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kailey_luminouslibro's review
adventurous
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Victorine and Darleen are on their way to Hollywood! They travel out to California with Darleen's uncle, but get mixed up with burglars along the way. When Darleen's uncle is mistaken for a burglar too, the girls are left on their own. Victorine is worried that her lawyers are looking for her again, wanting to put her under the care of legal guardians. But Victorine is perfectly happy pretending to be "Bella Mae" and making movies with the Darling family. Or is she?
I loved this wonderful adventure story! The plot takes a lot of twists and turns. I was surprised at every new development. There are a lot of complex layers to the story following Darleen's acting career and Victorine's budding writing talent. I loved the hilarious writing style! It really captures that flavor of old-fashioned drama that you think of with a silent film.
Victorine is grieving over the death of her grandmother, and the loss of her entire identity. She begins to wonder who she really is. Is she Victorine the heiress, Bella Mae the movie extra, or someone else entirely? Victorine has a gentle nature, but she is strong and resourceful in difficult circumstances.
I loved the friendship between Victorine and Darleen. Together they make a great team. Darleen is very close with her family, especially her father, and they have welcomed Victorine into their family as well. The two girls really are like sisters!
One of the coolest things about this book is getting to learn real history about the silent film industry of this era. Several of the side characters are real historical people who worked in the first silent films and later in the "talkies". It's really interesting to see how they organized filming and editing, and the cool tricks they would use to do special effects.
Victorine explores the idea that movies can change how people think and act, and that movie makers have a responsibility to society to make movies that uplift and edify. It was really interesting to see these philosophical ideas being analyzed, since artists are still asking themselves the same question today; what is the purpose of art?
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
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