City of Flickering Light

Juliette Fay

Apr 2019 · Sold by Simon and Schuster

About this ebook

Juliette Fay—“one of the best authors of women’s fiction” (Library Journal)—transports us back to the Golden Age of Hollywood and the raucous Roaring Twenties, as three friends struggle to earn their places among the stars of the silent screen—perfect for fans of La La Land and Rules of Civility.

It’s July 1921, “flickers” are all the rage, and Irene Van Beck has just declared her own independence by jumping off a moving train to escape her fate in a traveling burlesque show. When her friends, fellow dancer Millie Martin and comedian Henry Weiss, leap after her, the trio finds their way to the bright lights of Hollywood with hopes of making it big in the burgeoning silent film industry.

At first glance, Hollywood in the 1920s is like no other place on earth—iridescent, scandalous, and utterly exhilarating—and the three friends yearn for a life they could only have dreamed of before. But despite the glamour and seduction of Tinseltown, success doesn’t come easy, and nothing can prepare Irene, Millie, and Henry for the poverty, temptation, and heartbreak that lie ahead. With their ambitions challenged by both the men above them and the prejudice surrounding them, their friendship is the only constant through desperate times, as each struggles to find their true calling in an uncertain world. What begins as a quest for fame and fortune soon becomes a collective search for love, acceptance, and fulfillment as they navigate the backlots and stage sets where the illusions of the silver screen are brought to life.

With her “trademark wit and grace” (Randy Susan Meyers, author of The Murderer’s Daughters), Juliette Fay crafts another radiant and fascinating historical novel as thrilling as the bygone era of Hollywood itself.

Ratings and reviews

Millie, Irene and Henry have been working the Burlesque circuit and have tired of the constant traveling, poor pay and an abusive boss. The story actually starts with them bailing out and jumping from a moving train – so apparently anything is better than staying! Arriving in Hollywood, they find a boarding house – but need to earn money for rooms to let. Henry was the first to get a job – he’s picked out of the crowd sitting outside the studio gates to be an extra. Irene, with her skill as a typist is the second to find work – she’s working on scripts and making changes – all of which spur on her own hidden talent for writing. Lastly there is Millie – the youngest of the trio and the least able to fend for herself in the world. Naïve, beautiful and not exactly the most clever, Irene and Henry are forever trying to protect and take care of Millie – something she really needs as she is quickly falling prey to ALL of the pitfalls in Hollywood. What’s truly amusing about this story is that there is nothing new to the pitfalls and problems in Hollywood: superficial people with few morals, sexual predation, abusive treatment, homophobia, lack of diversity and even drugs were frequent players in the game then and now. What Fay has done, however, is given us three characters who are desperately trying to NOT lose their friendship and bonds as they chase their dreams – and struggle through the challenges. Frequent quotes from the time, and references to other more ‘famous’ names of the day add a sense of ‘place’ to the story, and helped to mitigate the rather expected events to come. Overall, this was a clever read made more intriguing by the author’s creation of characters that we want to cheer on, and hope the best for. Their refusal to let go of the relationship with one another, even when occasionally stretched beyond patience, as their initial dreams are tempered by reality and struggles was clever and kept me reading on as we see changes, good and bad, for them all. I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.

About the author

Juliette Fay is the bestselling author of five novels, including the USA TODAY bestseller The Tumbling Turner Sisters. A graduate of Boston College and Harvard University, she lives in Massachusetts. Visit her at JulietteFay.com.