Dream Factory (Hardcover)

by Janet Leigh (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
From the venerable star of Hitchcock's Psycho comes a saccharine, painfully overwritten roman clef spanning Hollywood's golden heyday from the late 1930s to the early 1970s. Although it is designed to have film buffs guessing who's who among the cast of studio bigwigs and film actors, this wooden kiss-and-tell disappoints. Opening in 1972 in a hospital emergency room where powerful movie mogul Eve Handel arrives in the throes of a heart attack, the prologue refers to her scandalous secret journal in which she's been "free, free to verbalize, to expose her naked innermost emotions... no matter how sordid or how foolish or how romantic those innermost thoughts might be!" that could destroy the careers of many cinema figures. The story flashes back to 1934 to begin the pulpy saga of Eve, the precocious daughter of an affluent Chicago family who wins a scholarship to the London School of Dramatic Art at age 17. From this early moment, the narrative blurs into a run-on account of the exploits of the Teflon-coated young woman as she gouges out a place for herself in the old boys' network of Hollywood power brokers. Along the way, a myriad of cameos will titillate readers to try matching them with their famous counterparts. (One character bears a striking resemblance to one of the author's former husbands, an iconic film hunk.) Sadly, Leigh's campy, jejune second take on Tinseltown (after House of Destiny) is more Pollyanna than All About Eve, as the author barely scratches the surface of what could have been a veritable gold mine of trashy behind-the-scenes melodrama. National advertising. (Feb.)Forecast: Leigh's name and promotional dollars will have to sell this one, as positive reviews seem unlikely.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review
". . . her settings ring with authenticity. Ms. Leigh writes . . . with the authority of one who has been there." -- New York Times Book Review --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Mira; First Edition edition (February 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1551668742
• ISBN-13: 978-1551668741
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,485,297 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun, but not quite Collins, January 27, 2002

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

In 1938 Chicago, Eve Handel is engaged to marry Arthur Burdsey who she met four years ago as he was entering Northwestern. However, co-owners of Pad-Dar movie studio Peter Padron and John Darius invite Eve to come out to California to work for them. Though a difficult decision for a single young woman, Eve ends her engagement and journeys to Hollywood.

Over the next three plus decades, Eve evolves into a major player in the movie industry as her ability to find talent is uncanny. Many individuals from different walks of the Hollywood life turn to Eve with their worries and darkest confidences, knowing she will never reveal what she learned and will provide needed solace. However, in 1972 Eve lies in a Los Angeles hospital with what at first appears to be a heart attack. Many of the people she has assisted over the years wish for Eve's speedy recovery for different reasons. Some want it out of love and respect for someone who has always provided a safety net for the industry's workers. Others fear that the rumored journal that Eve allegedly maintained over the years will rock the community if it lands in the wrong hands and secrets are revealed.

This reviewer expected to invoke the fifty-page rule on THE DREAM FACTORY, but instead was pleasantly surprised by a well-written novel that provides entertaining insight into thirty plus years of Hollywood. The story line will remind readers of Jackie Collins' Hollywood Wives novels though much less spicy and titillating. Renowned actress Janet Leigh leaves the audience guessing who the characters are actually based on, but no exposes in this engaging bit of fluff.

Harriet Klausner