From Publishers Weekly
The birth of the film industry and the advent of the world's first film star, Florence Lawrence, the original "Biograph Girl," form the basis of this fictionalized account of one woman's life in a burgeoning industry that changed the parameters of entertainment. The real silent film actress Lawrence committed suicide in 1938 by drinking ant poison. In Mann's version, LawrenceAwho was at the height of her fame in 1910, but by the late '30s had faded into oblivionAand a besotted physician-fan use the suicide of Lawrence's housemate as a ruse to allow Lawrence to disappear gracefully from an industry that no longer wants or cares about her. The fictional Lawrence not only goes on to have her own life, but lives to the ripe old age of 107. Lawrence's compelling story could easily stand alone: she starts out in show business as a stagestruck child, famous as "Baby Flo" for her whistling talents; has a knack for hooking up with the wrong men; and in her new incarnation emerges as an independent, insouciant dame doing her own thing with ?lan. Mann (Wisecracker) unfortunately burdens this lively material with a cumbersome plot device concerning twin brothers at odds with each other. While researching a piece, New York Times journalist Richard Sheehan discovers that the legendary Florence Lawrence is alive, living in a Catholic nursing home as Florence Bridgewood. Struck by the ex-actress and her remarkable life, he decides to write her biography. His brother, Ben, however, has other plans. Once a film student wunderkind and now stuck in an unrewarding advertising job, Ben intends to use Florence's storyAand Florence herselfAto make his way back into the film industry. Though the subplot revolving around the brothers' rivalry pales next to the vivacious incarnation of Florence Lawrence, Mann builds each tale on the other, leading up to a fittingly cinematic grand finale. Agent, Malaga Baldi. (June)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Booklist
What if the first star of the silent screen, Florence Lawrence, didn't die in 1939 from ingesting ant poison, but is 106 and living in a nursing home in Buffalo, New York? Gay freelance writer, Richard Sheehan, finds her by chance while interviewing the elderly for a New York Times article. His ambitious, straight twin, Ben, makes a documentary about her in the hopes that it will jump-start his career. He sends her out on the talk-show circuit, but questions are raised about who is buried in Florence's grave. Still cagey, she refuses to talk about certain aspects of her life, happy just to bask in the limelight once again. Old age finally catches up to her, and Florence's decline brings the conflicts between the two Sheehan brothers to a head. Seamlessly combining actual people, including Florence, who worked for D. W. Griffith, with fictional characters, Mann presents a wonderfully entertaining look at the ups and downs of the life of a star and of the film world, from its inception to the present day. Patty Engelmann
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
