I have to admit, I’ve always had some amount of fascination with Hollywood, especially the Golden Age when movie stars seemed untouchable and otherworldly. Social media has made current day performers more accessible, but there is still the intrigue of a lifestyle so removed from the everyday lives that most of us live. So, I love when I come across a book that involves actors and the film industry. Here are a few that I’ve enjoyed:
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid was so much fun to read. Old Hollywood with scandal, deception, manipulation, success, failure, love, loss and unexpected twists. It’s hard to write much more without spoilers but I can say the characters were colorful and the story was both heartbreaking and uplifting. It was raw, human experience in a delightful, entertaining, unputdownable package.
Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren (pen name for authors Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings) follows eighteen-year-old Tate as she falls in love with Sam on a trip to London. She entrusts him with the secret she’s never revealed — she is the long-lost daughter of one of the world’s biggest film stars – only to be crushed when he disappears and her story is released in The Guardian. Fourteen years later, Tate, now an actress, arrives at a remote location for a film shoot for a story she’s fallen in love with, only to find Sam on the set. There were no surprises here in that the events and reasons for them were easily deduced. But the fun was that the protagonist Tate didn’t know, and I didn’t want to put the book down, eager to see how she would respond. This was my second book by these authors and I’ll definitely be reading more.
What You Don’t Know About Charlie Outlaw by Leah Stewart is told in alternating POVs between an actor Charlie and his (recently) ex-girlfriend actress Josie. This book is humorous, suspenseful and poignant. It’s a rom-com and a suspense thriller. But even more than that, it’s an inside look into the world of acting and the impact of fame. (“Fame insists that vulnerability be armored in wariness…” Pg. 8.”) Through Josie and Charlie’s eyes we see realistic depictions of casting calls, auditions, and working on set, as well as the emotional toll it all can often take.
In James Patterson’s Mary Mary, FBI agent and psychologist, Dr. Alex Cross tracks a serial killer who is targeting Hollywood elite. It’s less about Hollywood and more about the investigation in which the killer sends emails describing the murders. Things are not all as they seem and the killer’s psychology is challenging to unravel. The twists and suspense make for a fast and enjoyable read.
The Hollywood Daughter by Kate Alcott is on my list of favorite books. I loved and wanted to savor this delicious novel. Set in 1950’s Hollywood, the protagonist, Jessica, attends a Catholic girl’s school and is the daughter of Ingrid Bergman’s publicist. Bergman is Jessica’s hero and Hollywood’s current darling. But in the era of McCarthyism and the National Legion of Decency, Bergman’s affair with Roberto Rossellini not only shocks the world, but sends shockwaves through Jessica’s family, forcing her to question her beliefs about religion, love, family and morality.
My most recent Hollywood read, The Siren by Katherine St. John, was clearly written by someone who’s been on the inside – with all the good, the bad and the ugly of the film industry. I loved the use of the news flashes along with the alternating POVs of the three female protagonists. Secrets and scandals are revealed – along with clues and red herrings — and the tension rises to a thrilling climax. It checked a lot of boxes for me and I completely enjoyed it. I’m adding St. John’s The Lion’s Den to my TBR shelf!
Do you share my fascination with Hollywood? Is there an era in particular to which you are drawn? And what books have you loved that featured a Hollywood setting?
Leave A Comment