Freya

September 1, 2017
In 1950s England, an unconventional young woman develops her reputation as a bold journalist while cherishing--and sometimes forfeiting--a profound female friendship.Prizewinning British novelist Quinn (Curtain Call, 2015, etc.) opens his epic-length saga of Freya Wyley's life on VE-Day, May 1945, in the riotous streets of London as crowds celebrate the end of World War II. Freya, who served in the Women's Royal Naval Services, meets and gets very drunk with unsophisticated Nancy Holdaway, an aspiring writer with a place at Oxford University, like Freya herself. Thus begins a story of female connection, professional ambition, and romantic questing set against a backdrop of England's social and political postwar shifts. At Oxford, Freya mixes with a colorful group--like flamboyant, foppish actor-wannabe Nat Fane and secretive but handsome Alex McAndrew. Later, in London, where Freya and Nancy share an apartment, some of these figures recur and other semirecognizable ones join the circle. Is that Lucian Freud over there? Meanwhile the spy drama and sexual scandals in which Freya finds herself involved cleverly echo the actual headline stories of that era. Quinn's finely detailed portrait of the times creates a rich backdrop for a heroine of debatable qualities: "arrogant, devious, and unprincipled"; "fond of stickin' [her] fork in other people's dinners." But in spite of her vanity and pushiness, Freya is a compelling figure, standing up for her work and opinions and learning, usually from her mistakes, that her relationship with quiet, beautiful, and eventually successful Nancy is the backbone of her life. With its busy plot, its drinking and smoking, its crisp wit and contemporary soundtrack (Peggy Lee, "Winter Weather," etc.), Quinn's novel delivers evocative, high-quality entertainment that may well leave readers hoping for a sequel.

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Starred review from September 25, 2017
The fantastic fourth novel (after Curtain Call) from former Independent film critic Quinn is a testament to women who fought for what they wanted in a time of little personal and professional autonomy. Fresh out of military service, Freya Wyley meets affable Nancy Holdaway during VE Day celebrations on the streets of London. Freya and Nancy, both aspiring writers, form an immediate bond and later attend Oxford, where their friendship is tested by professional and romantic entanglements. The women reunite during the social revolution of 1960s London. Their bohemian lifestyle of parties, sexual exploration, and drug experimentation is juxtaposed with their fight to be taken seriously in a world dominated by men. While Nancy struggles to get a novel published, Freya breaks news and gender barriers as an outspoken journalist who exposes discrimination against homosexuals (as she grapples with her own sexuality). Clever dialogue (Freya, speaking of the wife of an overweight man she disliked: “Let us call her the lesser of two ovals”) wonderfully captures the personalities, strengths, and weaknesses of major and minor characters alike. Fans of Tom Wolfe and Patricia Highsmith will embrace Quinn’s swashbuckling Freya. Agent: Anna Webber, United Agents.

November 1, 2017

Quinn's fourth novel (after Curtain Call) begins with a VE Day celebration in London, where Freya and Nancy become fast friends. Freya is returning to civilian life after serving in the Women's Royal Naval Service. She is a "right good chap," a girl who sleeps around for fun with no strings attached, a sexually liberated woman. Freya is also an angry feminist raging against sexism at work and emotionally withholding at home. The novel focuses on three phases of her life; the Oxford year when she meets Robert, the flatmate years with Nancy, and the reunion in London following Freya's flight to Italy. Freya gets sent down from Oxford after one year for going celebrity chasing in Nuremberg and missing her exams. In London, Freya and Nancy have a circle of friends--artists, writers, and performers--who serve as a backdrop as they reenact the personal and professional dramas of their university year. Things end badly, and Freya moves to Italy, while Nancy takes up with Robert. Robert's romantic triangle with Freya and Nancy plays a defining role in their friendship. VERDICT An obvious choice for readers of women's and historical fiction, this novel is earnest, sincere, and genuine in its love for the difficult Freya, but its depiction of her is also tedious, predictable, and cliched. A sharper character study would have appealed to a larger audience.--Pamela Mann, St. Mary's Coll. Lib., MD

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2017
Indomitable, uncompromising, and tough as nails, Freya is not always easy to like but impossible not to admire. After serving in the British Women's Royal Naval Service during WWII, Freya moves to Oxford, where she quickly finds herself chafing against the restrictions of life as a civilian and a woman. She greets the enthusiastic overtures of friendship from Nancy, a sweet fellow student, with studied superiority, believing her role to be an instructor to the younger woman. But in the coming years it is Freya who will learn from her relationship with Nancy in this psychologically savvy novel. After Freya breaks into journalism by way of a gutsy trip to postwar Nuremberg, she lands in the middle of the London arts scene, while Nancy struggles to get a novel published. The consequences of their rivalries, both professional and romantic, cause Freya to seriously question her actions and her very character. Although the scenes occasionally feel overstuffed, on the whole this is a whip-smart and memorable look at a singular woman.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)