantly worrying about what everyone thought of her and treating her husband like a child, then being surprised when he acts like one.
Not sure I'd exactly recommend it, but I don't regret reading it.

[Mohammed omran · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hated this book. I read it a while back, but the plot is ridiculous (basically an author who writes smutty books but she's really an academic, so when she's doing publicity for the stupid books, she wears a disguise, and then her manager just puts on the disguise and pretends to be her and pulls it off). Then it swerves rather ridiculously into untoward sexual behavior. This book was awful on so many levels, perhaps primarily because Ms Gregory is capable of amazing books. This seems like she just wanted to change it up so she went all avant-garde wacky, but the result is horrid. Please, Phillipa, NEVER, EVER do this to me again. If only I could un-read it in my mind...

[Kristen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was full of the inconsistencies, redundancies, and cliques that Isobel so blatantly despises and then exploits for huge sums of money. I couldn't help but feel that PG was making fun of the reader for buying this crap. As another reader commented, it is as though she was trying to show that she could write nonsense and still make money.

[Lana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not really horrible, but I feel a little dirty from having read it.

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this - It certainly kept me captivated. I love that Philippa Gregory wrote a novel set in the late 90's, and I got to appreciate her style in another form. Neat that her main character is an author, and I thought a lot about her own interests in writing for style, versus for "the masses". The main character has to think about who she is, who she desires to be, and that is both in a literary as well as a life identity sense. Interesting that this book is such a divergence for Philippa herself. I thought a lot about how we all wish to be someone else, to reinvent ourselves. I thought a lot about the theme of spicing up a long term marriage, and what it takes to reinvent yourself both for yourself, and with another. Isobel and Phillip's relationship was interesting, and they both grew to be different people than the other expected. I found the theme of building the pool tremendously interesting and funny. And I admit, my favorite character for sure - Murray the pool guy. In the last chapters of the book, I grew to find him so interesting, though I never believed he was sincere from the beginning. Although maybe a part of him wanted to be. The ending kind of just threw me, and was completely unexpected. But it kind of fit. I think I ended up liking the twist. No other ending really would have worked. Go Philipaa, Go Zelda!

Next Book - well I'm on vacation with one book left, and its the first book in the new Boleyn trilogy, the Boleyn KIng, by Laura Anderson. I thought it would fit in with my re-read of all of the Phillipa Gregory Books (plus others of the period) in order. But I don't know how I feel about a made up/invented Tudor/Boleyn history that never existed. If Philippa herself reads these reviews, I would want to tell her this. I have read and loved (now) every one of your books, and I was riveted by the miniseries. You have really done these historical figures justice and done it with depth, compassion, and imagination. Its what we call "mid rash", and you do it beautifully - like no other. YOu should be proud. I am indeed a fan.

At home, at the library awaits the new Amy Tan book, Valley of Amazement, and What Alice Forgot, as I now need to go on a liane Moriaty kick - since I so recently adored the Hypnotists Love Story. I have on long order, And the Mountains Echoed. When I get home,. I also plan to take a closer look at the bookshelves of two of my new followers, and readjust my list. I cannot believe I have followers. I finds that I love it. Making friends around the globe who share my passion for books and writing. Its a little scary. I am a psychologist, and I don't love the idea of my patients figuring out I have been writing book reviews. But if that should happen, hey, I suppose its grist for the mill. I don't have a FaceBook page, and have been able to avoid that inevitability so far. But this forum, I seem to like. I won't do FaceBook until my oldest child does. But I do text now. So that's an improvement.

When I get home, I will restart or relaunch my Impromptu Book Club, fix my profile, and announce my presence on Shelfari to that local book network. And if that remains barely hobbling, hey, I always have you guys in my corner, or on my bookshelf. Can't wait to hear what you're reading now and next. Best, and Happy 2014 - Amy

[Martina]

Man, what a piece of....I loved "the other boleyn girl," so I bought this along with some other historical novels by Gregory, but this one really sucks...I tried very hard to get to like it, but it just got worse and worse...especially as it is about a good author trying to write crap..uff. I feel totally made fun of by Gregory, did she try to prove to herself and to her readers that she could write utter nonsense and still make money? Blech...

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a strange book, actually. Not your typical page turner yet I couldn't put it down. And a completely unexpected ending.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

”Man is not who he thinks he is, he is what he hides"

Setting:Weald of Kent and London, England; 2000

Coverly Love?:No; it took me the longest time to figure out what this cover represented (a woman underwater), and it’s not all that aesthetically pleasing to me. Besides, you all know how I feel about extreme close-ups of people (creeps me out).

Plot:As a writer, Isobel Latimer has always been interested in expressing human emotions and the struggle of the average, middle class worker in England. Unfortunately, that’s not what the general public wants to be reading right now, and her books sales have been decreasing steadily over the decade. To make matters even worse, her husband is being plagued with a mysterious illness that doesn’t seem to be letting up, and as the sole breadwinner of the family, Isobel is finding herself in over her head, since she hasn’t let her husband know about their financial troubles because of his illness. That all changes when her literary agent Troy Cartwright proposes an idea to her; why not write novels under a pen name to bring extra money? Not the deep-thinking literary novels she usually writes; the soapy, sudsy masochistic dramas everyone and their mother seem to be reading. The kinds of novels she and her husband usually abhor and avoid at all costs. Her new pen name identity must be kept absolutely secret to everyone but herself and her agent. Thus, Zelda Vere is born. She’s everything that Isobel’s not, with no restrictions and rules to apply herself too. But soon, this new identity will take on a sinister form and the lines between fantasy and reality will begin to blur right up until the explosive ending.

When I was a kid growing up in the Jurassic Age (because little kids think 20 is REALLY OLD), I was always known as the quiet, shy one. Ask anybody; my classmates, teachers, friends, co-workers, neighbors, the dog next door, you name it. Me and the words “quiet” seemed to be best pals. I was so quiet, in fact, that my 4th grade teacher called a conference with my parents to discuss this. They looked at him like he was a complete, utter idiot. Why, you may ask?

Because at home, I talk all the time. Me and the words “BE quiet” are best friends in this instance.

They told him that. And he didn’t believe them.

What I’m trying to say is, we all have different personalities for different people. You don’t act the same way around your significant other the same way you do around your boss (at least, I hope not). This book shows what can happen when a person can take their alternate personalities too far, and how lies and deception can change a person so wholeheartedly, you don’t know who they are anymore. I for sure thought I would hate this book, because of all the bad reviews abound. I thought this was going to be one long-ass review of me complaining about the book and how campy and bad it was. And yet, I find myself sitting here, saying that I liked it. Was the plot ridiculous? Absolutely? But was it engrossing? Yes.

Characters:Isobel Latimer is a prominent and well-respected English author of what I call “deep fiction”; where the literary prose flows off the pages and the characters are deep, emotional thinkers. Unfortunately for her, these books are getting pretty hard to sell. Isobel is clearly portrayed as a woman near the edge of her rope, clinging on to the last hope that some major mega-book deal will come along and save her and her husband from financial ruin. She’s worn down, tired, exhausted and almost desperate. She doesn’t understand why the general public doesn’t take a more considerable interest in her carefully crafted characters, and instead read the poorly written, overdramatic books she considers garbage. She also has to deal with her sick husband, whom she alternately loves and doesn’t love. I felt sorry for her since she has to deal with so much crap, but I also found her to be very weak-willed and indecisive. I mean, for cripes sake, just tell your husband that there are financial problems and that you can’t afford any more luxuries right now. She was also so dependent on everyone else; it was like she couldn’t make up her mind up about anything without asking for assistance from someone. She also constantly tried to please people, which is one of the reasons she invents her pen name/alternate identity. And that would be…

Zelda Vere. Zelda is a wild, reckless woman who doesn’t give a whit what anyone thinks or does. If Isobel Latimer is Mother Teresa, Zelda Vere would be Marilyn Monroe. She’s the one that writes the soapy, ludicrous romance novels some women cringe at. Sexually promiscuous, off the cuff and brash, she does the sort of things that Isobel Latimer would never even dream of doing, such as snorting cocaine, spending unheard of amounts of money on clothes, and engaging in some (ahem) kinky acts of sex (more on that later). Zelda sounded like she could be someone from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and I didn’t find myself becoming particularly attached to her. She was just kind of there.

Philip Latimer is Isobel’s sick husband with only one goal in mind: he wants a swimming pool. That’s all he wants in life, and gosh darn it if he’s going to get it. He’s the reason Isobel has to take the alternate identity in the first place, and he has no freaking clue that they’re near broke. In the beginning I really disliked the guy; I thought he was an arrogant ass. As the novel progressed, I still never really liked him, but his arrogance was replaced by gullibility. He was so entirely clueless and obsessed with that pool it was unbelievable.

Troy Lannister is Isobel’s agent and close friend. He’s handsome, charming and supportive to her in the beginning. He’s the one that suggests the pseudonym so she can write bestsellers. But as he becomes more engrossed in this new personality,

Pros:If what the author wrote about the life of an author (a full-time author) is true, than I certainly have a newfound respect for them. Your book could win all the awards in the world, but if the people aren’t buying them (and your royalties aren’t getting paid), then you’re screwed. I would hate to be constantly living on the edge like that, not knowing if your next book will be a success, whether the sales are good enough so your publishers won’t drop you, etc. Unless you happen to get insanely lucky and have your first book deal sell for a cool $2 million dollars.

I also liked this book because it was such a departure from what this author normally writes. I knew from past books that she likes her book plots to lean towards the crazy side, but this is a whole new side of crazy. Like insanely crazy. So crazy that after you read it, you’ll put down this book and ask yourself, “What the actual hell did I just read?” And yet… I liked it??!!


Cons:Unfortunately, the problem with a book being this crazy is that occasionally, it veers toward being more on the campy side. Zelda could border on being a ridiculous caricature than an actual person. Another nagging complaint I had about this is the stupidity of the two main characters, Isobel and Philip. The whole “other” alternate author personality wouldn’t even have been needed if Isobel had been completely honest with her husband. These two also had a weird and bad habit of not being able to sniff out a scam when it’s right before their eyes. More so Philip in this case, since I couldn’t see Isobel’s from a mile off even if I tried. But my God those two could be so stupid!!!

The switch between Zelda and Isobel could be especially confusing. All of the sudden, the author will be referring to Isobel as Zelda without any warning. It gets even worse when she refers to Troy as Zelda when he’s dressing up, or when he’s pretending.

Love Triangle?:Yes; Philip vs. Isobel vs. Troy.

Instalove?:Nope!

A Little Romance?:Oh boy, here’s where the book gets really complicated. Isobel and Philip are happily married before he falls ill. And while they still do love each other, the excitement and passion that were once there have now suddenly disappeared.

Isobel/Zelda soon starts an affair with Troy to try and fill the void, and it works… or so she thinks. The thing is, most of their (cough) sexual encounters revolve around her as Zelda and Troy dressing up…

AS ZELDA.

Yes, you heard me right. Troy is a cross-dressing transvestite. Not that there’s a problem with that or anything. It just made the book even campier than it already was. Truth be told, I didn’t know what to make of it. It was just weird.

Conclusion:WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ENDING?!! It was just about the most ridiculous thing I ever heard of in my life. Troy, transforming into Zelda (actually TRANSFORMING into her), and that was the real reason he suggested the personality of Zelda Vere to Isobel).He gets the sex reassignment surgery and everything. I was floored. Absolutely floored.. I honestly didn’t know if it was just plain ridiculous or secretly genius, but I couldn’t see it from a mile coming.

This book isn’t wonderful by any means of the imagination. It’s such a massive departure from the historical fiction Philippa Gregory is known for writing, it’s crazy. But if you’re looking for something campy, soapy, sudsy, and what not, I would recommend checking this book out. If anything, it might provide you with a good laugh, and I dare you not to keep your jaw open for the final 50 pages.

[Synn Kol · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated every character in this book. No one is perfect and all, but every single character is utterly despicable. AND WHY WAS HAS NO ONE MENTIONED THE TRANS/ GENDERFLUID BI CHARACTER?!?! That feels really important to mention SOMEWHERE!

[Tracey Madeley · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I misread the title as Zelda’s cat and spent most the novel wondering where the cat came into it. I imagine the long suffering wife and clueless husband will resonate with a lot of people, but I’m not sure she conveys the emotion of the hardship and the stress of the situation effectively. We are given the structure and the hardship of the situation, but I’m not sure about the personal emotion. There is the desperation in writing the new book, the conflict of popular and literary fiction and the fantasy of living out a new character, but essentially these are plot based.

In the character of Zelda particularly I was struck by the repetitive nature of the text. Every time we meet Zelda we have to have a description of the clothes, make up, how she dresses. In one sense that is all Zelda is, a character Isobel puts on, but for the reader it becomes a little tedious and draws the story out.

The idea of her publisher discovering a taste for women’s clothes is possible, but is somewhat of a side issue and is not fully developed. It may have been better just to leave this issue out altogether and simply have him absconding with the money.

Isobel’s relationship with the pool man is very strange and strained. They say very little to each other and the strained fascination is a little creepy. This makes the ending all the more bizarre. I understand her leaving, but not her destination.

There are a lot of issues in this book, perhaps too many and undoubtedly it is the repetitive nature of the prose that lets this book down badly.

[Yahya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zelda’s Cut is a gripping and unpredictable read that keeps you hooked until the very last page. However, I found some parts of the story long and annoying.. as there were just there to keep the story long.

The way she crafts her plots is truly unique, and this novel is no exception.. The transformation of Isobel, a sophisticated and cultured novelist, into Zelda, the beautiful yet seemingly shallow fictional author, is both fascinating and brilliantly executed.

One of the standout moments in the novel is Zelda’s interview on broadcast media, particularly when she is questioned about romance, sex and censorship in media and literature. These scenes add depth to the narrative.

Additionally, the book offers some thought-provoking commentary on society nowadays..
"Not even your own death is exciting enough any more, unless it gets on the telly. Everyone wants to have a bit of drama in their lives, everyone wants a share in melodrama. Everybody wants their own experiences reflected back at them, enlarged, airbrushed, properly lit. Nobody wants to be ordinary any more."

This passage resonates deeply, encapsulating the modern obsession with spectacle and validation.

[Laurie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think Zelda's Cut has been published in the U.S. It is definitely unlike any of Phillipa Gregory's other books. For example, it is set in modern times rather than the Elizabethan Age, etc.

In the beginning, the story was a bit of a cliche. The depressed housewife/author decides, with the help of her agent, to transform herself into a glamorous celebrity author, a la Jackie Collins. But after that, the story gets a little less fluffy and at some points becomes fairly kinky. It was fascinating to see the author caught between two different worlds, two different lifestyles, two different writing techniques and two different men. Eventually, it becomes a story about liberation from expectations.

Definitely unlike any other story I've read, but I would still opt for the Wideacre series or The Other Boleyn Girl if you want to read Phillipa Gregory at her best.

[Darci · Rating 1 out of 5]

Hated this book. I read it a while back, but the plot is ridiculous (basically an author who writes smutty books but she's really an academic, so when she's doing publicity for the stupid books, she wears a disguise, and then her manager just puts on the disguise and pretends to be her and pulls it off). Then it swerves rather ridiculously into untoward sexual behavior. This book was awful on so many levels, perhaps primarily because Ms Gregory is capable of amazing books. This seems like she just wanted to change it up so she went all avant-garde wacky, but the result is horrid. Please, Phillipa, NEVER, EVER do this to me again. If only I could un-read it in my mind...

[Heidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was mostly familiar with Philippa Gregory's Historical Fiction novels, so I was surprised to see this modern day age tale from her. It was a quick read, with real and not always likable characters. A few of the twists I predicted, but nearly skipped the last page which changed the story again... I would have given this 3 stars the day I finished it, but I keep turning over certain elements in my mind and thinking about the characters. I rarely re-read a book, but this one I might - or not... hmmmm...

[Nadia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turning read which kept this book greedily in my hands most of the day! This is the first contemporary fiction I've read by Philippa and it was sensational in all the right ways. Fascinating storyline combined with a Woman's reevaluation of her life and what her needs and desires truly are. Another juicy read for the lazy, hazy days of summer!

[Arto Mutka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprising and captivating. First Phillipa Gregory novel I have read that is a modern novel rather than her trademark historical fiction. A very original tale of a middle aged author on a very surreal journey of discovery. Lots of twists and turns including another one right on the last page!

[Mrs S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immersive

Philippa Gregory takes and holds her reader to the point where you almost become the main character and at the end of the book you feel... did that happen to me or someone else? Again a twist but like haute cuisine...so satisfying.

[Axel Forrester · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was incredibly interesting to me as an aspiring writer. There are some telling facts surrounding the context of this tale. Philippa Gregory keeps her historical romance writing (much later writing in her career) decidedly separate from this earlier work. Both on wiki and on publisher websites this novel is never mentioned and from the reviews of her historical fans here one can see why-they hate it. This distancing from what she wrote earlier is an interesting indicator of a conflict about identity and truth (or maybe just good marketing practice) shown to great effect in this novel. We don't know what made PG decide to abandon contemporary fiction for historical. In my ever hopeful imagination, I want to assume it was for genuine reasons stemming from her interests in historical fiction. Whatever her reasons, she clearly has more money and a larger following as a result of this choice. One can't ignore the similar choices present in this novel.

Zelda's Cut is about a novelist who values the literary respect she feels she has earned. She becomes convinced, however, that the market leaves her no alternative but to write in a genre she has little respect for, one which she feels can earn her much more money than contemporary literary fiction. While I detect some personal identification with this character on the part of PG, I also sense she wants to make fun of this character and she writes about her hunger for literary recognition with some irony. The character may not respect the genre she is about to write for but she depends on that genre to save her life–personally, professionally and financially and she somehow has an agent who helps with this plan because of self interest on more than just a financial level. The financial realities of the numbers of literary novel sales vs sales in genres like historical romance give the conflict of the story some grounding. But PG also shows us the neurotic side of the book industry–the publicity machine powered by the public's ever increasing demand to know "the truth" in fiction and to cater to fans who want to be close to authors by having their personal lives revealed on a huge scale. This layering of the idea of the truth in fiction and fiction in truth is quite disorienting but also quite convincing as a strange reality in publishing today.

I have to admire the skill with which PG got me to turn pages, how she gets us "hooked" into investing our interest in these daring attempts to "cross dress" into another identity. While I found it hard to believe anyone would take her agent in a wig for the main character, what felt very believable was the attempt to pass off one kind author for another. Some of the double talk on the talk shows was brilliant.

PG, like many other authors, is quite capable of crossing the fiction categories defined by publishers, agents, booksellers and promoters. She has proved it. She can appeal to very different audiences. Those boundaries really act primarily as convenient ways to help readers find what we think we are looking for. Authors cross these categories all the time. As Ursula Le Guin has said "there is much literature in genre and genre in literature." But this novel points to the financial investment of agents, publishers and television producers in keeping creative artists producing the same product consistently. It works for widgets, but it doesn't work for authors who must continue to genuinely be themselves as they explore what it means to write fiction, who must improve their writing by taking risks. I think that is the message of the novel, at least what I took away from it. There is real danger in trying to be someone you are not in order to please others. Self discovery as a writer takes time and one has to take risks to get there. I'm glad PG didn't use a different name when she decided to write her most accomplished and mature work, her historical fiction. It taught me that a good writer can grow and change and find herself in her writing, in what she does best through time and experience, not in a wig with a dodgy agent.

I don't know PG's intent or her path as a writer. This is all just what I think about the book and purely my own speculation, but I'm glad she wrote it. It helped me see how important it is to search for one's identity as a writer and to keep finding ways to develop that identity with genuine stretching and growing regardless of commercial boundaries.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quite frankly, I think Philippa Gregory is taking the piss out of her readers in this book.

In interviews, she's shown little respect for genre or romance authors or readers, despite being one herself, and having won a romance award for The Other Boleyn Girl in 2002 (which is listed on her website).

“Choosing to write a genre novel is like fencing the universe because you are afraid of space,” said Gregory, loftily. “Why does anyone write lazy, sloppy genre novels? The typing alone is so exhausting — surely if you’re going to undertake 150,000 words, you might as well have something interesting to say?” https://www.theguardian.com/books/boo...

Zelda's Cut contains the punctuation issues mentioned in the book. Irony, surely, but. . .exactly how stupid does she consider her readers to be? Troy tells Isobel on p.47 that she needs to remove all of the semi-colons in the book because her readers won't understand them. Zelda's Cut has run on sentences, where there should either be punctuation, such as a semi-colon, or a conjunction, in pretty much every paragraph. It's painful to read if you have a respect for correct English. And this is simply one of a multitude of rude and disrespectful comments in the novel about readers, regional journalists, unfulfilled married women, domestic help, literary agents. . .who doesn't she slam?

But, as a couple of reviewers have mentioned before me, I kept reading because the story was fascinating. The characters were uniformly unlikeable and patently not 'real' people, and the action not believable in the slightest, but Gregory definitely hooked me and kept me on that hook. I was upset with myself being manipulated like this, but at no time did I consider not finishing the book. Maybe it's like slowing down to see an accident. . .or why so many people watch reality TV. . .'they can't!' 'no way!' 'oh my god'.

Gregory is obviously talented, but she's not the sort of person I'd want to meet or befriend (and yes, she would reciprocate my sentiments). Conflicted within herself, possibly unaware of what she is doing and offending people who are inclined to like her. . .I think the latest phrase to describe this is 'hot mess'?

[Plum-crazy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isobel, a successful literary author, is in desperate need of money to help support her sick husband. Her agent Troy suggests, to Isobel's horror, that the way to do this is to write a blockbuster of a novel. As Isobel does not want to compromise her literary reputation, Troy suggests a pseudonym...& Zelda is born.

As Isobel takes Zelda public, she discovers a whole new side to her own life , but as time passes Troy also seems to becoming more & more obssessed with Zelda....& it becomes harder to establish which one of them is actually playing the role of Zelda.

As Zelda becomes more prolific, all Isobel wants to do is return to her former life but her home life has changed & her husband has a new interest & a new friend in Murray & it would appear that for Isobel there's no going back.....which all make for quite a gripping read.

There were two words in Chapter 31 that made me think I'd worked out how this story was going to end...but I wasn't quite right & didn't expect the end I got at all. A really good read.

[Cathy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have to say this is one of the worst books I've ever read. For starters, I loathed every single character in the book. I briefly felt sorry for Isobel, the main character and then quickly moved onto impatience and then really wanted to slap her. Her husband was a loathsome, selfish character from the first page he appeared. None of the other characters were much better.

The starting set up for the plot was mildly interesting, but I felt it all went south pretty quickly and there were honestly several pages I couldn't even get through. The ending of the book was absolutely ridiculous. The endless descriptions of putting on make up to become Zelda were painful.

I can't decide if Philippa Gregory was sending up popular trashy romance novels, trying to cash in on them or what. I'll stick to her historical stuff from now on.

I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone. Not even someone I didn't like.

[Felicity Terry · Rating 1 out of 5]

For those of you who haven't read Zelda's Cut ...

In a nutshell, the story, Isobel, a successful (and I quote) literary author, who having discovered her writing is not paying the bills and with an ill husband to care for, is persuaded to write a 'trashy' novel. However, ashamed to have her loyal readers associate 'that kind of novel' with her and unwilling to use a nom de plume, a whole new persona is needed and thus Zelda is born.

What I thought of as badly and lazily written ...

Ridiculous ... To feel that we, as readers, are being asked to suspend belief is one thing BUT to feel that what we are reading is an insult to our intelligence is quite another and I'm so disappointed/hurt/annoyed that I felt certain aspects of the story (I won't say what for fear of a spoiler) were an insult to our intelligence.

Repetitive ... I lost count of the number of times we were, for example, told the order in which the make-up and clothes that transformed Isobel transformed into Zelda were put on; that the applying of lipstick was like a thousand kisses.

Laughable ... Cheesy, cringe worthy, regular visitors to Pen and Paper will know what I mean when I say the more, the more, err, erotic elements were worthy of a 'Bad Sex' award .

Full of weird metaphors ... For some reason many of them involving food; there were the numerous somewhat strange references that saw baked beans used as a metaphor for literature and then there were my 'favourites' ...
'she unfolded like a lap-dancer coming out of a cake';
'heavy-jowled businessmen stared at her as if she was a desert trolley'

Awful Characters ... OK, as we've previously established, I don't have to like a character in order to enjoy them BUT many of them walking-talking cliches/negative stereotypes - the frumpy, needy middle-aged brunette; the beautiful, gracefully moving, sheer silk stocking wearing, tousled haired blonde; the handsome, younger man taking advantage of the said frumpy, middle-aged woman; the pitiful, manipulative ill man who uses his illness in order to get his own way; the lazy carer & con man not beyond taking advantage; - these were characters I, by large, found myself disliking so much that I couldn't enjoy them.

As for those of you who have read it ...

Reading this, this .... drivel, I can't help but think that Ms Gregory has pulled off something of a Zelda herself. Hats off to her, if it was her intention to prove she could write a 'trashy' novel, she certainly succeeded. My apologies if however, she, like Isobel, is feeling trapped by 'the burden of impeccable literary reputation'; that 'everyone wants a cut of her talent, her time or her money.'

Having now read all of the author's books (bar her short stories) to date, I think it safe to say that her historical fiction novels are by far more to my taste. That I finished this book, more a reflection on my being stubborn, on my refusing to give up on a book (no mater how bad I thought it) than my in any way having enjoyed it.

Copyright .... Tracy terry @ Pen and Paper

[Selvameena Dhandapani · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't have much hope for this book. I felt like reading a Philippa Gregory book, as it's been a while, and I wasn't in the mood for something heavy like her historical series. So picked this one from her modern ones.

Reading the synopsis, I brazed myself for the first PG book that I might hate. The first 30% of the book went without a solid storyline to grab onto. But having read so many PG novels, I believed it would all come together at some point, and alas I wasn't wrong.

I just love how flawed PG's characters are, and she doesn't have qualms about cutting open their flaws and neatly display for the readers to revel.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the book. I thought it would be a 3 stars book, but after the first half, it quickly picked up and I was so hooked to it, and the book and the story and unexpected ending pushed it's status to 5 stars!!

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another novel that I picked up during my travels. A very unusual one for Philippa Gregory but I rather enjoyed it. Isobel, an author is in a writing slump, her reviews are not the greatest and the royalties are not great. She and her agent decide to re-invent her and change her writing style completely thus initiating a huge change of events. Is the pool guy swindling her, is her agent swindling her. The first hundred pages rather drags but later on the story really takes off and I could hardly put it down.

[ANNE · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a splendidly horrible book. So cringey were the kinky perverse sex scenes, almost as bad and unlikeable as the characters. Truly an exquisitely bad novel. About halfway through, I thought of about two brilliant ways this book could go. Instead it just limped off to its death, sleeping until it was dead. Totally depressing. Purchased at a used bookstore in Kinsale Ireland and read during a Transatlantic crossing, I am tempted to throw this overboard, but I believe this trash belongs and will be happily at home in the Regal Princess Library with the other trash.

[Claire Bernatas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can’t decide whether this was total trash or a masterpiece!! I’m a great fan of Ms Gregory’s historical novels and this was nothing like. Was she, like the main character, trying to show that she can write a trashy popular novel as well as the good stuff ?
Whilst reading I was thinking what rubbish, not worthy of Philippa Gregory, and yet it was such a page turner ! I had to know what was coming next ! Surely the sign of a “good book “ ?
It’s a good read, a well written, trashy novel !!

[Kerstin · Rating 2 out of 5]

😂 bizarre

The most bizarre book I have read in a long time, perhaps ever.
One star because I finished it in the vain hope the book might improve. Another star because - hey - it's a Philippa Gregory.
Truth is, the book is really awful, don't waste your time on it. Perhaps I am too harsh as this isn't a genre I normally read. To be honest, not sure what genre we are talking about here....pure nonsense....rubbish.... trash.....