The Royal Correspondent
£8.70£9.50 (-8%)
From the bestselling author of The Paris Model comes another breathtaking story of glamour, romance and espionage.
Success would depend on taking a dangerous risk.
When Blaise Hill, a feisty young journalist from one of Sydney’s toughest neighbourhoods, is dispatched to London at the dawn of the swinging sixties to report on Princess Margaret’s controversial marriage to an unconventional photographer, she is drawn into an elite realm of glamour and intrigue.
As the nation faces an explosive upheaval, Blaise must grapple with a series of shocking scandals at the pinnacle of British society. Yet, haunted by a threat from her past and torn between two very different men, who can she trust in a world of hidden motives and shifting alliances? If she makes the wrong choice, she will lose everything.
Inspired by real events, The Royal Correspondent is a compelling story of love and betrayal, family secrets and conspiracy that takes you from the gritty life of a daily newspaper to the opulent splendour of Buckingham Palace.
Praise for The Royal Correspondent:
‘Combines romance, a splash of espionage and lots of glamour, inspired by real events’ Australian Women’s Weekly
‘It will sweep you up with its winning combination of historical facts and fabulous fiction’ Herald Sun
‘Vividly brings the swinging ’60s to life’ Who Weekly
‘This engaging read has it all – glamour, intrigue, gossip, espionage, romance and fashion … it’s a gripping read with well-drawn characters … a well woven tale set on the cusp of changing times’ Weekly Times
‘A fabulous story, with an extremely compelling protagonist at its heart … Joel has hit her stride here’ Better Reading
‘A world of glamour, intrigue and scandal’ Woman’s Day
‘Engaging characters and a well-paced story line brimming with social history, romance, and mystery will captivate readers across genres’ Booklist
‘An engrossing story [which] will keep readers turning the pages’ Publishers Weekly
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Additional information
| Publisher | HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd (25 May 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 400 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 146075817X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1460758175 |
| Dimensions | 13 x 2.5 x 20 cm |
by karenk is reading
Set during the late 1950’s to early 60’s The Royal Correspondent is a captivating story of one woman’s determination to succeed in her chosen career and to become a notable reporter covering serious issues and not being content with being relegated to the Women’s pages. The protagonist, ambitious young Australian Blaise Hill, through sheer hard graft, hauls herself up from an impoverished background in Sydney to become a Royal correspondent on a London newspaper, but in doing so encounters sexism, prejudice and more.
Set against the background of challenging world events such as the Cold War, the building of the Berlin Wall and other political and royal scandals of the time, not to mention the fashion revolution bought about by designers such as Mary Quant, the story is a fabulous commentary of the times combining fact and fiction with evocative and majestic settings and well drawn characters.
Blaise was a brilliant creation. she was spirited and independent and although initially rather gullible by falling for tricks played by her male colleagues at the newspaper, she soon learnt to fight back and earn respect. As the dedicated Royal journalist, traditions and protocols were one of the vexing issues she had to navigate upon her arrival, not to mention missing her family back in Australia.
There are many famous characters playing a part in the story, including renowned society photographer Cecil Beaton with his gossipy tales and Christine Keeler, whose part in the Profumo scandal also gets a mention. There is so much to enjoy with this story; the struggles of Blaise to succeed in a male dominated environment, royal and political scandal, espionage, murder, secrets and blackmail. The story also ventures into the darker side of relationships with Blaise not knowing who to trust. On a lighter side, the fashions and glamour of haute couture, invitations to Royal events all combined with the evocative setting of London in the 60s. There is also the heartwarming female friendships formed and the heartache of romance.
Separated into three sections, Commoner, Courtier and Queen and told in the third person, The Royal Correspondent is superbly written and a pleasure to read. Blaise was an extraordinary and engaging character, not perfect – her flaws and questionable judgement result in tension and drama, but she was someone I could root for throughout the book. There is an enlightening section at the back where the author’s note describes her family background in newspaper publishing and information about the real life events of the time and why certain real life characters and events were included in the story. The description of the paper’s Births, Deaths and Marriages section, referred to internally as Hatches, Matches and Despatches made me smile.
Authentic, intriguing and such an enjoyable read. I loved The Royal Correspondent and have no hesitation in recommending.
by karenk is reading
This was the perfect book to curl up with recently as many of us were enjoying the extra bank holiday weekend in the UK for the Royal Coronation.
Blaise is a fantastic character, who battles to be taken seriously in a man’s world of journalism in Australia in the late 1950’s. This leads to her travelling to London to report on the marriage of the Queen’s sister, Princess Margaret at the start of the 1960’s.
I loved how the story looked at how different life was for young women during this era, both in Australia and England. Alexandra Joel brings the era to life, from the fashions to social expectations. In addition to the Royal Wedding, other historical events feature in the story, which features secrets and intrigue, friendship and romance.
Happy to recommend this well written historical fiction novel and I look forward to reading more from Alexandra Joel in the future.
by BOOK MARK!
5 stars seems too low for this book……loved every page,nay sentence…..for me the title just does not encompass all that is involved…..there is drama,psychological manipulation, romance,humour,sadness,history,family drama just for a start and it is rolled into one magnificent,mesmerising story
We meet Blaise Hill as she sets her sights on becoming a journalist in Sydney and are treated to a fascinating look into Newspapers and Journalism and how women were not entertained in this environment back in the 50’s but how Blaise saw that as a challenge and not a hinderance,really interesting sections on this world that quickly built up a picture of the industry ( in every way )
Then we are royally ???? given an insight into all things majestic as Blaise moves to London with the scandal and news of the day cleverly woven into the story….with all this we are embroiled in a less than perfect love triangle that offers many unexpected turns
I cant write enough to say how I enjoyed this book,literally everything about it was perfect and I eagerly went to look up the authors previous book,its simply a wonderful,all encompassing book with a fabulous authors notes and acknowledgements at the end,my only disappointment was when the book had finished….
11/10
5 plus stars