Customer Reviews

The Starlet: A Novel

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

We meet again some of the key characters from Mary Mcnamara's debut novel, Oscar Season, but the Starlet is a fully stand-alone - and utterly gripping - story. McNamara's character development is masterful; she paints portraits of very realistic people, each with a unique blend of strengths and weaknesses, and each of whom we come to feel we really know and either profoundly like, or love to hate. Add to that a beautiful setting (the hills of Tuscany), glamorous people (Hollywood stars, portrayed from McNamara's insider' viewpoint), and the omg! who's going to be murdered next ? of an ongoing murder mystery. and you have a thoroughly enjoyable page-turner of the highest quality. I look forward to future work from this fine author. She just keeps getting better.

From page one, where we find a young Hollywood mega-star precariously wrapped around a Florentine fountain in a coked-out haze, The Starlet doesn't stop - an unrelenting ride revealing the cold underbelly of Hollywood's dream machine. With characters that seem just familiar enough to make you wonder if the author knows more than she should, McNamara gets behind the tabloid headlines to explore a world with no rules and often no consequences. Set in an ancient Italian Villa, full of history and ghosts, havoc ensues when a Hollywood film crew decides to crash the party. This is a terrific follow-up to McNamara's Oscar Season. Part mystery, part romance (with a healthy dose of humor) she creates characters that are utterly human, utterly fallible...and completely unforgettable.

As with Oscar Season, I was caught up in The Starlet immediately. From the opening scene with the young movie star preparing to take what she imagined would be a graceful nose dive off the top of a fountain, to the very end of the book, I did not want to stop reading. Once again Mary McNamara provides us a fascinating, in-the-know, glimpse into Hollywood even though the setting is beautiful, rural Italy. I thought the cover artwork was a little bit misleading - I was expecting more fluff and not nearly the level of intrigue and danger that is actually revealed as the plot unfolds. There is no shortage of twists and turns and there are mysteries within mysteries. Some of the characters from Oscar Season have found their way into The Starlet, but in The Starlet we get to see that they are far more complex, interesting, and real. We also meet new characters who are just as interesting and complex. As the story ended, I found myself wanting to know what happens next for several of the characters - I hope we get to find out.

In Los Angeles at the posh Pinnacle Hotel, Juliette Greyson heads public relations. However to get away from the coddled rich and famous, she is on vacation in her maternal family's country Italy. In Florence, Juliette is stunned to watch druggie Mercy Talbot, an actress missing from a movie shooting in Rome, dive into a fountain. The paparazzi are too busy taking pictures to help Mercy out of the water; so Juliette pulls her out of the fountain.

Juliette takes Mercy to her family estate Cerreta just north of Florence. There the young woman seems less frantic so the filmmaking is relocated to Juliette's estate. That is enough to irritate Juliette who needs rest on her vacation, but now Mercy's shrew of a mom arrives demanding posh hotel treatment; as do much of the Hollywood crowd. However what is worse for Juliette is her former lover movie superstar Michael O'Connor is on location at her estate too at the same time someone is killing the pampered celebs.

The latest Greyson over the top (this time the Italian Alps rather than the Hollywood Hills - see Oscar Season) thriller is an amusing tale that lightly lampoons celebrities and their "ambulance' chaser paparazzi. The story line is a frantic fun frolic as Juliette hopes to survive the movie world invasion of Italy that she thought she left behind in L.A.

Harriet Klausner

I adored Mary McNamara's first book Oscar Season and The Starlet did not disappoint. The cover continues that theme and is even more striking with the bold red, white and black motif. The story really seems ripped from the pages of today's TMZ and is amazing. I know this had to have been written at least a year ago, but the main character of Mercy Talbot really looks like she is based on the wreck of the minute, Lindsay Lohan. And without giving away too much, the death of Mercy's costar seems plagued with Heath Ledger and David Carradine issues--or does he? Combine all of your favorite guilty pleasures of reading in this perfect book for summer.

McNamara's beautiful writing will also make you want to get on the next plane to Italy and visit Tuscany. I have been there once before and this really makes me long for the food and scenery which is all perfectly described. I can only imagine that with the author's history in writing for the LA Times entertainment section, that a lot of this story is based on true facts and real people. You just have to change the names to protect the guilty.

This is really the perfect summer read. It's got it all: sex, murder, drugs and drug-addled behavior and a beautiful location. Oh, and of course, Hollywood. No one seems to know Hollywood quite as well as McNamara and here, in Starlet, the act of making a movie is covered in detail and depth. After reading the book I was in awe at the time, energy, talent and resources that it takes to make a film...and more than a little aghast. The story is ultimately enjoyable: fast, furious and a heck of a lot of fun.

i read MM's 1st book, Oscar Season, and i liked it a lot. but i thought this book was a step above and beyond. yes, it's a mystery with dead bodies and clues scattered throughout. but it's much better written than most mysteries...the author clearly knows her literary references and it shows, in a very natural kind of way...nothing pretentious about it. the book is set in italy and the countryside is evoked so intensely you'll want to jump on a plane and fly over there. secondly, the author clearly knows a whole lot about the movie biz and that shows too. it's like being taken on a behind-the-scenes tour by someone who's spent a lot of time lurking about on sets, making all kinds of devastating observations while she sits there innocuously, just taking notes. i must admit that ever since reading this book, i've been thinking slightly differently about movie stars than i did before--the book brings them down to earth and humanizes them in a way i've not seen done too often. it's a really unique take on hollywood. my husband, who also read the book, had the same response.

all that aside, the starlet is just a really fun gossipy read. get it for your next vacation, your next plane flight, your next commute to work..... i guarantee you'll find it hard to put down.

In Mary McNamara's debut novel, Oscar Season, readers were introduced to Juliette Greyson. Juliette was the head of PR at the Pinnacle Hotel in Los Angeles, dealing with the rich and famous on a daily basis. After the murder of her cheating ex-husband, Juliette flees to Florence for a break from the LA lifestyle, and that is were The Starlet picks up.

Juliette saves troubled actress Mercy Talbot (think Lindsay Lohan) from diving into a fountain and whisks her away to her Italian estate she shares with cousin Gabriel. Upon arrival to Cerreta, Gabriel is outraged Juliette would bring a drug riddled celebrity on the premises. Gabriel and Juliette are both recovering addicts, and Gabriel does not have the patience to deal with Mercy and her Hollywood ways. The story begins to change when Juliette realizes that someone else may be supplying Mercy with the drugs, that someone being Mercy's own overbearing mother. After the mysterious death of Mercy's former co-star, the plot intensifies when another death on set occurs. Juliette is determined to find the culprit, and help save Mercy from succumbing to death from addiction at such a young age.

Even though I had not read Oscar Season previously, The Starlet easily stood its ground alone. The tantalizing pull of celebrities and their over-the-top lifestyles mixed in with drugs, sex, and murder makes this mystery irresistible to put down. I loved Italy as the setting, the beautiful images along with the serene atmosphere of Cerreta made the whole drug/murder scandal that much more scandalous. The love stories that were threaded throughout seemed to get a little confusing, but I guess that is life of the rich and famous. I definitely recommend The Starlet and look forward to reading more novels from Mary McNamara.

The Starlet works because of the story- not the plot, not the characters, not the writing (although all of those things contribute to the success of the book) but how they come together to tell a story.

None of the characters are completely lovable, although Juliette and her cousin Gabriel are mostly easy to sympathize with. The fun is in deciding which of the other characters to love, to hate, to pity, and to see how many of those you can do simultaneously.

This book manages to be entertaining while simultaneously not trivializing the impact that drugs can have on a person's life. I think this works because the writing was so good.

The serious side of this book comes from the dealing with drugs mentioned above. Mercy (the Starlet) is out of control in her use of them, Juliette and Gabriel have managed to get past that in their own lives. Various other characters use and abuse drugs as well.

The lighthearted side comes from the craziness of life on a movie set, particularly when the movie is behind schedule and being rewritten scene by scene. The characters range from slightly larger than life to completely over the top, which suits the Hollywood scene very well.

There is enough of a mystery to keep the plot moving along, and to keep you guessing as to the motives of various characters.

Each moment in the book was vivid, and portrayed what was needed for the scene to work. I loved the descriptions of the Italian countryside, and I usually don't stop to notice that sort or thing- maybe it was the cinematic theme, but this book was much more visual than average for me.

All in all, a great vacation read.

Mercy Talbot had been famous since she was eleven. Now twenty-three, she was climbing a fountain in the middle of a plaza in Florence, Italy. Her co-star and lover died of what was considered an accident, and Mercy believes she might be next. With the paparazzi and other witnesses calling for her to jump, a familiar voice from the crowd causes her to hesitate - but just for a moment. Following the dive, she is rescued by Juliette Greyson, the public relations director for a posh L.A. hotel, who is currently on vacation.

Juliette takes Mercy to a villa she and her cousin own so that Mercy can have some privacy and hopefully a time of healing. In the middle of filming a movie, Mercy decides she likes the area and the next thing Juliette knows Mercy's mother Angie shows up and as does the whole production team to finish filming on location. When someone else connected with the film dies, Mercy fears she is next.

The Starlet is an insider's look at the excesses of Hollywood, Juliette's attempts at separating herself from those excesses, and what can happen to a young star who becomes everyone's hot property. This tangled mystery covers much emotional ground because of all those who are involved in Mercy's life and struggles. It is obvious that the author has experience in the world of actors and actresses, and how they are used by the powers that be. It is easy to feel for Mercy inspite of her behavior, especially after meeting her mother.

Not having read Mary McNamara's first novel, Oscar Season, I would definitely go back and catch up on what looks to be an intriguing series. Those who are interested in the entertainment field or just want to read a captivating story will want to check out The Starlet.