Stars over Sunset Boulevard
Susan Meissner
Genre: Historical Fiction
Summary (from Goodreads): In this new novel from the acclaimed author of Secrets of a Charmed Life, two women working in Hollywood during its Golden Age discover the joy and heartbreak of true friendship.
Los Angeles, Present Day. When an iconic hat worn by Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind ends up in Christine McAllister’s vintage clothing boutique by mistake, her efforts to return it to its owner take her on a journey more enchanting than any classic movie…
Los Angeles, 1938. Violet Mayfield sets out to reinvent herself in Hollywood after her dream of becoming a wife and mother falls apart, and lands a job on the film-set of Gone With the Wind. There, she meets enigmatic Audrey Duvall, a once-rising film star who is now a fellow secretary. Audrey’s zest for life and their adventures together among Hollywood’s glitterati enthrall Violet…until each woman’s deepest desires collide. What Audrey and Violet are willing to risk, for themselves and for each other, to ensure their own happy endings will shape their friendship, and their lives, far into the future.
Review: I enjoyed learning more about how people lived in 1938 and getting a glimpse of life on the set of Gone With the Wind. I wish more of the story had focused on life at that time. The narrative set in the present day seemed like an afterthought, and didn't add much to the novel except to let the reader know how everything turned out in the end. A well-developed epilogue might have served the same purpose and not distracted from the historical fiction aspect, but that is just my opinion. The settings were vividly described and the characters were well-drawn and human. Overall an interesting glimpse into the golden age of Hollywood.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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