Behind the Red Door

I loved this book!! It's incredibly well-researched and full of interesting details. The way the author weaves her own experiences into those of Elizabeth Arden is clever and very effective. It almost reads like dual-period historical fiction, but it's all true. Once I started reading this, I was instantly transported to Manhattan and even Geneva. The descriptions are vivid and the prose is exceptional. I have already recommended this book to several people.

Thanks to NetGalley, Gatekeeper Press, and Louise Claire Johnson for providing me with an advanced copy for review purposes.

Interesting and informative read Behind the Red Door was an enjoyable glimpse into a world I didn’t know much about, aside from spoiling myself.

This is a really interesting sort of mixed memoir between the author and the history of Elizabeth Arden. The writer, Louise Claire Johnson tells the story of the founder of the icon brand and her own as an intern in New York for the company. I found this book quite fascinating as I knew nothing about the start of the brand at all. When the first salon opened its doors in 1910 women were unable to lease property or obtain credit. Johnson's own story of starting her career in the beauty industry decades later was also really interesting. This is quite a unique book and I'd definitely recommend it to anyone interested in beauty industry history.

This wonderfully written memoir/biography of Elizabeth Arden and her rise from humble beginnings to head of her iconic beauty brand is fascinating. At a time when very few women were running their own business, Elizabeth Arden, through hard work and determination, created her own brand of beauty products and built a global empire. Her story is beautifully told by the author, Louise Claire Johnson, in parallel with her own present day story of her internship at Elizabeth Arden. Details of her own ambitions and rise through the ranks of this iconic Company are cleverly woven into the narrative and diarised in her ‘little red book’, where she expresses her own self-doubt to the one woman who is her inspiration, Elizabeth Arden. I applaud the author for her brilliant debut novel and she is definitely one to watch. I do hope that someone will transfer this story to the screen as it would make a fabulous film. Highly recommended.

Wonderful book about an amazing woman. Definitely one to add to your to be read list of you like a book about a kick ass woman.

Oh man, I am a huge Elizabeth Arden fan so reading this book felt like I knew her and we conversed LOL.. A huge thanks to NetGalley, and Gatekeeper Press for providing me with an advanced copy for review purposes. This book is brilliantly written and well researched and quite engrossing. If you enjoy historical fiction you will enjoy this book and I recommend it

As a former New Yorker I remember hearing about Elizabeth Arden& the are’s Door Salon.ITT seemed only for New York high society woman.Fun to get this intimate look behind the door what it was truly like and learning about the real Elizabeth Arden.#netgalley#gatekeeperpress

Very inspiring read. Love how she talked about how women couldn't get a credit card till 1974 without their husband's permission. Florence's character was so courageous as well. Elizabeth's journey is also amazing to see. Great read.

This was a very well done coming-of-adulthood story as well as a great biography of Elizabeth Arden.

An illuminating and accessible read that focuses on two women's determined ambition within the beauty industry. Elizabeth Arden, the daughter of a Canadian farmer, forged a name for herself -- and a reputation-- for holding women to higher standards of the achievable beauty she felt they were entitled to with the help of her hugely successful cosmetics. A near century later, Louise Claire Johnson leaves the GTA for New York to work for the Arden brand and slowly climbs the ranks


The research is magnificent as is the obvious natural passion displayed in Johnson's verve and energy as if she cannot wait to turn the page on another scintillating and largely unknown facet of Arden's life. In the present, she offers us the gift of vulnerability: showing us the intrepid dreams of a young woman in an enviable job at times swallowed by cut throat business, debilitating homesickness ( beautifully rendered in the author's portions set in Geneva) and ultimately found by leaving the world forever in pursuit of a Harvard degree.


Anyone who has ever wanted a deep, informed and lovingly detailed refrain on a Cosmetics mogul and her fascinating life as a a global entrepreneur will love this book. And the contemporary portions are a winsome balance --- a non snarky Devil Wears Prada, if you will, that lets us take an informed and intelligent look through a peek in Arden's famous door.
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Thank you gatekeeperpress and @netgalley for an ARC of this novel about #ElizabethArden. I was drawn to this novel because I equate Red Door perfume with my mom. This was her favorite fragrance. So much so that she hid it from my childhood bestie and me....and herself!!!

This novel was a delightful read that explored the life of Elizabeth Arden and the author. The parallels in their lives is uncanny, beginning with both being from Canada.The revelry of the author's adoration of Elizabeth Arden is immediately evident and continues throughout the novel. Arden’s success is astonishing. From bookkeeper to beauty mogul, we could all take a page from her determination.

MAKE ROOM FOR “LIZ” AND “LOU”. A book that is reminiscent of “Julia and “Julie” in that this is the story of two women: “Liz”, Florence Nightingale Graham, aka, Elizabeth Arden and “Lou”, the author, who, 100 years later, would join Elizabeth Arden Co. as an intern and then become a full-time employee. Both would leave Toronto to come to Manhattan, Particularly interesting is the way the chapters are constructed: “Liz” starts the chapter with information regarding not only what she is doing to develop her company but also includes an exacting historical detail about the time period worldwide while “Lou” details both her personal and work experience. I found particularly delightful the author’s description of the time she worked and lived in Switzerland. I could feel the cold air as she would tour the Alps or the picturesque towns as well as feeling the bleakness she was able to describe after living for too long without the support of family and friends. Fans of so many genres can find this book appealing: biographies, history, memoirs or travel—so much information. I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley, Gatekeeper Press and the author in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
4.5/5
I will admit, for the first 1/3-1/5 of this book, I found the dual layout of Elizabeth Arden's life and then Louise Johnson's life a tad gimmicky. We all like to compare ourselves to people in the past, but it almost came across as Johnson directly modelling her life on Arden's, and it came across as awkward at several points. However, once Johnson's adult life really starts and she takes her own path, each truly stands on their own.
I am fairly familiar with the development of the cosmetics/beauty industry, so that wasn't new to me- though if you aren't, it is an excellent primer! However, I wasn't particularly familiar with Arden aside from being a Canadian and having a counter at the Bay. She was a fascinating woman, and her life sadly held more tragedy than one might expect. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the beauty industry at all, or in Elizabeth Arden!

*I got this book for free in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a little while (around three weeks) to finish this book as I was going though hard times. Nonetheless, I think it was precisely the best time to pick it up as it gave me the life advice I needed the most.
Where do I start? Maybe with the core topic: Elizabeth Arden. To be fully honest, I did not know anything about that woman before reading the book, except that she had created a beauty empire in the 20th century.

Mixed povs in a well-researched book

The book is a mix between the author’s autobiography and Elizabeth Arden’s biography, the two being intricately intertwined. The author has indeed followed Arden’s steps as far as work is concerned, climbing the corporate ladder at the company her role model had created. I loved how the two stories were intertwined without it feeling « unnatural ». For instance, when a chapter was dedicated to Elizabeth’s struggles with her love life, the following one was about Lou’s similar struggles in the same area of life. Thus, we were able to see how Lou could follow Elizabeth’s steps and get herself out of difficult situations by looking up to this role model.
Moreover, I must say that I really appreciate the research behind the book. The author is not « only » a fan of Elizabeth Arden, but a person who knows how to research. Doing academic research myself, it is often something I miss in books that lack a bibliography. Here, we are provided with a thorough bibliography that allows us to see how well-researched (and so, reliable) the book is but also to dive further into Elizabeth Arden’s life if we want to.

Problems with the layout

I want to get that out of the way immediately so that it is done and never talked about again. I would love to say that my reading experience was picture perfect but it was not. The book is almost perfect, except for a few grammatical incoherences, but I struggled with the layout on my Kindle version. The chapters and parts did not start in the beginning of a new page and the parts dedicated to Louise seemed to come « out of nowhere », indicated only with a dash. I would have preferred a clearer way to draw the limit between Louise and Elizabeth’s stories, even though it was easy to understand while reading the book. However, there are things that can be improved from an aesthetic perspective.
Nonetheless, I loved how the author thought about translating French terms. I may not be the best reader for that part of the book as I am French myself and, naturally, fluent in that language. However, when trying to be objective, I think I can say that the translations are clear enough for non-French speakers to understand the whole of the book. I highly appreciated the « couleur locale » and the fact the author decided to let French words percolate her paragraphs.

A message that resonated with me

As I wrote earlier, I read this book in a time of my life that is still difficult right now, but getting a lot better. Here, you will read an honest talk about ambition and what true success can mean. You will read about a woman who sacrificed herself to a job she loved, and you will see that what shines from the outside is not always as shiny on the inside. You will also see, on a similar note, that it is natural to compartiment your life and put out different versions of yourself for different people. You will definitely see that you are not alone, and that it is not always the healthiest thing to do. However, it is important, I think, to read a book written by someone courageous enough to understand that in order to inspire, you need to be natural, not « picture perfect ».

A lovely informative book detailing the rise of Elizabeth Arden from a farm in Canada to the global cosmetics mastermind and the story a century later of the author who wanted to become the CEO of Elizabeth Arden.
Many thanks to Netgalley and publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. My opinions are my own

Happy to include this title in the spring edition of Life STories, my seasonal column of notable new memoir and biography in Zoomer magazine’s Zed Books section.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gatekeeper Press for the opportunity to read Behind the Red Door and provide an honest review.

Louise Claire Johnson provides a well-researched history of Elizabeth Arden, who was not only a pioneer in the beauty industry, but also a groundbreaking female entrepreneur. Johnson chose to alternate chapters between Arden's story and that of her own, following her journey as a student and then as a young professional inspired greatly by Arden. This effective juxtaposition, along with Johnson's gift for descriptive writing and introspection, make for an interesting book that will appeal to a wide swath of readers.

I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful and engaging read. The book thoughtfully explored the life of Elizabeth Arden and the author and Ioved this combination which made for a really unique read. The parallels in their careers are so similar and exciting. You can literally feel the author's dedication and awe of EA on every page. Rightfully so given her awesome and totally inspiring success.

This charming book by Louise Claire Johnson combines her memoir and coming-of-age story with the rags to riches tale of the great Elizabeth Arden. Johnson followed in the footsteps of Arden, becoming a marketing executive at the famous company, starting with an internship at just 18. Her journey, however, would take her to a very different place.

When the young farm girl from Ontario waited for the train to NYC in the early 20th century, she did not foresee that she would one day found a huge cosmetics company with branches all over the world, make friends with famous people and fight for women's rights. She paid a heavy price though. Two failed marriages, loneliness and hardship followed her every step of the way. She had a luxurious and interesting life, because of her hard work, but it wasn't terribly happy.

Johnson's journey took her from New York to London and Switzerland on a heady career path, but she also had to pay a big price, becoming much wiser along the way. She read all that she could about Elizabeth Arden, and regarded her as her mentor, but she began to wonder whether a career at the beauty company was what she really wanted, and what she should do with her life...

I especially enjoyed reading about Louise's time in Geneva. Her vivid descriptions of her homesickness and her emotional trauma in such a beautiful place was very moving.

I received this ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

This novel was a delightful read that explored the life of Elizabeth Arden and the author. Absolutely loved this book. It’s one I could read again in the future. A real page turner.

I loved this book!! It's incredibly well-researched and full of interesting details. Everything presented on Arden's life, her determination and brilliance was really inspiring and moving.
I received an ARC of this book which I would like to thank NetGalley, Gatekeeper Press and Louise Clare Johnson in exchange for an honest review.

Louise Claire Johnson, Behind the Red Door, Gatekeeper Press, 2021.

Thank you, NetGalley and Gatekeeper Press for this uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review.

Louise Claire Johnson’s preface establishes the authenticity of the material used to develop two engaging stories: Elizabeth Arden/Florence Nightingale Graham/Mrs Elizabeth Graham’s, and that of the writer, Lou, as she becomes known to the reader. The book moves smoothly between the history of Elizabeth Arden, the cosmetic company by that name, and Lou, the seeker of identity. Initially she achieves that through Elizabeth Arden, the company as it has become in 2006. The story of Florence Nightingale Graham, soon to become identified with her company as Elizabeth Arden, begins with her leaving Toronto and boarding the train to New York in 1908. This device works smoothly, both because of Louise Claire Johnson’s facility with words and the connections made between the past and present. None of these connections are contrived, whether they are personal, geographical, issues and social change (of lack of change), or relationships.

Elizabeth Arden’s story is an energising read about a woman dedicated to becoming a wealthy and competent entrepreneur, at the same time overturning men’s exclusive control of business, money, status, and power. She accomplishes this through a commodity that has its own detractors amongst women, cosmetics. Initial arguments against cosmetics revolved around morality – should women enhance the appearance with which they were born? Married to this was the negative image they conveyed as the province theatrical woman, or worse. More recently, the women’s movement has argued both on the behalf of a woman’s right to use cosmetics as part of her own identification competing with the notion that cosmetics are used to enhance a woman’s appearance to the male gaze. Elizabeth Arden astutely made inner beauty, based on exercise, morning stretching, adequate sleep and eating well part of her regime. Initially she was able to only develop skin care products as make up was unacceptable. Her cleanse, cleanse, cleanse – obviously with an Elizabeth Arden cream – was an important part of her sales regime.

With the emphasis on sales, we come to Lou’s connected Elizabeth Arden story. It is based on her business studies and internships, sales related positions, and her first full time position, Marketing Coordinator. Her eventual rise to marketing across the three Arden entities – skincare, colour, and fragrance in the Geneva headquarters brings together the entities that have been part of Elizabeth Arden’s rise through the business world. Lou is as driven as Elizabeth with her mantra: Plan Ahead + Work Hard = Achieve Goals. Unlike Elizabeth, Lou is conflicted throughout her sections of the book; but like her icon, she also creates different personas. Lou’s story is endearingly honest, highly work motivated but linked so closely with her family and friends, candour about herself, her ability, and her misgivings. She imparts her reflections on herself and her work through her blogs and ‘letters’ to her sage, Elizabeth Arden.

In my introduction I noted the lack of contrivance in linking features of Elizabeth Arden’s experiences with those of the writer. Perhaps this is a simple observation. However, reading a book that achieves this is a real pleasure. So many writers do not have the capacity to use this device effectively. Louise Claire Johnson is a talented writer who has woven the stories of two incredible women, the politics of business and feminism, the draw of family, love and awakening to her real ambitions for her life into a book that is a pure joy to read.