Love from the Pink Palace, Jill Nalder
Love from the Pink Palace, Jill Nalder
List: $27.99 | Sale: $19.59
Club: $13.99

Love from the Pink Palace
Memories of Love, Loss and Cabaret through the AIDS Crisis, for fans of IT'S A SIN

Author: Jill Nalder

Narrator: Jill Nalder, Russell T Davies

Unabridged: 8 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Wildfire

Published: 07/07/2022


Synopsis

Memories of love, loss and cabaret through the London AIDS crisis, by IT'S A SIN's Jill Nalder

'Jill met the crisis head on . . . She held the hands of so many men. She lost them, and remembered them, and somehow kept going' Russell T Davies, creator of Channel 4's IT'S A SIN

When Jill Nalder arrived at drama school in London in the early 1980s, she was ready for her life to begin. With her band of best friends - of which many were young, talented gay men with big dreams of their own - she grabbed London by the horns: partying with drag queens at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, hosting cabarets at her glamorous flat, flitting across town to any jobs could get.

But soon rumours were spreading from America about a frightening illness being dubbed the 'gay flu', and Jill and her friends - spirited Juan Pablo, Jae with his beautiful voice, upbeat Dursley, and many others - found that their formerly carefree existence now under threat.

In this moving memoir, IT'S A SIN's Jill Nalder tells the true story of her life during the AIDS crisis, and that of friends and colleagues, doctors and nurses, activists and fundraisers. She recounts juggling a busy West End career while campaigning for AIDS awareness and research, educating herself and caring for the sick. Most of all, she shines a light on those who were stigmatised and shamed, and remembers those brave and beautiful boys who were lost too soon.

(P) 2022 Headline Publishing Group Ltd

About Jill Nalder

Jill Nalder is originally from Neath, South Wales. She is a successful West End actress and was the inspiration behind Jill Baxter's character in Russell T. Davies' Channel 4 programme IT'S A SIN. She was also one of the founders and first chairperson of West End Cares, now called Theatre MAD: Make A Difference. To date the charity has raised over £10 million for HIV/AIDS.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Emily on June 15, 2023

Brilliant! If you were moved by the TV show 'It’s a sin' then be prepared for more tears.......more

Goodreads review by Aoife on March 02, 2023

A beautiful memoir about an extraordinary woman who loved during a time of great fear and grief as the men she called her friends and family were struck down by a terrifying illness that had no cure. Author Jill Nalder is the inspiration behind the character of Jill in It's A Sin (a brilliant show i......more

Goodreads review by Bill on November 09, 2023

After leaving drama school Jill Nalder worked in numerous venues to gain an Equity Card & forge a career on the London theatre scene. Here she tells the true story of the highs & lows of life in 1980's London as the AIDS crisis emerged. It's an emotional read & Jill's experiences inspired Russell T D......more

Goodreads review by Sadbh on August 15, 2022

Heartbreaking and heartwarming. Just a really excellent book that was full of life while also talking about the loss of life in a very personal way. My favourite part was that Nalder named any of the journalists who wrote unkind articles during the HIV/AIDS crisis.......more

Goodreads review by Haley on August 08, 2022

What an amazing woman Jill Nalder is. Inspired by the C4 series ‘It’s a Sin’ and hearing Jill and Russell T Davies talk at a Q&A, I knew I had to read Jill’s book. Read it and hear Jill talk.......more


Quotes

I could not put [Jill's] book down. She guides us through her career and her life, and what leaps off the page is her strength, her compassion and her unswerving loyalty to people who were sometimes afraid to live their real lives. I am so pleased that Jill has had the chance to tell her story. We should all 'Be More Jill'

A beautiful, raw, tender book remembering friendships in the eye of the storm

As it happens, I was also a Jill in the eighties - but not half as good a Jill as real Jill Dawn French

Engrossing, heart-breaking and inspiring, this is the perfect companion piece to IT'S A SIN MATT CAIN, author of THE SECRET LIFE OF ALBERT ENTWISTLE

Took me right back. [Jill has] brought it all to life. A wonderful, wonderful work . . . Thank God for people like [Jill] who got up, stood up and said, "We need to do something about this." . . . I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Obviously very sad, but bloody funny as well!

Love From the Pink Palace is a beautiful yet emotional rollercoaster... Jill writes with ease, this makes it surprising this is her first book. Each chapter is filled with light and dark. They appear so close to each other that you go from crying to full-on belly laughing. Richard Angell, Campaigns Director - Terrence Higgins Trust