The Girls in the Picture

By: Melanie Benjamin
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 5 stars

Summary: An intimate portrait of the close friendship and powerful creative partnership between two of Hollywood’s earliest female superstars: Frances Marion and Mary Pickford. An enchanting new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue and The Aviator’s Wife.

Hollywood, 1914. Frances Marion, a young writer desperate for a break, meets “America’s Sweetheart,” Mary Pickford, already making a name for herself both on and off the screen with her golden curls and lively spirit. Together, these two women will take the movie business by storm.

Mary Pickford becomes known as the “Queen of the Movies”—the first actor to have her name on a movie marquee, and the first to become a truly international celebrity. Mary and her husband, Douglas Fairbanks, were America’s first Royal Couple, living in a home more famous that Buckingham Palace. Mary won the first Academy Award for Best Actress in a Talkie and was the first to put her hand and footprints in Grauman’s theater sidewalk. Her annual salary in 1919 was $625,000—at a time when women’s salaries peaked at $10 a week. Frances Marion is widely considered one of the most important female screenwriters of the 20th century, and was the first writer to win multiple Academy Awards. The close personal friendship between the two stars was closely linked to their professional collaboration and success.

My Thoughts:

This book came out at such an incredible time. It's a story of the power of women - as most books are by Benjamin. It demonstrates the power that women could claim for themselves, but also the imbalance of power that was/is prevalent within the industry.  I personally didn't know much about the beginnings of Hollywood and to see it here, through the eyes of some of the most influential women in the industry, delighted me. I had no idea the female collaboration behind the beginning of the movies. The friendship and power between Marion and Pickford was refreshing and enjoyable to read.

Benjamin poured herself into this book. She meticulously researched the topic and brought her usual depth to all characters involved. She created a world I didn't want to leave and this book was almost impossible to put down. 

This is a definite must-read for anyone who loves the movie business and seeing how it developed, from the evolution from flickers to talkies, to seeing the rise of some of the studios we know today. There were also appearances by the likes of Douglas Fairbanks and Charlie Chaplain. This was a novel steeped in detail that brought true color to the era of back and white movies.

I can't recommend this book enough. I've put it down to be read for book club and have told so many friends that if you could only read one historical novel from 2018 it really needs to be this one!

By the Book

By: Julia Sonneborn

Genre: ChickLit, Retellings, Contemporary

Rating: 4.5 stars

Summary:

An English professor struggling for tenure discovers that her ex-fiancé has just become the president of her college—and her new boss—in this whip-smart modern retelling of Jane Austen’s classic Persuasion.

Anne Corey is about to get schooled.

An English professor in California, she’s determined to score a position on the coveted tenure track at her college. All she’s got to do is get a book deal, snag a promotion, and boom! She’s in. But then Adam Martinez—her first love and ex-fiancé—shows up as the college’s new president.

Anne should be able to keep herself distracted. After all, she’s got a book to write, an aging father to take care of, and a new romance developing with the college’s insanely hot writer-in-residence. But no matter where she turns, there’s Adam, as smart and sexy as ever. As the school year advances and her long-buried feelings begin to resurface, Anne begins to wonder whether she just might get a second chance at love.

My Thoughts:

Persuasion by Jane Austen is my favorite of all of her books. (I know there aren't a lot, but the competition is steep) So I love to find re-tellings of that particular story. This one most definitely didn't disappoint. Located in the Ivory Towers of academia and with characters that lend themselves close to readers hearts I read this in one sitting. Should I have been doing other things such as laundry, homework and housework...yes, but as most readers understand, the book was just too good.

I loved Larry, Anne's dear friend who also was facing love troubles of their own. As I was reading all I could think of was Peter MacNicol from his time in numbers. The dedicated professor with a few little quirks. I'm not sure if that's who Sonneborn was thinking of when she wrote him, but I found him to be endearing - even with his clandestine affair.

I think this is a book that I will return to again. It's hard to bring Austin to the modern day without being overly sappy, and I think that this was one of those stories. It's a great feel good book - you know the end from the beginning (at least you do if you read the original story) and it carries a sweetness that was a perfect way to spend a Saturday.

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.