Book Review

Book Review – City of Flickering Light

By Juliette Fay

*Disclaimer : I received a copy of this eBook for free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

From the Publisher :

Juliette Fay—“one of the best authors of women’s fiction” (Library Journal)—transports us back to the Golden Age of Hollywood and the raucous Roaring Twenties, as three friends struggle to earn their places among the stars of the silent screen—perfect for fans of La La Land and Rules of Civility. 

It’s July 1921, “flickers” are all the rage, and Irene Van Beck has just declared her own independence by jumping off a moving train to escape her fate in a traveling burlesque show. When her friends, fellow dancer Millie Martin and comedian Henry Weiss, leap after her, the trio finds their way to the bright lights of Hollywood with hopes of making it big in the burgeoning silent film industry.

At first glance, Hollywood in the 1920s is like no other place on earth—iridescent, scandalous, and utterly exhilarating—and the three friends yearn for a life they could only have dreamed of before. But despite the glamour and seduction of Tinseltown, success doesn’t come easy, and nothing can prepare Irene, Millie, and Henry for the poverty, temptation, and heartbreak that lie ahead. With their ambitions challenged by both the men above them and the prejudice surrounding them, their friendship is the only constant through desperate times, as each struggles to find their true calling in an uncertain world. What begins as a quest for fame and fortune soon becomes a collective search for love, acceptance, and fulfillment as they navigate the backlots and stage sets where the illusions of the silver screen are brought to life.

With her “trademark wit and grace” (Randy Susan Meyers, author of The Murderer’s Daughters), Juliette Fay crafts another radiant and fascinating historical novel as thrilling as the bygone era of Hollywood itself.

My Review :

I found this novel completely charming. Henry, Irene and Millie were all such carefully crafted characters that it was easy for me to picture them all being hired in Hollywood.

From the very first pages, I found the book hard to put down. There were parts of the plot that seemed to be reaching a bit, but it didn’t detract from my view of the book overall.

I did feel bad for Henry in the end since he appeared to be the only character who was not allowed to live his authentic life – but I guess if fame means that much to you, then you might do whatever it takes.

From their struggles to part with a shady past, to the future as bright as they can make it – each page of this book gives us a glimpse into moments that shape these characters into who they are today.

Affection and love are on bold display here – friendships that can endure and thrive in such a dark and seedy place are friendships that can survive pretty much anything, I think.

I would recommend this book if you’d like a glimpse into what it may have been like in early Hollywood.

⭐⭐⭐⭐