London 'scorcher' inspires novel
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A woman who was once cautioned for speeding down Oxford Street in the early 1900s and was described by the officer as a 'scorcher' doing 22mph, is the inspiration behind a new novel from an award winning novelist. The Fastest Girl on Earth (Blue Pier Books) written by Lisa Brace hinges on a central character named Evelyn Bloom, whose adventures are inspired by the real life female motorist Dorothy Levitt.
Levitt had a flat in Mayfair during the early 1900s and drove for Napier Motors who were based in Lloyds Court, St Giles in London where she set and broke many driving records.
The Fastest Girl on Earth (Blue Pier Books)written by Lisa Brace hinges on a central character named Evelyn Bloom, whose adventures are inspired by the real life female motorist Dorothy Levitt.
Nicknamed the Fastest Girl on Earth by the press, Levitt’s career with Napier Motors placed her as one of the first celebrities of her day during the early 20th century.
This is Lisa’s second historical novel, she said:
“My first novel, Swim, was based on an amazing woman from the 1900s and after it was published I was sent lots of stories filled with inspirational women. One of these was Dorothy Levitt’s story which I found fascinating.
“I didn’t want to write a novel based entirely on Levitt’s career as it would read more of a biography and as there is little known about her from 1912 until her death in 1922, I decided to create Evelyn Bloom and give her the adventures I believe Levitt would have endorsed – I had a lot of fun doing so.”
Dorothy Levitt would often travel with three things in her car, a compact mirror so she could see what was behind her (rear view mirrors hadn’t been invented at this point), her beloved Pomeranian Dodo, who makes an appearance in the novel and her .45 Colt.
Lisa added:
“Levitt seemed to be a woman well ahead of her time, she had the audacity to dream and the aspiration to achieve something magnificent, she’s really inspiring and it’s my hope that this novel will celebrate a lot of what she did.”
The Fastest Girl on Earth is available to order from all bookshops, as well as Amazon and other online retailers as a paperback priced £11.99, the ebook is available from Amazon priced £1.99.
Book details:
1922, London. Evelyn Bloom lies dying in her Mayfair flat at just forty years old.
A decade earlier, she had the world at her feet - a dazzling celebrity who socialised with royalty, ignited scandalous love affairs, and filled headlines with her daring exploits.
Now, surrounded by the faded mementoes of a brilliant life cut short, Evelyn is left to wonder: How did it all go so wrong? And why, when she had everything, has she been left to die alone?
A breath-taking and unputdownable WWI historical novel, perfect for fans of Kate Quinn, Natasha Lester, and Mandy Robotham.
Order here.