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An Iron Girl in a Velvet Glove: The Life of Joan Rhodes by Triona Holden at Abbey's Bookshop,
An Iron Girl in a Velvet Glove: The Life of Joan Rhodes
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Triona Holden

An Iron Girl in a Velvet Glove

The Life of Joan Rhodes

Triona Holden

$39.99

Paperback

Not in-store but you can order this
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English
The History Press Ltd
01 December 2024
Variety shows, music hall, cabaret; Biography: arts & entertainment; Gender studies: women
Joan Rhodes would leave audiences speechless as she bent steel bars with her teeth, ripped large phone books into quarters, and lifted two men at a time. But what she did was real. Joan had a superstrength, forged out of desperation to survive.

Born into poverty in 1920s London and abandoned by her parents, Joan endured a spell in the workhouse. Despite the worst possible start, she made it to the top of her profession to rub shoulders with the likes of Fred Astaire, Bob Hope and Sammy Davis Jnr. Joan's crowning glory was to perform for the Queen at Windsor Castle, and along the way she made lifelong friendships with Marlene Dietrich, Quentin Crisp and Dame Laura Knight. Biographer Triona Holden met Joan in her later years. When Joan passed away, Triona set out to secure her friend's place in history. She appeared on the show The Repair Shop to tell the strongwoman's story, and sifted through archives to retrace her journey to stardom. Joan saw herself as a freak, but in truth she was a champion for the so-called fairer sex. At a time when women were still groomed for marriage, An Iron Girl in a Velvet Glove tells the fascinating and tumultuous story of a woman who followed her own unique path.

AUTHOR: Triona Holden is an author, artist and journalist with over twenty years' experience as one of the BBC's top correspondents and presenters. Her books include Queen Coal on the women of the 1980s miner's strike. She lives in Whitstable.
By:  
Imprint:   The History Press Ltd
Country of Publication:   United Kingdom
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Height: 198mm,  Width: 129mm, 
ISBN:   9781803997551
ISBN 10:   1803997559
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Unspecified

TRIONA HOLDEN is an author, artist, journalist and broadcaster. She spent more than twenty years working as one of the BBC’s top correspondents and presenters. Her books include Queen Coal, on the women of the 1980s miners’ strike.

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