Customer Reviews

Stranger in the Mirror

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the behind-the-scenes story of megastar Toby Temple. He rose from poverty to become the biggest entertainer on TV and in the movies, as well as a first-class heel who used and discarded everyone in his path. It is also the story of Jill Temple who ran off to Hollywood with stars in her eyes, but never got her big break, despite experiencing every casting couch in town. She and Toby marry, and then she uses her new power to destroy those who hurt her. Little did she know it would all end in murder.

This novel is a departure for Sidney Sheldon, who usually writes thrillers with beautiful, young heroines facing disaster every few pages. He does know show biz, however, being a prolific Oscar and Emmy-winning writer. Here he creates two characters who manage to be sympathetic despite being completely without scruples, and you'll find the book hard to put down. He carefully weaves characters and details, slowly building to a surprising and very satisfying conclusion. This is a well-written, exciting story about the world of actors, agents, and directors (it's fun to try to guess which characters may have been based on real people). I happily recommend "A Stranger in the Mirror."

Kona

Absolutly brilliant! Mr. Sheldon at his best. This is right up there with my other classic favourite Master of the game. Great beginning with the troubles of Toby Temple, his rise to fame, his lonliness all depicted with sheer class. Not to mention Jill Castle. Amazing ending. Un-putdownable..

I don't read books very much but I have one favorite writer.His name is Sidney Sheldon.I like his world. His book develops story very quickly so I'm always surprised the development and enjoy how it develops.All of his books are interesting very much and this time, I recommend one of them tytled "A Stranger in the Mirror".This story is written about inside HollyWood. We are all longing to stand the wonderful stage of HoolyWood among the beautiful lights and many audiences. But, it is a steep way to realize our dream. This story tells us that how mean and ruthless inside the beautiful HollyWood through the life of a young comedian and a young actress who dreamed to succeed in HollyWood. At first, they were full of hope but then they realized what a ruthless way we had to go to stand the HollyWood stage. To the goal, they did anything, sometime they betray their friends and lovers, sometime the use their sex. But the things they got in consequence of those ruthless behavior is neither eternal success nor happy life but only destruction of themselves. Through this story, we can get how man is stupid. Anyway, please read once.

I have read SS books before. Most of them are gripping thrillers - this one is not like them . its more r like a biography of a star - his failure, pain, agony, success and finally his death. Still it makes to sit & read .. after sometime u feel for him & adore him. Thats the success of SS narration.

The behind the scene of Hollywood is told in detail.Looks like most of them r inspired from real life incidents. The book starts with good suspense speaking abt the incidents in the ship.Then somehow it drags in the middle and goes for a perfect climax.

It's one of the most entertaining book Sheldon has written. I absolutely adore Sheldon, and hope you enjoy this book. In this book, life is not a precious thing, characters die when they need to die. It has a very fast-pace and yet the ending was not what I have expected--it is unpredictable to me at least.

-Is there another cover for the book The Sky is Falling? I dont want to buy the one with the girl laying on the floor.

Sheldon strikes a different kind of chord with this novel, in the fact that this is more than anything else a poignant love story, a sort of contemporary Romeo & Juliet..the world of show business is depicted in the realistic way only an insider like the author could show, and the story illustrates the pains both main characters, Toby Temple and Jill Castle, overcome, the humiliation and troubles from the past they forcefully bury, or try to..to become worldwide successes... a solid, good read, and heavily dramatic.

I remember one of the things Sidney Sheldon said, which was that, none of his characters are always all good nor are they always all bad. That is what makes his books so great, because he makes his characters "real," not out of fairy tales where things always end happily ever after. Everyone has an innocent side and everyone has an evil side.. he portrays them very well in his characters of this book. It is another must-read from Sheldon!

I have read all Sidney Sheldon novels when I was a teenager and am reading again after 20 years. This is the darkest story I have ever read by him. Both the main characters had no redeeming qualities and meet with an apt ending. They are ambitious, care nothing for others or for one another, achieve great stardom but have no love and no happiness. When i finished, I felt what a waste of life and what a waste of my time.

This book is amazing, great story. One of my favorites from Sidney Sheldon.
A Stranger in the Mirror is a 1976 novel. One of the earliest Sheldon's works, but contains the typical Sheldon fast-paced narration and several narrative techniques with the exception of a twist ending. The novel tells the life story of two fictitious Hollywood celebrities - Toby Temple and Jill Castle, portrays the emotional extremes of success and failure and how people inevitably become victims of time.

This book is hard to put down. It's a great read and a fast one. However, it is important to know that this book is abridged - in other words, there are many parts left out. I had originally read this book when it was first published (around 1977), so I had a feeling not everything was in there. One major part left out of this edition is that in the beginning, Toby is forced to leave home for his own safety (having got the daughter of a local policeman pregnant). This part is not mentioned in this edition. It's a great book anyway.