Stardust

Yes, at least for me.

His great character voices helped to make a complicated plot with many developed characters easier to follow. Although I really liked this book and found its period descriptions fascinating, I think I may have gotten lost in reading a print version.

I grew up in California during the period this book covers with its absurd, but scary commie hearings, and the continued work on the atom bomb by the big government labs. It was fun to hear descriptions of the emigrant community, the (now old) Hollywood mansions and all the glitter. His historical coverage rings true. I was too young to recall details of the hearings, but expect they are also pretty true to detail. Great book, but you better pay attention or you'll get lost! The plot may sound far fetched today, but it wouldn't surprise me at all to find "that only the names have been changed".

Stardust is both brilliant and challenging. It takes "stick-with-it-ness" to get through, but the persistence is well worth the investment of time.

The book is, in some respects, like watching water come to a boil. You can see and feel the heat of the flame being applied to the pot, but there is no immediate obvious effect on the liquid inside. The heat, however, is relentless and, after a while, visible currents begin to emerge. Bubbles form, creating light turbulence. And then, suddenly, an inflection point is reached and there is chaos, as things become wildly agitated, unpredictable, and violent.

Stardust is certainly not for the impatient. Half way through, I thought I might abandon and move on to something else. The quality of the writing kept me, but I was wavering. Two-thirds of the way through, I thought the book to be an interesting character study, but rather uneventful.

Then, suddenly, with about 5 hours left, the book exploded in a spasm of activity. The rest of the book was gone in the blink of an eye.

Interestingly, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, every early word was necessary. Looking back, nothing could or should have been cut out. Brilliant.

A couple other thoughts on this novel: I was entranced by Joseph Kanon's Istanbul Passage and chose to read Stardust with only one book in-between. Though clearly penned by the same hand, the two books are very different.

Istanbul Passage is chock-full of rich details that transport the reader to a a bygone era in an exotic location filled with larger-than-life personalities. In its pages, the reader can touch, feel, smell, and taste Istanbul. You are there.

Stardust is the polar opposite. Hollywood as the ordinary place it is. A mirage of sorts.

Studio magnates, glamorous movie stars, high profile gossip reporters, and big time politicians are all rendered human in this story. Their imperfections, foibles, insecurities, and secrets are on full display. Yet, in the telling of this story, we experience in some of the characters nobility, selflessness, and honor. (We are also exposed to and repulsed by actions and attitudes of others.)

My advice to those who choose to read this book: stay with it. Pay attention when it's slow and keep on going. You'll be glad you did.

historical tidbits, movie making and studio craft, the red scare which reader "knows" but characters don't. gossip columnists and studio's power. Narrator was willing to clip and slur words just like a real person would do when tired or dismayed. Voices and pacing of lines was perfect. I think the read aloud version beats the printed text on this one.

authenticity and character variety

the CA pools, the on the studio sets and back lots with the "fixer" Bunny, former child star.