Respectable People by Bridget Gardiner. Review by Tony Cook

Posted by insertponceyfrenchnamehere on Tue, 03 Mar 2026

ABCTales' very own Tony Cook has asked me to share this recommendation for a book by his friend and wife of long-time partner of ABCTales Steven Gardiner. There's a link to buy at the end.
 
Respectable People by Bridget Gardiner
 

London 1928. Twenty-two-year-old Irene Savidge, a factory worker, dreams of going on the stage. She meets a member of the Establishment who promises he will introduce her to influential people. The couple's arrest for sexual misconduct in Hyde Park leads to a national scandal which permeates the very top of government, splashes lurid headlines across newspapers around the world and ultimately leads to a judicial review.

This is the true story of the police force's treatment of women, the power of money and the English class system. Beautifully told, with a richness of characterisation and depth of description which put the reader at the heart of a very different world a hundred years ago; it could be plucked from today's tabloids and social media.

 

 
 
Bridget Gardiner has written a real page turner. Brilliantly researched and cleverly constructed this true story comes to life in her hands. It’s a hundred year old tale with layer after layer of modern day relevance. A massive recommendation.