Skip to content

2

Published on 2 Comments on The Girls in the Picture
The Girls in the Picture Book Cover The Girls in the Picture
Melanie Benjamin
Fiction
Delacorte Press
January 16, 2018
Advanced Reader Copy
448
Publisher via BookExpo

A fascinating novel of the friendship and creative partnership between two of Hollywood's earliest female legends--screenwriter Frances Marion and superstar Mary Pickford--from the New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue and The Aviator's Wife It is 1914, and twenty-five-year-old Frances Marion has left her (second) husband and her Northern California home for the lure of Los Angeles, where she is determined to live independently as an artist. But the word on everyone's lips these days is "flickers"--the silent moving pictures enthralling theatergoers. Turn any corner in this burgeoning town and you'll find made-up actors running around, as a movie camera captures it all. In this fledgling industry, Frances finds her true calling: writing stories for this wondrous new medium. She also makes the acquaintance of actress Mary Pickford, whose signature golden curls and lively spirit have given her the title of America's Sweetheart. The two ambitious young women hit it off instantly, their kinship fomented by their mutual fever to create, to move audiences to a frenzy, to start a revolution. But their ambitions are challenged both by the men around them and the limitations imposed on their gender--and their astronomical success could come at a price. As Mary, the world's highest paid and most beloved actress, struggles to live her life under the spotlight, she also wonders if it is possible to find love, even with the dashing actor Douglas Fairbanks. Frances, too, longs to share her life with someone. As in any good Hollywood story, dramas will play out, personalities will clash, and even the deepest friendships might be shattered. With cameos from such notables as Charlie Chaplin, Louis B. Mayer, Rudolph Valentino, and Lillian Gish, The Girls in the Picture is, at its heart, a story of friendship and forgiveness. Melanie Benjamin perfectly captures the dawn of a glittering new era--its myths and icons, its possibilities and potential, and its seduction and heartbreak. Advance praise for The Girls in the Picture "Melanie Benjamin, known for her living, breathing portraits of famous figures, takes on the Golden Age of Hollywood, and the friendship between icons Mary Pickford and screenwriter Frances Marion. As riveting as the latest blockbuster, this is a star-studded story of female friendships, creative sparks about to ignite, and the power of women.

My review:

This is my third book by Ms. Benjamin. While I'm not usually a fan of biographies, she does it by way of historical fiction, which seems to make a world of difference, because I like what I'm reading. I can't say that this book tops The Swans of Fifth Avenue (review here), but it was very entertaining and a change of pace from the typical historical fiction war novels. I can't say that I knew much of Mary Pickford or Frances Marion going into the book, but I found that to be a good thing as I got immersed in the story and didn't have to worry about what was truth and what was fictionalized. Side note here.....My grandmother used to play the piano in the theaters for the silent movies, back in the day! I thought this was an excellent look at female friendship, which is not always rosy and constant amidst the flux of people's lives. These two women had their spats, but kept being drawn back to the other throughout their lives and careers. They seemed very real to me, even though they were within the pages of a book. The writing was excellent, the pacing was spot on, and I loved learning more about this era in the movies.

A well drawn novel about the early movie industry, and a friendship for the ages! Ms. Benjamin is a force to be reckoned with for her portrayal of early female figures in our history. I'm looking forward to what she comes up with next.

 

3

Published on 3 Comments on Carnegie’s Maid
Carnegie's Maid Book Cover Carnegie's Maid
Marie Benedict
Historical Fiction
Sourcebooks Landmark
January 16, 2018
Advanced Reader Copy
288
Publisher via BookExpo

In the industrial 1860s at the dawn of the Carnegie empire, Irish immigrant Clara Kelly finds herself in desperate circumstances. Looking for a way out, she seeks employment as a lady's maid in the home of the prominent businessman Andrew Carnegie. Soon, the bond between Clara and her employer deepens into love. But when Clara goes missing, Carnegie's search for her unearths secrets and revelations that lay the foundation for his lasting legacy. With captivating insight and stunning heart, Carnegie's Maid tells the story of one lost woman who may have spurred Andrew Carnegie's transformation from ruthless industrialist into the world's first true philanthropist.

My review:

This was such a joy to read! Despite the slightly improbable way that the protagonist Clara comes to her job at the Carnegie estate, I was completely sucked into the story and put it out of my mind as the story progressed. I loved the character of Clara. She was feisty, even at the expense of her livelyhood, scared at her growing fondness for Andrew Carnegie which could put her out of a job, and never forgot her roots. These roots, and her disclosures about growing up poor and without the use of libraries and music, were written into the novel as the impetus for Andrew Carnegie's philanthropic projects the rest of his life. I loved the descriptions of the social events and the estate, and there were several notable secondary characters to add interest and impact to the novel. The writing was the perfect blend of just enough information to add impact to the story, but not enough to be extraneous.

A highly engaging story about a figure in history who changed the world for the better, and the fictionalized woman who may have been the inspiration for that change.

On a side note, I read this novel the weekend that I traveled to New York City to see my oldest daughter perform at none other than Carnegie Hall! This definitely added another fun dimension to my reading and enjoyment of this great book! We took a picture in front of the building to commemorate the occasion.

 

Published on Leave a comment on The Wife Between Us
The Wife Between Us Book Cover The Wife Between Us
Greer Hendricks, Sarah Pekkanen,
Fiction
St. Martin's Press
January 9, 2018
Advanced Reader Copy
352
Publisher via BookExpo

A novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.
When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.
You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves.
You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.
You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.
Assume nothing.

My review:

This one was a fun "what the heck is going on" type psychological thriller. Fun may not be quite the right adjective, but considering how many times I changed my mind about what was happening, it became a game of sorts. It did take me until the second section to figure out the players since one of the protagonist is not named at the beginning. Once I figured out the players, while it didn't help me figure out the plot points, at least I had a grasp of the characters. As with any of these kinds of books, the review has to be very vague so as not to spoil the narrative. I will say that the writing was highly engaging, flowed seamlessly (hard to believe that it was co-written), and addictive page turning prose. While the final twist was totally unexpected, I'm not sure that it was even necessary to propel this as a first rate thriller.

Another addictive, page turning thriller that will have you flipping pages to figure out what makes these characters tick, and who is the real villain. A perfect book to devour in short order, you won't want to put this one down.

2

Published on 2 Comments on The Immortalists
The Immortalists Book Cover The Immortalists
Chloe Benjamin
Fiction
G.P. Putnam's Sons
January 9, 2018
Advanced Reader Copy
352
Free copy from publisher

If you knew the date of your death, how would you live your life? It's 1969 in New York City's Lower East Side, and word has spread of the arrival of a mystical woman, a traveling psychic who claims to be able to tell anyone the day they will die. The Gold children--four adolescents on the cusp of self-awareness--sneak out to hear their fortunes. Their prophecies inform their next five decades. Golden-boy Simon escapes to the West Coast, searching for love in '80s San Francisco; dreamy Klara becomes a Las Vegas magician, obsessed with blurring reality and fantasy; eldest son Daniel seeks security as an army doctor post-9/11, hoping to control fate; and bookish Varya throws herself into longevity research, where she tests the boundary between science and immortality. A sweeping novel of remarkable ambition and depth, The Immortalists probes the line between destiny and choice, reality and illusion, this world and the next. It is a deeply moving testament to the power of story, the nature of belief, and the unrelenting pull of familial bonds.

My review:

Such a great premise for a book! What would you do, or how would you live your life differently if you knew the date of your death? While I loved the thought process of each of the four members of the Gold family, I wasn't as keen to buy into the way they came to the information about their death date. They learned this through a psychic, and the way each of them dealt with the information was detailed in four sections of the book (one for each child). The whole idea of a psychic was off putting for me, I'm not a believer in any of that  way of thinking, but they were children when they came to the information, so I could buy into the story a bit more and give them a pass. What followed from there, while a great story, was a bit weird for me. Without going into any spoiler details, I'll just say that while I could go along with their rationale and their choices (which we are led to believe are the result of knowing their death date), by the time we got through a couple of the siblings I was rolling my eyes a bit at the coincidences. Even though I may not have bought into the prediction part, what I did buy into was the author's writing style, which was smooth, captivating, and without any excessive wordiness to get her point across.

Overall a fascinating read, with lovely writing and a wonderful plot. If I could have gotten past my dislike of psychic's, this likely would have been a solid four stars. Read it for the premise and writing, I don't think you will be disappointed.

 

 

3

Published on 3 Comments on Month in Review: Incoming vs. Outgoing December 2017

A bit of a setback this month, but as I mentioned at the conclusion of last month's post, I was sort of expecting it. On to the results:

Incoming = 21 (5 purchased, 5 from publishers, 11 as gifts)

Outgoing = 18 (10 physical, 8 audiobooks)

Total Incoming = 21
Total Outgoing = 18
December total = plus 3
Carryover from last month = plus 42
New total = plus 45

Like I said, a bit of a setback, but I'm going to file it away as holiday happiness, and move forward! Chin up everyone, how did your month go?

Published on Leave a comment on The Music Shop
The Music Shop Book Cover The Music Shop
Rachel Joyce
Fiction
Random House
2018
Advanced Reader Copy
304
Publisher via First to Read

It's 1988. The CD has arrived. Sales of the shiny new disks are soaring on high streets in cities across the country. Meanwhile, down a dead-end street, Frank's music shop stands small and brightly lit, jam-packed with records of every kind. It attracts the lonely, the sleepless, the adrift. There is room for everyone. Frank has a gift for finding his customers the music they need. Into this shop arrives Ilse Brauchmann - practical, brave, well-heeled. Frank falls for this curious woman who always dresses in green. But Ilse's reasons for visiting the shop are not what they seem. Frank's passion for Ilse seems as misguided as his determination to save vinyl. How can a man so in tune with other people's needs be so incapable of helping himself? And what will it take to show he loves her? The Music Shop is a story about good, ordinary people who take on forces too big for them. It's about falling in love and how hard it can be. And it's about music - how it can bring us together when we are divided and save us when all seems lost"--

My review:

This book has several things going for it that Rachel Joyce is so good at. Her ability to create quirky lovable characters is legendary. I loved the group of misfits that come together in this town that is slowly dying, as business after business closes down. Frank not only refuses to sell his record shop, he also refuses to sell anything other than vinyl records, in an age when CD's are becoming the norm. This part of the story was my favorite, but we are also introduced to a female protagonist who comes into Frank's shop one day. Unfortunately this story kind of takes over, and I never really warmed up to the relationship between these two characters. There was also a lot of extraneous music information (while Frank gives Ilse music lessons), that I would have appreciated more had I been more of a music aficionado. The writing was lovely, and it was obvious that Ms. Joyce has a great grasp of the effect music can have on any individual.

Definitely worth a read if you are into a wide range of music, and a great study of some lovable misfits coming together to save their town. Despite not being a big fan of the Frank/Ilse relationship, I still enjoyed the story as a whole.

I received this book from Penguin First to Read.

 

2

Published on 2 Comments on Month in Review: Incoming vs. Outgoing November 2017

Although I didn't read as many books this month as some months, I kept my incoming number under control. Here's how it all played out......

Incoming = 7 (5 purchased, 2 from publishers)

Outgoing = 16 (11 physical, 5 audiobooks)

Total this month 16 - 7 = minus 9
Total carried over from last month = plus 51
New total = plus 42

December is typically a pretty slow month for book releases, so maybe I can crack the under 40 mark by the end of the year. I say maybe because there is the holidays and my book wishlist that my husband knows how to access!

How did you do this month with knocking down your to be read pile?

Published on Leave a comment on The Paris Secret
The Paris Secret Book Cover The Paris Secret
Karen Swan
Fiction
William Morrow Paperbacks
November 14, 2017
Paperback
416
Free from publisher

Somewhere along the cobbled streets of Paris, an apartment lies thick with dust and secrets: full of priceless artworks hidden away for decades.

High-flying Fine Art Agent Flora from London, more comfortable with the tension of a million-pound auction than a cosy candlelit dinner for two, is called in to asses these suddenly discovered treasures. As an expert in her field, she must trace the history of each painting and just who has concealed them for so long.

Thrown in amongst the glamorous Vermeil family as they move between Paris and Antibes, Flora begins to discover that things aren't all that they seem, while back at home her own family is recoiling from a seismic shock. The terse and brooding Xavier Vermeil seems intent on forcing Flora out of his family's affairs - but just what is he hiding?

 

My review:

This is my first foray into reading Karen Swan, and I like what I see! I'm going to call this an adult Nancy Drew, which is a big compliment, as I devoured these books as a kid. The mystery surrounding the artwork reminded me somewhat of the B.A. Shapiro books (The Art Forger and The Muralist), also favorites of mine. The story was intriguing, I loved the art references as well as the idea of working in the auction business. The details revealed that tie the story into the war years was also fascinating, and I couldn't wait to figure out just what was going on (kind of like Nancy Drew 🙂 ). I'm going to sound like a broken record when I say that the only thing I did not like about the book was the romance (why why WHY does there always have to be one of these?). I didn't like the love interest from the beginning, didn't believe that he would change, and just.....ugh! But enough of that, because this book had so much else going for it, that I'm going to pretend that part just didn't exist. The writing was fluid, the end of chapter cliff hangers were spectacular ways to keep me reading, and the way the mystery pans out was interesting and satisfying.

A great read, with art history, mystery, WWII tie-ins, and the proverbial romance (for those that like a little of that on the side). And we can't forget that it's set in Paris, which deserves a look all on its own. I'm impressed with this author's writing style, and will certainly be checking into some of her earlier works.