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vesper1931's review
2.0
The film industry in post war London and Sicily as told by Cara Walden, a young actress. Didn't really find it an interesting read, the story or the characters.
A NetGalley Book
A NetGalley Book
geoffreyg's review
5.0
A charming and intelligent book that is part mystery, part travelogue, part homage to the film industry of the 1930's to 50's , as seen through the eyes of the daughter of a Hollywood producer, actress Cara Walden. Lieberman has drawn Cara well as an innocent abroad in post-war Europe, encountering a rich supporting cast of larger-than-life characters who leap off the page with the sharp clarity of a celluloid-era Dickens. Some characters remain plausibly ambiguous, revealing subtle layers as the book progresses.
The action is skilfully woven into real events of the era, when a devastated Europe was still reforming after WW2 and the dead hand of Senator McCarthy lay over US creative industries, so the whole book is totally believable. It comes to a conclusion that could have leapt from the screen of an old black and white movie, the kind where you leave the cinema saying 'they don't make 'em like that anymore'. Fortunately, I believe more Cara Walden books are planned. I hope we don't have to wait long.
The action is skilfully woven into real events of the era, when a devastated Europe was still reforming after WW2 and the dead hand of Senator McCarthy lay over US creative industries, so the whole book is totally believable. It comes to a conclusion that could have leapt from the screen of an old black and white movie, the kind where you leave the cinema saying 'they don't make 'em like that anymore'. Fortunately, I believe more Cara Walden books are planned. I hope we don't have to wait long.
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