THE ""IT"" GIRLS: Lucy, Lady Duff Gordon, the Couturiere ""Lucile,"" and Elinor Glyn, Romantic Novelist

by Meredith & Jeremy Pilcher Etherington-Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 30, 1987

The story of two sisters, both products of Edwardian England, who shocked, titillated and amused their contemporaries. One became a designer, the other a writer. They had verve, nerve and style and, unlucky in love, became very successful women who lived lavishly, seemed to be everywhere and know everyone. Clare Bow became the ""It"" gift because of an Elinor Glyn book of the same name. Details about the lives of the two are voluminous enough to fill a library. What they themselves neglected to record, friends, lovers and others supplied in letters, memoirs and such. The two were beauties, but with the strength and imagination to carve interesting careers in a time when women were consigned to home and hearth. They dallied with interesting men, yet married unwisely, but in Elinor's case this did not prevent her from grand affairs, especially one with Lord Curzon. The escapades and accomplishments of the two sisters provide scads of lively material. The authors' careful research and sensitive prose give considerable insight into the class/caste life of the rich and famous. The mores and peccadillos of the sisters and their crowd have a fascination that far exceed the true stature of the protagonists. A treat for aficionados of the period and its players.

Pub Date: April 30, 1987

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1987

Categories: NONFICTION