A Touch of Stardust

Resumen del libro

Alcott should entrance large audiences with her stellar historical novel, which follows fictional Indiana native Julie Crawford after she moves to Los Angeles in 1938 to become a screenwriter. Readers expecting a rehash of a familiar plotline, howeverthat of a young hopeful becoming disillusioned by the emptiness beneath Hollywood's glitzy veneerwill find something more nuanced and substantive. Working as an assistant to exuberant blonde actress Carole Lombard, who hails from her hometown, Julie gets pulled into the activity surrounding the filming of Gone with the Wind, costarring Clark Gable, the still-married man Carole loves (and vice versa). On and off the set, considerable drama unfolds; all the actors and crew are subjected to the single-minded vision of its controlling producer, David Selznick. Both Carole and diminutive brunette Vivien Leigh light up the page in their scenes, and Julie's story line holds its own alongside theirs. As she sheds her midwestern navet' and works hard on a screenplay in her free time, her romance with a Jewish assistant producer draws in themes of prejudice and hypocrisy. The briskly paced narrative captivates as it lets readers view the creation of silver-screen magic, and it's also a terrific tribute to the industry pioneers, like screenwriter Frances Marion, who helped others jump-start their dreams.