Title: A Hollywood Darling
Author: Brittany T. Noring
Publisher: XlibrisAU
ISBN: 978-1-9845-0230-8
Pages: 288
Genre: Fiction / Historical
Reviewed by: Ella Vincent
Pacific Book Review
A Hollywood Darling is an entertaining and insightful novel about the dark side of the golden age of Tinseltown. Brittany T. Noring has written a book that will enlighten and engage readers.
A Hollywood Darling tells the story of Roseanne Cartwright, a child actress who becomes a star in 1930’s Hollywood after changing her name to Birdie Flemming. As Birdie’s stature rises and she grows into an adult, she has to adjust to the sexual abuse she suffers at the hands of her manager, Barney. In addition to the trauma she suffers, Birdie marries a co-star, Clyde, who’s hiding a big secret that could ruin his career. While Birdie struggles with anxiety and addiction, she also finds the strength to change the course of her life for the better.
The novel’s protagonist, Birdie, is a powerful and sympathetic character. She struggles with the dichotomy between being Birdie the movie star and Roseanne, the woman who has to support her family and try to maintain her self-esteem during the Great Depression. Barney is the perfect villain as the sick antagonist that tortures Birdie throughout her career. Clyde is also a sympathetic character as an actor that is forced into a fake marriage to hide his true identity.
Noring’s writing is very evocative and tells a timeless story even if the novel is set during the 1930’s. Birdie’s struggle with being a sexual abuse survivor will resonate in the #MeToo era of women struggling to reclaim their power. Noring’s writing about gender, sex, and the hidden costs of fame are also written about so candidly and vividly that readers will that they are on a Hollywood set during the first days of Hollywood stardom. Her writing also delves deep into the history of the film industry and shows her deep understanding of the origins of Tinseltown. The book goes beyond being a soap operatype novel and has many layers.
A Hollywood Darling would be best for readers who love tell-all novels about old Hollywood, like A Touch of Stardust by Kate Alcott or non-fiction accounts like City of Nets by Otto Friedrich. This book would also be ideal for readers who want to read novels about strong female characters. The book could be read in book clubs or in film classes.
A Hollywood Darling is an incisive novel that readers will love. Noring has written a book that shows that the bright lights of Hollywood can sometimes burn too bright.
