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Love from the Pink Palace

Memories of Love, Loss and Cabaret Through the AIDS Crisis

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Love from the Pink Palace

By: Jill Nalder
Narrated by: Jill Nalder, Russell T Davies
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About this listen

Memories of love, loss and cabaret through the London AIDS crisis, by It's a Sin's Jill Nalder.

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 talented young 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.

©2022 Jill Nalder (P)2022 Headline Publishing Group Ltd Biographies & Memoirs Entertainment & Performing Arts Film & TV Physical Illness & Disease Inspiring Royalty England

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Critic reviews

"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)
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I watched the series It's a Sin a while ago and thought it was brilliant, so when I came across Jill Nalders book I had to read it. I was a teenager in the 80s when AIDS first came into the public consciousness. I had grown up around gay men and what I was hearing scared the life out of me. Like Jill, many of my friends were gay. Although we lived less glamorous lives than Jill and her friends, so much was relatable.
Like the series It's a Sin, there's plenty of laughter and tears in Love From the Pink Palace. It is Jill's own story and those of her friends, and isn't based on the series, which makes it all the more interesting. I had a lump in my throat many times, and my memories went back to my own friends claimed by the virus. If this makes the book sound depressing, it's really not. It's actually full of positivity and hope. It made me think of my friends who are still here, despite a couple of them being positive since the 80s. I will recommend this book to my kids as they are too young to remember, but really enjoyed It's a Sin and they said it taught them so much. This book is full of brave beautiful heros who should never be forgotten.

Loved this book

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How Jill managed to read this without breaking down in tears at the loss of her brilliant friends is astounding as I teared up.
Jill is an inspiration to us all, what a woman, but she wouldn't want our praise just our support for the cause.
The world needs more Jill's.....La!

Incredibly powerful

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An incredible account of the early days of HIV and AIDS - I lived through it and it brought back so many emotions.

Wonderful

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A beautiful tribute to the victims of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Jill Nalder is a friend everybody deserves to have ❤️

A beautiful tribute

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It normally takes me a while to finish audiobooks but I raced through this one. Jill Nalder's narration is lovely with her beautiful Welsh accent, her warmth of character really comes through. The memories of her time living through the AIDS pandemic are full of love and fun as well as the obvious sadness that was a huge part of the experience. She brings the boys to life so that you really feel you have a good sense of their characters and the friendships they shared. Such a wonderful tribute to them. I would highly recommend this to anyone who is curious about the time, liked It's a Sin, or who loves the theatre.

Beautifully moving memoir, full of love

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A truly moving account of one woman’s experience’s of loosing her friends during the early days of AIDS. So moving.

Truly Moving

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Loved all of this. A story full of beauty and tragedy. Thank you for being so open and honest x

Heartfelt Honest True

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Jill Nalder tells the stories of her friends who inspired Russell T Davies (another friend) to write It's a Sin. Jill herself is the only possible choice to read her own words- and she is almost overcome with emotion more than once. A powerful and engaging story, with moments of comedy among the tragedies of young lives lost.

What an emotional journey

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Couldn’t stop listening to your story. Your an incredible lady. A true allay to the LGBTQ+ community. Your friends were very lucky to have you by their sides at the most awful time in their lives.

WOW

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An educational love letter to the history of a community, the wonderful accepting theatre industry and a generation of warriors & those gone too soon.

You can hear the joy, heartbreak & love in every word coming from Jill’s mouth.

Thank you for telling these stories. X

La!

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