A Touch of Stardust

A Novel

By: Kate Alcott

Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell

Length: 10 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Dressmaker comes a blockbuster novel that takes you behind the scenes of the filming of Gone with the Wind, while turning the spotlight on the passionate romance between its dashing leading man, Clark Gable, and the blithe, free-spirited actress Carole Lombard. When Julie Crawford leaves Fort Wayne, Indiana, for Hollywood, she never imagines she’ll cross paths with Carole Lombard, the dazzling actress fromJulie’s provincial Midwestern hometown. The young woman has dreams of becoming a screenwriter, but the only job Julie’s able to find is one in the studio publicity office of the notoriously demanding producer David O. Selznick, who is busy burning through directors, writers, and money as he films Gone with the Wind.

Although tensions run high on the set, Julie finds she can step onto the back lot, take in the smell of smoky gunpowder and the soft rustle of hoop skirts, and feel the magical world of Gone with the Wind come to life. Julie’s access to real-life magic comes when Carole Lombard hires her as an assistant and invites her into the glamorous world Carole shares with Clark Gable, who is about to move into movie history as the dashing Rhett Butler.

Carole Lombard, happily profane and uninhibited, makes no secret of her relationship with Gable, which poses something of a problem for the studio because Gable is technically still married—and the last thing the film needs is more negative publicity. Julie is there to fend off the overly curious reporters, hoping to prevent details about the affair from slipping out. But she can barely keep up with her blond employer, let alone control what comes out of Carole’s mouth, and—as their friendship grows—Julie soon finds she doesn’t want to. Carole, both wise and funny, becomes Julie’s model for breaking free of the past.

In the ever-widening scope of this story, Julie is given a front-row seat to not one but two of the greatest love affairs of all time: the undeniable on-screen chemistry between Scarlett and Rhett, and offscreen, the deepening love between Carole and Clark. Yet beneath the shiny façade, things in Hollywood are never quite what they seem, and Julie must learn to balance her career aspirations and her own budding romance with the outsized personalities and overheated drama on set.

Vivid, romantic, and filled with Old Hollywood details, A Touch of Stardust will entrance, surprise, and delight.

©2014 Random House Audio; 2015 Kate Alcott

Critic reviews

“Kate Alcott effortlessly evokes the shimmering world of vintage Hollywood as she drops a plucky young woman from Indiana into the tumultuous set of Gone With the Wind and a legendary silver screen romance, against the backdrop of the gathering storm in Europe. If you’ve ever longed to be a fly on the wall as Clark Gable loses his heart to the effervescent Carole Lombard, or watch Vivien Leigh gather herself together for her greatest scene, you’ll devour this book as hungrily as I did.” — Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of A Hundred Summers

“Sparkling with the magic of classic moviemaking and set against the fiery drama of Hollywood's Gone With the Wind filming, Alcott weaves fact and fiction so that readers cheer for the story to be reality— a place where we all might find... a touch of stardust. “— Sarah McCoy, New York Times bestselling author of The Baker's Daughter

"If you could time-travel to anywhere in the golden age of Hollywood, it would be hard to imagine a place more exciting than the set of Gone with the Wind—which is just where Alcott sets much of her new novel….Lombard is portrayed as delightfully as any character she played in the movies…Alcott infuses her breathtaking novel with the sort of glamour found only on the big screen—and a host of frailties that are all too human.”-- New York Times Book Review

A Touch of Stardust

I loved this entire book! I couldn’t stop listening whether at work, during the day, in between my workouts and of course as I get ready to sleep. I’m a fan of the golden era of Hollywood and it’s golden actors and actresses. Being in love with that glamour, it was a greater fantasy to travel with Julie Crawford on this journey of meeting these golden actors you could relate to Julie all along the way and understand every emotion. Andy made me crack up and laugh with his sarcasm, quick jokes and wittiness. Overall, I could read and listen to this book again and again.

Good beach read

Good beach read

Story was lite but the content was fun. Gives u an interesting perspective on Jewish Hollywood right before WWII.

Less than stellar

What disappointed you about A Touch of Stardust?

The narrator for this book nearly killed it for me all by herself, but sometimes you can get past that if the material is good.
This is one of those stories that seems to have a good premise, yet keeps just falling short of grabbing the readers interest. I never really much liked any of the characters as the story meandered around from one implausible lucky break to the next in a slow-paced and rather repetitious manner. I wanted to care, but finally gave up and found myself saying "Yeah, yeah, whatever...let's wrap this up shall we?" I don't know exactly why I finished listening to this book as I lost interest somewhere in the middle--but I did finish. Maybe I was wondering if the end was as boring as the beginning? Yep. It was.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

When a very feminine voice attempts to 'play' a masculine character, the results are usually not particularly good. Add a touch of a Bogey-style lilt to the narrative and it's guaranteed to get on the listeners last nerve. This narrator simply couldn't carry off the attempted male voices and there are enough men in this story to drive the listener to distraction. Perhaps the narrator would have been better off simply reading this straight. She has a nice voice...just not enough acting skills for much characterization work.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Nothing. This book sparked nothing.

Any additional comments?

The insights about "Gone With The Wind" were mildly interesting, but if you really would like to know more about the filming of that movie there are probably better books on that topic.

Major Disappointment

This seemed like a great book for a film buff ( me ), read by a favorite narrator, Cassandra Campbell. Wow, what a disappointment ! Poorly written, badly narrated ( I never thought I'd say that about the usually great CC ), over-all a flat, uninteresting story about an exciting Hollywood era. Film fans, skip it.