Customer Reviews

Fleur De Leigh's Life of Crime: A Novel

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It is Hollywood in 1957, and Author Diane Leslie wittily captures the capricious Beverly Hills landscape "where flowers bloom year-round and residents' houses, designed by set decorators rather than architects, form backdrops rather than homes". 'Nuff said.The main character, adolescent "Fleur de Leigh" is beginning to realize that she is a mere supporting player to her flamboyant parents who require her to be invisible at home but to publicly imitate Shirley Temple...Fleur sets the tone for the telling of her story by first introducing us to those wonderful parent characters. Her mother is a French-gushing, B-movie actress who has created a fairly silly radio glamour venue for herself to revitalize her fading career. Her father, a former big player in the movie industry, is reduced to producing rather pathetic TV game shows.Totally immersed in their own lives as "artiste" and "mogul", detached parenting is an understatement with these two, thus setting the stage for Fleur's narrative tale of a string of nannies, cooks and other transient care givers who populate- in particularly colorful ways- her lonely childhood.The author draws upon the eccentricities of her own childhood growing up in a Hollywood family: her mother was a screenwriter, her father an entertainment lawyer with clients including Peggy Lee, Ann Miller, Jack Webb and Art Linkletter. Combine this with the fact that Ms. Leslie had some 60 nannies during her childhood and we can readily see that the comic voice we hear is one of experience.Of note: the novel's first chapter was originally a short story that won the Katherine Anne Porter Prize for Fiction and was subsequently read by actress Jill Eikenberry at the J. Paul Getty Museum and broadcast nationwide on NPR's Selected Shorts.Rich, honest humor- this fresh story is a terrific read.

Not only is Fleur delightful company one on one, she also provides great material for a lively group discussion. This is a fun and lighthearted read because of the author's artistry, but scratch softly on that lovely surface and things are boiling underneath.

OK, get yourself a cold drink and head for the patio, or tuck this one in your carryon baggage for a cross county read. Perhaps I'm prejudiced: I grew up in the West LA she describes (sans nannies) and have bought books from Diane at a marvelous small book store where she leads books groups. (Eat your hearts out Amazon customers: buy it at Duttons and you get a free candy bar. Can't tell you why - you need to read the book to find out.) Diane's a delight and her personality shines through in her writing. It's a light happy read, a book you want to return to until you, regretfully, reach the last page. And the characters become part of your own memories. Don't overlook Fleur de Leigh's Life of Crime; it's not as light weight as you might think.

Diane Leslie creates a marvelous sense of place and time in this excellent character study. Each chapter represents someone (usually a nanny) who moves quickly through the wake that is Fleur's life, and leaves ripples behind.

We are allowed to watch Fleur learn about her world through these characters, some who stay for just one day.

Leslie's sharp wit makes this a fast and often very funny read; the quirky Hollyweirdness of Fleur's mother and many of the supporting cast are delightful.

Yet, underneath all this humor lurks a heart twisting story of a little girl, growing up in the '50's, with toxic parents who are more nuclear disaster than nuclear family. Moments of genuine physical and spiritual danger are handled by Fleur with little assistance from her bubble-headed, French-spouting, self-absorbed mother, and her obsessive-compulsive, controlling father. We watch Fleur attempt to hang on to anyone and anything that give her a sense of security and permanence not offered by her parents...all the while retaining a strong sense of self and a sweetness of character.

With precise prose, and a superb abilty to create a wide variety of fully formed characters, Leslie makes it no crime to read the adventures of this engaging child.

Ms. Leslie has written a very amusing book, that is sad and moving as well. Fleur Leigh ages from 10 to 12 in the course of the book. She is a Hollywood child, the daughter of Charmian Leigh, a radio star trying to get into TV, and Maurice Leigh, a game show producer. The 9 chapters of the book(it takes place in the 1950's) are organized roughly around Fleur's nannies, who don't last long. Charmian Leigh, the mom, is a wonderful creation. Selfish, ambitious, histrionic, full of bad ideas, she is reminiscent of some of Dickens' meaner characters. The book is funny, but Fleur's search for affection and kindness is very serious. Constantine, the gardener provides kindness but his employment is always in jeopardy due to Charmian's jealousy. So the book is funny- the wealthy in Hollywoood funny- but also our affection for Fleur makes it affecting as well.

What a magnifique story! Quelle fun! C'est tres bien! It's all about a pretentious Hollywood family, and - would you believe it? - the mother is from Pittsburgh yet spouts FRENCH! Porquoi would anyone in their right mind want to do THAT? The heroine is the woman's daughter, Fleur - and she's just incroyable! I highly recommend this entertaining, hilarious, true-to-life book.

Rarely do I find a novel that evokes so successfully both joyous laughter and tearful empathy- the main character, an endearing young girl, narrates a shockingly accurate, yet thoroughly entertaining portrayal of a 1950's Hollywood household. The many unforgettable characters she encounters throughout the story ensure a rewarding experience for the reader. My teenage daughter loved it as well. We both highly recommend it!

My part of the country has received lots of snow lately, so I cozied down for a long winter's read with Fleur de Leigh's Life of Crime- and let me tell you, it was a superb way to spend an afternoon!
This focuses around- who else?- Fleur de Leigh, daughter of a radio personality with a big ego (Charmian, her mother) and a TV-game producer, her father. With reserved, distant- yet at times fun- parents, a perverted yet kind gardener, an odd cook, and a string of boisterous, comical, even sensual nannies (favorites being Bettina, Clover, and Glendora), this is a fun, laughter, tension, and party-filled read. Watch as Fleur gets admitted to Psychodrama, Charmian seduces a nanny's boyfriend, Fleur gets stuck in a police station, and many more comical times!
Buy this book- trust me, you will NOT be disappointed!

Fleur De Leighs Life of Crime is a comic and poignant novel about the tenaciousness with which a child ignored by her parents reaches out to the other adults who come and go in her life.

Though her father Maurice is cold and distant and her mother Charmian is self-absorbed and superficial, Fleur de (the de is silent she says) finds instruction and warmth from nannies, their boyfriends, the gardener and the occasional contestant in the game show produced by her father. Fleur is everything a reader looks for in a character: brave, resourceful, honest, and as other-focused as her parents are self-focused.

A first novel for Hollywood-raised writer Diane Leslie, Fleur De Leighs Life of crime is an absorbing and memorable read. Set in the 1950s McCarthy-era Hollywood, it offers an illuminating perspective on our own present-day culture and the roots thereof. Truly a wonderful reading experience.

While this book has humorous moments thoughout and is billed as a comic novel, I cringed at the inadequacy of Fleur's childhood. The author adeptly portrays the evil egocentrism of the Hollywood elite. Scenes involving the "psychodrama workshop" are inspired.

Entertaining, yet maddening at times. Will Fleur overcome the sterility of her childhood?