I really enjoyed the beginning of this book, and thought that the time period, setting, and characters were really interesting. A little more than half way through it felt a bit more disjointed in plot, and I just didn’t connect as much to their life progression in Hollywood. Overall: fun, but not up there with The Tumbling Turner Sisters for me.

Told through the viewpoint of three very different people who make a decision to completely alter their lives, but jumping off a train and heading to Hollywood to fulfill dreams. Henry, Irene and Millie were in a traveling burlesque show and they leave quickly to try to make it on their own in the land of dreams. It is the 1920s in Hollywood and this time period makes things harder for almost everyone in one way or another; this book is a look into many different cultures and how being an other, as most were, made things harder.

The thing I loved most about this book was that not all three of them ended up acting. Through all three of them, the reader gets an inside look of other behind the scenes jobs in Hollywood, it made the book feel unique. To spoil just a bit, I liked seeing Henry enter the costuming department and Irene end up in the script department.

The interesting insight into an early #MeToo movement gave the book more depth and really made me think about the women and how they were treated when in regards to violence against women. In many books you see women oppressed just in general in relationships or on the job, but to see the early indications of these men taking advantage of women in this industry made this book a more interesting read.

I loved the setting for this one, 1921 in Hollywood, but I sadly didn't feel attached to the characters. I tried to finish it, but it ended up being a DNF for me.

Enjoyable historical novel about three friends who try to make it in Hollywood in the silent movie era. I recently read Melanie Benjamin's "The Girls in the Picture" which is also about that same era but about real people who actually became quite famous (although it was fiction); this one is about fictional characters who are more on the margins of the industry and made a very interesting counterpart to that novel, so if you enjoyed that book I would recommend this one and vice versa.

(Note that this particular version of this book was archived before I could read it; however it was posted again separately later and I requested it and was given access to it again, so this review is of that later version.)

Irene, Millie and Henry are part of a burlesque show. They are each wanting OUT. So…Yes…they jump from a train. And boy do their adventures begin. They head to Hollywood determined to make it in the “flickers”. Millie and Irene start out waiting on the benches all day hoping to be chosen as extras. Henry starts in wardrobe. Believe me….this is not where they stay!

I have to say, these are three of the best characters ever. They each have their strengths and their weaknesses. They each have different trials and tribulations. But they all have each other’s backs. Henry is the first to get a job and he keeps the girls going in money. The girls are literally living in squalor. Then things slowly start to change for each of them.

I loved The Tumbling Turner Sisters. You can read my review here. To me, this book is not as good as The Tumbling Turner Sisters. BUT, it is still a fantastic read. I felt this one was a little slow in places. That does not take away from this story at all though. This is a tale about hard work, achieving your dreams and what best friends really should be. I learned so much about old Hollywood and what people did to get into the movies. Plus, what they did to keep their name clean. Very fascinating!

I have very mixed feelings about Juliette Fay’s City of Flickering Light. I appreciate the ideas and history that inspired it, but the execution didn’t prove as compelling as I’d hoped it might.

The supporting cast interested me far more than Fay’s leading trio, but that is because many of them were based on real people. Edward is patterned on William Desmond Taylor, Hazel is patterned on Mabel Norman, and Eva is patterned on Frances Marion and much as I wanted to buy into these caricatures, I couldn’t help feeling the doppelgangers unnecessary. Are we supposed to believe her characters existed alongside their counterparts? That such duality genuinely existed? I'm sorry, but I simply couldn't wrap my head around the idea.

I give Fay credit for her chronicle of the challenges faced by women in Hollywood, her exploration of the city’s sexual identity, and her foray into the seedier side of the entertainment business, but I felt squeezing so much into a single narrative handicapped the impact of each idea. The end result is less cohesive than Melanie Benjamin’s The Girls in the Picture or Lisa See’s China Dolls, a fact which forced me to acknowledge that while I don’t dislike what Fay put together, I can’t say it’s the first title I’d recommend in relation to the content it highlights.

Although I'm not interested in Hollywood stories as a general rule, I do make an exception for Hollywood in the '20s. This was an enjoyable look at that era.; with an engaging cast of characters and a reasonably good grasp of the period. It looks as if there was a previous book set in Fay's universe ad I will certainly seek that out. And the ending left plenty of room for a sequel, which I would also be happy to read. My only caveat was that there were a LOT of typos (egg yoke, anyone?). I read an ARC copy (thanks, NetGalley!), so hopefully those were caught and corrected before the book went to print.

It’s 1921 and the Golden Age of Hollywood when three friends, fleeing from an abusive burlesque show owner, jump from a train and head to Tinsel-town to seek fame and fortune. Irene Van Beck, Millie Martin and Henry Weiss pool money and talents in order to make their dreams come true. The trio faces many obstacles along the way including the famous casting couches, anti-Semitism, rampant drug abuse and having to hide one’s sexuality.

Despite a fairly predictable plot, this is still a well-researched book, portraying the beginnings of Hollywood and the movie industry and taking on some serious subjects. Ms. Fay does and admiral job of transporting the reader back to the age of the “flickers”, creating a realistic sense of time and place. Fans of historical fiction and early Hollywood will enjoy this novel and many may be lead to pursue some of the books and other sources listed by the author at the end of the novel.

Thank you Netgalley for an early copy of City of Flickering Lights in exchange for an honest review.

Juliette Fay returns with a stunning new novel about three friends trying to make it in Hollywoodland in the 1920 silent film era. Quite literally, Irene, Millie and Henry escape from their pasts and make their way to the new world of silent Flickers and the blossoming Hollywood. The must try to scrape by while pinning for work as film extras and someday becoming stars. As their careers grow so do tensions and tragedies among the group that threaten to split them up forever.

Fay does an excellent job of blending her fictional characters with real life people, settings and details from Hollywood in the roaring twenties. Fans of Fay will recognize a familiar face as Gert Turner has a supporting role in this novel. This is an enjoyable read and I would definitely recommend it to those interested in silent film and old Hollywood history. As well as fans of female historical fiction, think Melanie Benjamin The Girls in the Picture or Amor Towles Rules of Civility.

It's the Roaring Twenties and both men and women were coming from all across the country to California to make it in the world of movies. Irene, Millie and Henry are among the throngs coming to Hollywood...taking a chance, they jumped off a moving train in Arizona, exchanged their tickets to California and arrived on Hollywood's doorstep with not much money, no idea where to go, where to start....they only knew they had arrived and they were following their dreams. It was the world of silent films, with "talkies" yet to come, movies were coming out of their infancy stage and the "wanna be's" were star struck and struggling to be a part of the magical world of films.

All three come from different backgrounds, have different challenges to overcome...they have, however, two things in common, the drive to make it in Hollywood and the fact they were all in Burlesque together. This story is compelling as we see behind the glitz into a world of drugs, abuse, sexuality and the realism that exists behind the magic. Actually, not much different from the Hollywood we see today and while this is a work of fiction, I am quite sure there are some stars of the past that are linked to the fictional characters in this novel.

My thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Highly recommended!

"City of Flickering Light" is a fine read about the Tintletown in the 1920s. Three young people tried their luck in Hollywood, each carried their own pasts and personal struggles. Hard work, proper networking, and pleasant personalities helped them to advance in their careers. Over a well-plotted story with a positive vibe- friendship, love and kindness conquer hardships and difficulties.

As a contemporary fiction, this is a solid read. The only complain I have is that the historical aspects are a little weak in execution. Sex scandals, prejudice, problems with drugs, alcoholism, homosexuality and etc. were mentioned in the book but the severity of these issues that happened in the show business were undermined. Not to mention working the way up in the entertaining business was extremely difficult. The three protagonists, regardless of their perseverance in conquering whatever major obstacles in their ways, I felt they were indeed the few lucky ones. They obtained their initial successes quickly and relatively effortlessly than what the reality would give to the actual people who didn't live in the fictional world. When I was younger, I used to watch a cable channel that specializes in Hollywood stories. Those "documentaries" gave better sense of how corrupted and dark the show business was than "City of Flickering Light" could offer. To do the book justice, the author did include useful background notes at the end of the book to give a better picture of what Hollywood was like in the 1920s. If readers are interested in the old Hollywood scandals and such, watching documentaries, reading memoirs or other non fiction books are probably the better choices.

4 star for the solid entertaining plot and writing.

I received an early reviewer copy through Netgalley.

I've been reading a lot of nonfiction and fiction Hollywood through this period, so I was excited to read this book. The story is a solid one as it follows three escapees from an abusive burlesque show--Irene, Millie, and Henry--as they venture to Hollywood to try and make their dreams come true. Really, this novel is great for readers with only a vague understanding of silent film Hollywood, as it details the brutal process of trying to bust into movies, how movies were written and filmed, the rampant drug availability and abuse of the time, and more, all through the eyes of three easy-to-relate-characters. The book also handles many sensitive issues quite well, such as sex, pregnancy, and homosexuality in Hollywood.

My issues with the book came down to... well, having already read too much on the period. Indeed, the author's note in the back recommended several books I've read in recent months. As soon as I realized that one of the minor characters resembled the real life figure of William Desmond Taylor, that gave away a huge chunk of the plot for me. That jolted me at points where I expected the book to more closely follow actual history. There are several characters blatantly based on real historical figures, and I kind of wish the real people had been able to represent themselves instead. This was particularly true of the character based on Frances Marion--who, I confess, I greatly admire.

I recommend this book to historical fiction readers who would like to read more about early Hollywood. (And if you want another recent book set in the same period, look up Melanie Benjamin's The Girls in the Picture.)

I love Juliette Fay’s novels, including The Tumbling Turner Sisters, Shelter Me, The Shortest Way Home. The City of Flickering Light promises to be another fantastic novel, and from only reading the synopsis, I knew I’d love it. Hollywood in the 1920s? YES PLEASE. I am a such a big fan of books that take place in the 20s, 30s, 40s.



SYNOPSIS:

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.

You don’t want to miss this one!

Due out April 2019

City of Flickering Light is a fascinating historical novel set in 1920's Hollywood. This is one of my favorite eras in historical fiction.

I truly loved this book. I loved everything about it. I received an ARC of this from NetGalley. I did not read it right away and I wish I had. Mrs. Fay did a wonderful job of capturing the essence of Hollywood in the early movie days. I wanted the characters to be real. I wanted to Google old photos of them. I was glad each character had their own story lines . It kept the story going and I was sad to see it end. Kudos to the author!