Stardust
by:
Joseph Kanon (author)
Hollywood, 1945. Ben Collier has just arrived from war-torn Europe to find his brother has died in mysterious circumstances. Why would a man with a beautiful wife, a successful movie career, and a heroic past choose to kill himself? Ben enters the uneasy world beneath the glossy shine of the...
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Hollywood, 1945. Ben Collier has just arrived from war-torn Europe to find his brother has died in mysterious circumstances. Why would a man with a beautiful wife, a successful movie career, and a heroic past choose to kill himself? Ben enters the uneasy world beneath the glossy shine of the movie business, where politics and the dream factories collide and Communist witch hunts are rendering the biggest star makers vulnerable. Even here, where the devastation of Europe seems no more real than a painted movie set, the war casts long and dangerous shadows. When Ben learns troubling facts about his own family’s past and embarks on a love affair that never should have happened, he is caught in a web of deception that shakes his moral foundation to its core. Rich with atmosphere and period detail, Stardust flawlessly blends fact and fiction into a haunting thriller evoking both the glory days of the movies and the emergence of a dark strain of American political life.
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Format: paperback
ISBN:
9781439156322 (1439156328)
Publish date: July 6th 2010
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Pages no: 528
Edition language: English
I'm not going to write much, just that I really enjoyed this book. Its biggest flaw is that on occasion it loses me, most often in the dialogue, but it quickly gets back on track.The ending is a complete surprise; the characters are likable, I think where they're supposed to be - the setting is gre...
Lots of initial promise, a very interesting storyline, but ultimately a little disappointing. I find Kanon fascinating if only because he had a full career as a book publishing executive, then turned to writing when he was in his 50s (I'm guessing, based on the pic on the back cover.) His other wo...