Hollywoodland: An American Fairy Tale [Paperback]

Jennifer Banash (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2006

Sharlene Miller is a small town girl dreaming of Hollywood fame and fortune. In her relentless quest for success, she becomes a groupie, a porn star, a television starlet and finally, the cultural icon Sierra—but fame always has its price. Struggling with demons both real and imagined, addicted to drugs and abandoned by her fans, Sierra finds herself moving through coma-induced hallucinations, fairy tale porn films, down rabbit holes of drugs and alcohol, and finally through the looking glass of Hollywood itself.

Drawing from A Star is Born, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, Alice in Wonderland, The E! True Hollywood Story, and the lives of Marilyn Monroe, Jane Mansfield, Dorothy Stratten, Sharon Tate, Krysti Lynn, and Savannah, Hollywoodland: An American Fairy Tale revises popular culture’s archetypal narratives to create the definitive Hollywood starlet—Sierra.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Abandoned and abused as a child, Sharlene clings to every young girl's glimmering fantasy of knights in shining armor and crystal palaces. With an enviable beauty and a body that won't stop, teenage Sharlene sets out to make her dreams come true. Gaining entree into the notorious world of sex and drugs as a rock-and-roll groupie, Sharlene moves on to small-time porn, eventually making the transition to mainstream movies and TV. Sierra, as she is now known, seems to have achieved the fame and fortune she always desired, but, as the adage goes, one must be careful of what one wishes for. Success may have come to Sierra, but Sharlene's childhood insecurities are never far from the surface, and can only be calmed through an escalating combination of booze, pills, and destructive relationships. With nods to Marilyn Monroe and Monica Lewinsky, Banash's recognizable protagonist is a combination of every starstruck waif or burned-out movie star whose sexuality turned out to be their one-way ticket to misfortune. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“This novel belongs on the book shelf between Valley of the Dolls and The Day of the Locust.” --Binnie Kirshenbaum, author of An Almost Perfect Moment, June, 2006

“An absorbing, emotional, quicksand-like first novel. Banash is destined for great things.” --Scott Bradfield, Scott Bradfield, author of The History of Luminous Motion and Hot Animal Love: Tales of Modern Romance, June, 2006

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 353 pages
• Publisher: Impetus Press (August 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977669300
• ISBN-13: 978-0977669301
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,085,185 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!, February 6, 2007

By 

NPB (Brooklyn ,NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hollywoodland: An American Fairy Tale (Paperback)

I read Hollywoodland in two days. It was that good. Jennifer Banash's story reads like a cross between a tabloid drama and an bad LCD trip. I felt so much empathy for the main character. This book goes to show how seedy the underbelly of Hollywood can be! I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in celebrities or the dark promise of fame. It's a great read!

4.0 out of 5 stars Ridiculous...Yet Hard To Put Down..., August 11, 2008

By 

Mercedes L. Johnmeyer "The Most Happy" (Summerville, SC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Hollywoodland: An American Fairy Tale (Paperback)

I had been waiting to read this book for what seemed like forever. I FINALLY found a library that carried it, and couldn't wait to dig in. Well...upon finishing it, I wasn't quite sure what I thought. Basically, if you like Hollywood gossip magazines, and are at all interested in the fall of movie stars, then this is the book for you. It reads like one very long STAR magazine.

I liked the main character (Sharlene/Sierra), even when she was obnoxious and delusional, and the story moved along at a nice pace, but I had a VERY hard time with the whole 'Presidential affair/rape' story-line. It was just soooo ridiculous. And the fairy-tale phrases thrown in after every few paragraphs was a bit annoying, but overall, I must say I enjoyed it.

As I said, if you like gossip mags, and check Perezhilton.com everyday, then this is definitely a book for you. My few complaints aside, Ms. Banash does a wonderful job keeping the reader engrossed, and keeping things interesting. I'd absolutely pick up another one of her novels.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fairy tale gone awry, January 17, 2008

By 

RonJon715 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Hollywoodland: An American Fairy Tale (Paperback)

Loved the novel. I went to the University of Iowa and had a chance to meet the author in class. It's been a while since I read it, but I remember finding this book extremely entertaining. The fairy tale life of Sierra quickly turns into a train wreck that one cannot turn away from. With all of Sierra's flaws, Jennifer Banash does an amazing job of creating a flawed character who invokes sympathy without pity from the reader. It's definitely worth the time (it's a quick read anyway).