Shrines of Gaiety

Shrines of Gaiety is a fictional novel set in 1926 London by author Kate Atkinson. It tells the story of Nellie Coker, a famous London nightclub owner, and the people trying to ruin her business. The character is inspired by a real person, Kate Meyrick. Although Atkinson acknowledges that parts of her novel are rooted in history, she emphasizes that she takes liberties with the facts and, in an author’s note, asserts: “Shrines of Gaiety is fiction, not history” (515).

Atkinson is an acclaimed novelist and playwright. Her first novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum, won the Whitbread Book of the Year Award (now the Costa Book of the Year Award). Other works include Life After Life (which was adapted to a BBC TV Series) and A God in Ruins, both of which won the Costa Award, as well as Transcription.

This study guide is based on the Penguin Random House UK paperback edition, published in 2023.

Content Warning: Shrines of Gaiety and this study guide contain descriptions of alcohol addiction, drug overdose, death by suicide, capital punishment, abortion, and sexual assault. The book also includes profane language and stigmatizing language about mental health conditions.

Plot Summary

The book opens with Nellie Coker being released from Holloway Prison.