A Beautiful Rival by Gill Paul

 A Beautiful Rival imagines the story of two incredibly driven women, who achieved extraordinary success given their time and paved the way for a new category of beauty. They were rivals, but at the same time they had so much in common.

NYC, 1915. When we meet Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden, they are already successful, and rivals. Through their stories we get to know the historical background of how they had to convince women that make up was something that they needed, rather than view it as vulgar.

In both cases, they allow us into their personal world, which doesn’t look as strong as what they achieved career and money wise. For Helena, it’s her questionable marriage and suspicion of her husband being unfaithful. For Elizabeth, it’s her giving herself a chance at love and getting married even if it misses that passion she wishes for. Especially, when pre-naps are good option, if marriage fails, he walks away without a penny.

With success come some cravings. For Elizabeth, it’s the invitation of influential women of NYC. Them being her clients is one thing. Them inviting her to their world, that’s another thing. For Helena, it seems to be more personal, having that successful relationship with her husband. She just needs to complete her expansion plans in NYC, as the US market is the biggest in the world, in order to return to Europe.

This fascinating story is vividly presented through showing feelings, and told with crisp prose and sprinkled with humor. The two rivals while revealing their stories, they pull the reader engagingly into the world of success and passion.

The infamous rivalry, which included stealing employees, copying each other’s products, planting spies, and more, is well-pronounced in this story. Their bitterness and ambitions are alive, and with their honest feelings, it makes this story feel very real.

Release date: 5 September 2023

Source: William Morrow Books