About All the Stars in the Heavens
• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Harper (October 13, 2015)
Adriana Trigiani, the New York Times bestselling author of the blockbuster epic The Shoemaker's Wife, returns with her biggest and boldest novel yet, a hypnotic tale based on a true story and filled with her signature elements: family ties, artistry, romance, and adventure. Born in the golden age of Hollywood, All the Stars in the Heavens captures the luster, drama, power, and secrets that could only thrive in the studio system—viewed through the lives of an unforgettable cast of players creating magic on the screen and behind the scenes.
In this spectacular saga as radiant, thrilling, and beguiling as Hollywood itself, Adriana Trigiani takes us back to Tinsel Town's golden age—an era as brutal as it was resplendent—and into the complex and glamorous world of a young actress hungry for fame and success. With meticulous, beautiful detail, Trigiani paints a rich, historical landscape of 1930s Los Angeles, where European and American artisans flocked to pursue the ultimate dream: to tell stories on the silver screen.
The movie business is booming in 1935 when twenty-one-year-old Loretta Young meets thirty-four-year-old Clark Gable on the set of The Call of the Wild. Though he's already married, Gable falls for the stunning and vivacious young actress instantly.
Far from the glittering lights of Hollywood, Sister Alda Ducci has been forced to leave her convent and begin a new journey that leads her to Loretta. Becoming Miss Young's secretary, the innocent and pious young Alda must navigate the wild terrain of Hollywood with fierce determination and a moral code that derives from her Italian roots. Over the course of decades, she and Loretta encounter scandal and adventure, choose love and passion, and forge an enduring bond of love and loyalty that will be put to the test when they eventually face the greatest obstacle of their lives.
Anchored by Trigiani's masterful storytelling that takes you on a worldwide ride of adventure from Hollywood to the shores of southern Italy, this mesmerizing epic is, at its heart, a luminous tale of the most cherished ties that bind. Brimming with larger-than-life characters both real and fictional—including stars Spencer Tracy, Myrna Loy, David Niven, Hattie McDaniel and more—it is it is the unforgettable story of one of cinema's greatest love affairs during the golden age of American movie making.
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Review: I absolutely love Adriana Trigiani. I try to grab a copy of any of her books that I possibly can. All The Stars In The Heavens is a little different from her other books.
This one is full of names that you know Loretta Young and Clark Gable whose relationship is where the main plot of this story revolves.
I wish I could say that I loved this book as much as I did The Shoemaker's Wife or The Supreme Macaroni Company. This one dragged a bit, ok maybe more than a bit. I think that even though the book was well researched, Ms Trigiani was a bit out of her comfort zone here.
There's also the problem of Loretta and Clark's relationship involving a date rape. Its hard to believe how much of their relationship was really a "romance" with that little nugget sitting in the back of your mind. I think that's what kept me from really falling in love with this book. (It didn't help matters that I always google historical people that I'm reading about)
It still can't be denied that Trigiani's writing is beautiful and compelling.
Rating: 3 flowers
About Adriana Trigiani
Adriana Trigiani is an award-winning playwright, television writer, and documentary filmmaker. Her books include the New York Timesbestseller The Shoemaker's Wife; the Big Stone Gap series; Very Valentine; Brava, Valentine; Lucia, Lucia; and the bestselling memoir Don't Sing at the Table, as well as the young adult novels Viola in Reel Life and Viola in the Spotlight. She wrote the screenplay for Big Stone Gap, which she also directed. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.
Visit Adriana at her website: www.adrianatrigiani.com, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.
1 comments:
Thanks for being a part of the tour!
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