Last Night at Chateau Marmont

A Novel

De: Lauren Weisberger

Narrado por: Merritt Wever

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Devil Wears Prada, a compulsively readable novel about a woman whose struggling singer-songwriter husband is catapulted to fame, dragging them both onto the pages of celebrity gossip magazines—and changing their marriage forever.

Brooke loved reading the dishy celebrity gossip rag Last Night. That is, until her marriage became a weekly headline...

For five years, she’s worked two jobs to support her husband’s dream of making it in the music world. Finally, after countless gigs at Manhattan dive bars and toiling as an A&R intern, the soulful, enigmatic Julian Alter gets signed by Sony, where he logs long hours in the recording studio with no promise of success. But when he is invited to perform on a national late-night talk show, he is catapulted to stardom—literally overnight.

At first the newfound fame is fun—who wouldn’t want to stay at the Chateau Marmont or love being treated like rock royalty? But as Brooke’s sweet husband becomes increasingly absent and tabloid rumors swirl, Brooke begins to question the truth about their marriage and is forced to finally come to terms with what she thinks she wants—and what she actually needs.

Rather Slow

Would you try another book from Lauren Weisberger and/or Merritt Wever?

I would try another book from Lauren Weisberger but I think I'll stear clear of Ms. Weaver's narration.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Merritt Wever?

Anyone.

Could you see Last Night at Chateau Marmont being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

Probably not although condensing it all into two hours or so might pick up the storyline sonewhat

Any additional comments?

Ms. Weaver seems to be overly concerned with diction which causes her to overpronunce some words (ex: impordant for important). Her diction is probably just fine naturally without this over pronunciation.
But most unenjoyable is her voice quality. I found I needed to listen to this audiobook with a very low volume as the voice did give me a headache, twice, Please no disrespect or offense meant toward Ms. Weaver.

Why is this titled “Last Night at Chateau Marmont”?

I kept waiting for the story to start. Literally nothing happens throughout the 12 hour read. The plot is in the last two chapters of the book. All we need is a two chapter summary and we can all get along with our day. I picked this title because I thought it revolved around The Chateau Marmont hotel, but it literally only mentions it twice throughout the book. Also it randomly jumps around like a television script and provides no details that would be benefit the reader. Also the main character is unlikable and annoying. Would definitely skip this one, I’m going to get my money back.

loved this!! great original story

This was great, loved the story and thought that it was a great narration. Would love to see this made into a movie.

A Modern Fairy Tale?

Lots of kids dream of being rock stars, but a love that lasts - possible???

Sweet fluff

Feel good book that goes down as easy as a martini at the end of a long work week.

Lousy Narrator!

Book is so-so but I’m not sure I’ll make it through with a narrator who puts a “d” in the word “important” and doesn't vary her tone of voice enough to make a conversation clear.

Good Listen

Another good, easy listen with humor and a fun story line. Romance, modern, and up to date with what our 'real world' stars may actually deal with.

Loved it!

Loved the story but the performance from the reader really made it come alive! A must listen!

A good follow-up to her earlier successes...

I'd have to put this firmly in the popular fiction category, but I wouldn't call it celebrity fiction, though that's what it is about. Lauren Weisberger treats us to a husband and wife team who actually achieve their highest aspirations financially and professionally, and suffer personally for it. So it has something for everyone...those who hope they succeed, and those who hope they fail. What kept me listening initially was the girlfriend talk in the beginning. It's always amazing to me that two people so different become such lasting friends. This is fiction, granted, but Weisberger seems to have a firm grip on the public pulse. In fact, she looks/writes like the pretty, popular girl at school. If you ever wondered what they were thinking while talking, here you might look behind the curtain.

Weinbeger talks about a different way of life from my own, and while I do not add reading celebrity gossip sheets to my list of guilty secrets, I do wonder about what it must be like to have one's privacy ravaged daily in supermarket tabloids. I actually admire those able to keep steady under such fearsome scrutiny. At her best, Weinberger reminds me of British novelist and screenwriter Julian Fellowes, who introduces us to a world beyond our imaginings in the upper reaches of British royalty. She is a bright, understanding, and seemingly balanced observer of human foibles as practiced by those we sometimes treat as super-human, when in fact they are only beautiful, famous, or rich, or all three.

I did grow somewhat tired of the stiff resistance to success as practiced by the wholesome main character, but it gave me moments to think what I might have done in such circumstances, and to wonder if I would have been so circumspect if I was 28 or 30 years old. But the ending was pure fiction of the old feel-good variety. I wasn't expecting it--things never turn out that way. But it was so delicious, that I listened to it twice.

Check the sample to see if you like the narrator!

After Chasing Harry Winston I was excited to listen to another of Lauren Weisberger's novels. This one, however, was slightly disappointing. I had to convince my self to look past the narrator to keep going. I found her winy and slightly annoying which I am sure Lauren was not going for in her main character. The book seems a bit bland and I feel like parts are un-realistic in that the lead character makes decisions that most women our age (30 something) would not make in the same situation. Bottom line, check the sample to see if you can stand the narrator for 12+ hours.