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A review by libraryofemilyjayne
Delayed Rays of a Star by Amanda Lee Koe
4.0
4.5⭐️
Amanda Lee Koe skilfully blends biography and fiction to tell the story of three iconic women in Hollywood cinema. The book is comprised of three parts covering different periods in time: each of these parts feature three separate narrative strands that tell stories from the lives of Marlene Dietrich, Anna May Wong and Leni Riefenstahl. While each of these women have very different stories to tell about their careers and subsequent fame/stardom/controversies, the stories all highlight the dilemmas these women faced when navigating the different aspects of their identity - their gender, their race, their sexuality - and the intersections of these. In Delayed Rays of a Star, Amanda Lee Koe transports readers back in time to show us the sacrifices and struggles these three women encountered in their attempts to break into the male-dominated world of cinema and to make a name for themselves.
I thought this book was incredibly well written and that it was very, very interesting - it has since inspired further research about these women! I was already familiar with Marlene Dietrich after (briefly) studying Hollywood cinema at university, but I loved learning more about her/her career-defining roles, as well as learning about Anna May Wong and Leni Riefenstahl - both of whom I was not previously familiar with. I also really liked all the layers to this book and all the side characters in this book, especially when it came to exploring their respective connections to these women.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of cinema/film, diversity & representation on screen and feminism.
Amanda Lee Koe skilfully blends biography and fiction to tell the story of three iconic women in Hollywood cinema. The book is comprised of three parts covering different periods in time: each of these parts feature three separate narrative strands that tell stories from the lives of Marlene Dietrich, Anna May Wong and Leni Riefenstahl. While each of these women have very different stories to tell about their careers and subsequent fame/stardom/controversies, the stories all highlight the dilemmas these women faced when navigating the different aspects of their identity - their gender, their race, their sexuality - and the intersections of these. In Delayed Rays of a Star, Amanda Lee Koe transports readers back in time to show us the sacrifices and struggles these three women encountered in their attempts to break into the male-dominated world of cinema and to make a name for themselves.
I thought this book was incredibly well written and that it was very, very interesting - it has since inspired further research about these women! I was already familiar with Marlene Dietrich after (briefly) studying Hollywood cinema at university, but I loved learning more about her/her career-defining roles, as well as learning about Anna May Wong and Leni Riefenstahl - both of whom I was not previously familiar with. I also really liked all the layers to this book and all the side characters in this book, especially when it came to exploring their respective connections to these women.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of cinema/film, diversity & representation on screen and feminism.