- Pre-order Price Guarantee: order now and if the Amazon.co.uk price decreases between the time you place your order and the release date, you'll be charged the lowest price. Here's how (terms and conditions apply)
-
Seasonal Offer:
This title is part of our Seasonal Offers promotion.
West End Girls
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Special Offers and Product Promotions
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Author
Product Description
Review
'In this affectionate and witty memoir [Tate] tells of her brief foray into the fantastical, untamed and gaudy world of prostitution.' (DAILY EXPRESS )
'The memoir is beautifully written, occasionally rather shocking, but is hard to put down, and can be very funny indeed.' (MUSEUM OF LONDON FRIENDS NEWS )
'The memoir is beautifully written, occasionally rather shocking, but is hard to put down, and can be very funny indeed.' (MUSEUM OF LONDON FRIENDS NEWS )
Review
Tate's account of her time as 'a maid' to a 1940s Soho tart is warm and affecting (READERS DIGEST )
Readers of a shockable disposition should avoid this book - everyone else should rush out and buy a first edition. It is a jawdropping account of Soho prostitutes in the late forties - a world Barbara knew as she worked for one as her maid - She always said she wanted to paint one perfect picture before she died: she has certainly written one perfect book. (Lynn Barber THE SUNDAY TIMES )
This frank memoir of a lost bohemian culture and underworld [is] told with warmth and sympathy. (SAGA )
Hovering over this affectionate memoir of the rackety Soho of 60 years ago is the sharp awareness that Barbara could easily have ended up, like the lost girls she describes ... her book acknowledges with humility and grace, as well as wit, how close she came to living the tough, funny and colourful but ultimately tragic life she describes. (Jane Shilling DAILY MAIL )
a truly fascinating, entertaining and heart-warming glimpse into some of Soho's most eccentric and outrageous characters. (SUNDAY EXPRESS )
`Not only is this memoir told with candour and compassion but it also affords a fascinating glimpse into a lurid byway of London's social history ... Tate's memoir fizzes with anecdotes and the quality of her writing is superb.' (DAILY EXPRESS )
a winning mixture of art and prostitution ... One of the great strengths of this unexpectedly charming memoir is that it abounds with ... detail about the working life of a prostitute in the Forties ... a splendidly evocative memoir (Craig Brown MAIL ON SUNDAY )
This is a fascinating, dryly humorous book which lifts the lid on an intriguingly sordid world. (THE CHAP )
...by turns salty, funny and sad. (Craig Brown THE WEEK ) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Readers of a shockable disposition should avoid this book - everyone else should rush out and buy a first edition. It is a jawdropping account of Soho prostitutes in the late forties - a world Barbara knew as she worked for one as her maid - She always said she wanted to paint one perfect picture before she died: she has certainly written one perfect book. (Lynn Barber THE SUNDAY TIMES )
This frank memoir of a lost bohemian culture and underworld [is] told with warmth and sympathy. (SAGA )
Hovering over this affectionate memoir of the rackety Soho of 60 years ago is the sharp awareness that Barbara could easily have ended up, like the lost girls she describes ... her book acknowledges with humility and grace, as well as wit, how close she came to living the tough, funny and colourful but ultimately tragic life she describes. (Jane Shilling DAILY MAIL )
a truly fascinating, entertaining and heart-warming glimpse into some of Soho's most eccentric and outrageous characters. (SUNDAY EXPRESS )
`Not only is this memoir told with candour and compassion but it also affords a fascinating glimpse into a lurid byway of London's social history ... Tate's memoir fizzes with anecdotes and the quality of her writing is superb.' (DAILY EXPRESS )
a winning mixture of art and prostitution ... One of the great strengths of this unexpectedly charming memoir is that it abounds with ... detail about the working life of a prostitute in the Forties ... a splendidly evocative memoir (Craig Brown MAIL ON SUNDAY )
This is a fascinating, dryly humorous book which lifts the lid on an intriguingly sordid world. (THE CHAP )
...by turns salty, funny and sad. (Craig Brown THE WEEK ) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
This item has not been released yet and is not eligible to be reviewed. Reviews shown are from other formats of this item.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I read a review for this book in the Sunday Times and decided that I would be interested in reading it, frequenting Soho often myself. The review was positive, but wow. I am not exaggerating when I say that this is probably one of the best books I have ever read in my life... And I read a lot of books.
I read this in three days, I couldn't put it down, never wanting my train journeys to end!
Barbara Tate tells the story of her time working with Mae, a prostitute in 1940's Soho and the friendships she developed along the way. Barbara has a knack of bringing the characters to life so vividly that you can picture them in your mind and want to befriend them, and you feel privileged to be so close to them and there world.
This book will make you laugh (Out Loud as I did on the train earlier today) and cry in parts, but it fills you with admiration at the strength of the human spirit.
This book is just waiting to be filmed..... I can hardly wait!
God bless you Barbara for bringing us this story of your short but memorable time in Soho, and the colourful people you met along the way.
You have acheived your goal and painted a perfect picture....only with words!
I read this in three days, I couldn't put it down, never wanting my train journeys to end!
Barbara Tate tells the story of her time working with Mae, a prostitute in 1940's Soho and the friendships she developed along the way. Barbara has a knack of bringing the characters to life so vividly that you can picture them in your mind and want to befriend them, and you feel privileged to be so close to them and there world.
This book will make you laugh (Out Loud as I did on the train earlier today) and cry in parts, but it fills you with admiration at the strength of the human spirit.
This book is just waiting to be filmed..... I can hardly wait!
God bless you Barbara for bringing us this story of your short but memorable time in Soho, and the colourful people you met along the way.
You have acheived your goal and painted a perfect picture....only with words!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Barbara Tate gives us an insight into the life of the prostitutes of Soho in the late 40s and 50s. It's an easy, page-turning read, but it's short on detail - it seems a bit bland, generic and emotionless. Maybe she's just not a great writer. She says she has fictionalised her story somewhat.
It starts well, with her leaving a cruel grandmother and setting up on her own in a bedsit, working at a firm producing hand-painted furniture. She then gets an evening job in a bar, and eventually a job as a maid to a prostitute called Mae. The early descriptions of Mae's filthy "hustling flat" in a deserted building are compelling. She is also clear-eyed about the way the "ponces" preyed on women, giving them the illusion that they are in a relationship while taking all their money. (Has that changed? I doubt it.)
I am sure that the details she gives of how a prostitute carried on her trade (with a two-way mirror, and bound and gagged clients left in the waiting room) are true to life, but I feel that she has taken anecdotes she's heard and woven them into her own story. And not all these anecdotes are as "hilarious" as she thinks them. The middle of the book is padded out somewhat with these anecdotes.
She says that she wrote the story in 1977 - dictating it to her husband. After a few rejections, she found a publisher, and an editor who cut the manuscript and gave it more "flow".
I wonder how much of what we read is the work of editors? It reminds me of the books by "Miss S" about her life as a prostitute - both the flatness of the prose and the peppering with "amusing" escapades.
The end, where we learn of the sad fate of Mae, is truly tragic.
It starts well, with her leaving a cruel grandmother and setting up on her own in a bedsit, working at a firm producing hand-painted furniture. She then gets an evening job in a bar, and eventually a job as a maid to a prostitute called Mae. The early descriptions of Mae's filthy "hustling flat" in a deserted building are compelling. She is also clear-eyed about the way the "ponces" preyed on women, giving them the illusion that they are in a relationship while taking all their money. (Has that changed? I doubt it.)
I am sure that the details she gives of how a prostitute carried on her trade (with a two-way mirror, and bound and gagged clients left in the waiting room) are true to life, but I feel that she has taken anecdotes she's heard and woven them into her own story. And not all these anecdotes are as "hilarious" as she thinks them. The middle of the book is padded out somewhat with these anecdotes.
She says that she wrote the story in 1977 - dictating it to her husband. After a few rejections, she found a publisher, and an editor who cut the manuscript and gave it more "flow".
I wonder how much of what we read is the work of editors? It reminds me of the books by "Miss S" about her life as a prostitute - both the flatness of the prose and the peppering with "amusing" escapades.
The end, where we learn of the sad fate of Mae, is truly tragic.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Absolutely brilliant. Hard to put down and the ending answers all the questions you want answered. Such an interesting insight into those times and beautifully told. A book I wouldn't hesitate to read again.
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
Was this review helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Utterly compelling
Like other reviewers, I was attracted to this book by the good reviews I had read, and I was not disappointed. Read more
Published 2 months ago by hiljean
Wonderful book
This is one of the best books I have read in a long time. Many books have been written on prostitution, but I don't recall one from the point of view of the maid who was employed... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Miss Karen L. Mason
Great read.
West End Girls is a great story and at times very funny .It gives a good insight to another way of life .
Also it is good value for the price paid.
Also it is good value for the price paid.
Published 4 months ago by julia
Vivid account of the life and times of a "Maid"
I enjoyed this book, it described very well the life of a prostitute and her maid. In fact I didn't even know maids existed before I read this. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Jonners
An alternative look at the Soho trade
Barbara Tate has described what really used to go on behind the scenes for the prostitution trade in Soho. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Phil Harding
Ok for the train, but disappointing.
I found this book entertaining, but rather a 'lite' treatment of the subject matter. The author does admit to fictionalising some of the material, but after a promising beginning... Read more
Published 9 months ago by flicka
A fascinating Insight into a Different Life
A book variously described as a memoir, a biography and an autobiography, West End Girls details the lives of Soho prostitutes through the eyes of a virginal, innocent but... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. S. K. Allison
Enthralling and captivating
I loved this book and raced through it. Barbara Tate is a great author and I wish she had written much more than just this one memoir. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mrs. S. Biddulph
West End Girls
The story was good,I could relate to all places that was mentioned, so in my mind could actually see round the story, but I believe the book should of gone into more detail than... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mrs. L. Davidson
Annoyingly unputdownable
Curiosity at the variety of life depicted in this book meant I just couldn't put it down. How on earth a virginal girl ended up in such a sleazy place, working for such a wild... Read more
Published 14 months ago by SamB07
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Biography > Historical > 1901 Onwards
- Books > Biography > Historical > Britain
- Books > Biography > Historical > Countries & Regions > Europe
- Books > Biography > Women
- Books > History > Britain & Ireland
- Books > History > Cultural History > London
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
