I was not thrilled with this book. It did not draw me in to the story as i like. the charecters were not to my liking but the story was well written.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review, "City of Flickering Light"
by Juliette Fay. An awesome choice for historical fiction. It felt like I was transported in time while I was reading this book. I highly recommend it!

I really liked The City of Flickering Light. As a fan of historical fiction, I loved the old Hollywood storyline and it was reminiscent of The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin which I enjoyed. I was immersed in the lives of Irene, Millie, and Henry, and how their friendship got them through hard times of poverty, pain, and heartache. I love a good story with a strong friendship theme.

Thank you @netgalley and @gallerybooks for this free copy. All opinions are my own.

🎥Oh, how I enjoyed reading this book! The glitz! The glam! Hollywood in the 1920’s! 🎥⁣⁣
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It’s the Roaring Twenties, and “flickers” are all the rage. Three friends, stuck in a bad situation, plot their way out and make a break for Hollywood. These friends support one another as they try to make their way in Tinseltown, yearning for their big breaks. ⁣⁣
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I loved the old glam. I loved the history of early Hollywood. I was reading this on my lunch break at school and when the bell rang, I had to get my bearings because I was so caught up in the time period. I love a good underdog story and there were plenty here to root for. A beautiful story of friendship and quest for fame, set in a remarkable time period. Thank you @gallerybooks for this advance reader in exchange for my honest review!⁣⁣

Really good story of 3 people who jump from one train and take another one to Hollywood to become stars in the 1920s. Henry gets work right away as an assistant tailor and Irene gets work as a typist while Millie sits on the bench waiting to be called as an extra. Their adventures, ups and downs, make for an easy and fun read.

I really enjoyed this book and if you’re a fan of historical fiction and Old Hollywood, this book is definitely one you should pick up. Right from the beginning, I was transported into the lives of Irene, Henry, and Millie. I felt like I was a part of their lives and they took me into their friendship. I was happy that they had each other because their lives were not easy. They each came from a troubled past, but they managed to find one another and help each other survive—literally. Through heartache, pain, and extreme poverty. I also loved that the author researched the book so well and the characters are based on real people from the 1920s silent film industry and real places in and around Hollywood. That was part of the reason I wanted to read this book. I love to read about California’s early history. There is so much rich detail here. Not only was this a great story but it’s also a wonderful trip into the past and I learned so much about the beginnings of the movie industry. It was not an easy way to try and make a living, but the promise of a different way of life—to be creative, to have freedom from societal mores, the glitz and glamour—it was a beacon that guided Irene, Millie, and Henry throughout their lives.
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Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

I very much enjoyed reading this book. I lived in both Flagstaff and LA and I have to say, reading about both places historically put a smile on my face. I thought the accuracy of the historical aspects was greatly touched on. Knowing a little of what the “Hollywood scene" is like today, I have to say I wasn't very surprised at the things going on back then. The background characters were all interesting and I also enjoyed the stories of the three main characters. Wonderful read!

I am fascinated with historical fiction books that can make me feel as if I am "plopped down" in a different time period, experiencing life then with all the freshness and richness new experiences bring.

City of Flickering Light did succeed in rich descriptions of the physical settings, and in capturing what the movie industry was like at the time. It fell short for me on the predictability of the story and the flat characters who seemed one or two dimensional at best. Count me as a bit disappointed.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

The bright lights of Hollywood and dreams of stardom draw people from everywhere, and Irene Van Beck was no exception. Sick of performing in a traveling burlesque review, Irene Van Beck hatches a plan to jump off the train in Arizona, exchange the ticket for one to Hollywood, and make it big in the “flickers.” Her friends Henry Weiss and Millie Martin make the leap with her, and they make their way to Hollywood, ready to start the climb to stardom.

I loved the strength of the characters and their loyalty to one another, supporting one another emotionally and financially throughout the book. Irene rallied around Millie after she was assaulted sexually, while Henry helped the girls with their living expenses until they were working steadily. Hollywood in 1921 was a rough place, where almost anything was accepted and/or overlooked, especially if you had money and power within the studio. The determination and courage they demonstrated led them into successful careers and carried them through difficulties within their personal lives, though they retained their strong friendship.

Hollywood in the 1920s! Irene, Millie, and Henry formed a tight unit when they took off for Hollywood. What they found was not what they expected or hoped for. It wasn't easy in those days (just like today) to break into the business. These three stick together, even as their paths diverge. Irene finds herself typing scripts which will lead to a writing career. Henry, who is very good looking, goes the more conventional route and it is his salary, early on, that keeps the trio afloat. Millie, poor Millie, has issues, lots of issues. This is a well researched novel about the early days of the movies - and it will remind you how much things both have and have not changed. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. An entertaining read.

This has to be my favorite read so far in 2019. Set in old world Hollywood, Irene, Milly, and Henry jump off a moving train in order to escape their underhanded and unscrupulous boss. They make it to Hollywood, but find it a difficult place to get a break. This book is about true friendship, the rocky road that has us breaking the hearts of our best friends, but through forgiveness and unconditional love, find ourselves back in their arms again. The history, the Hollywood glamour, the friendships, this book had me reading until the wee hours of the night. The author has a true gift of character development, I would have liked to meet each of them! (and throttle a couple of characters, too.) How often do you get to see the real Hollywood, as it was, and as it has been in our world. A summer must read.

“The future can seem like a shadow, nothing but a trick of the light, when you’re caught in a situation with virtually no escape.” OK, the next logical thing to do is jump from a moving train and that is exactly what Irene, Millie and Henry do. Escaping from Chandler’s Follies, a miserable burlesque revue which was so rigged that the performers could never make enough money to break free they are heading for Hollywood. They have no money, no contacts, no place to stay and it quickly becomes clear that they have jumped into an equally difficult life.

Irene Van Beck has the brains, organization and drive to make the tough decisions. Millie Martin is a carefree beauty who is impulsive and needs to be kept on a leash. Henry Weiss is perhaps the most complex and interesting of the trio. This is the story of the early days of the movie companies and the young people who tried to find a life in the world of flickers. It highlights the inequities, the prejudices and the carelessness of a a fast life.

I liked this book, but I really loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter. Thank you NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for a copy.

Irene, Millie and Henry jump off a moving train to escape the traveling burlesque show they were with. The three head to Hollywood with the dream of being in the "flickers". Thus begins the ups and downs of the life of someone trying to get into the business.. Henry is the first to get a job, working in the costume department at one of the studios. Irene and Millie spend countless days hanging around the studio with others who hope to be "extras". Irene gets a break when she joins the typing pool, typing up scripts, and Millie finally gets her break when an actress gets hurt and has to be rushed to the hospital and they need a replacement.. It is Hollywood in 1921, and they are on their way to making it big.
This story reeled me in from the beginning (no pun intended), and I couldn't put it down. I felt like I was actually there, among the biggest stars of that time, watching it all unfold. I loved the book, and highly recommend it to all of the historical fiction fans.

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.

This novel was a joy to read. From the moment the trio jump off the train and aim themselves at Hollywoodland, I couldn’t put the novel down. There is a wistful charm about early Hollywood with its echoes of the Jazz Age and prohibition. But the novel, like the movies made, also reflects both the darkness in the human heart and the light. Drug abuse, racism, homophobia, misogyny, though this doesn’t start there, certainly doesn’t end there, either. The novel is very well written and reveals this truth as each of the characters experiences the highs and lows of the Golden Age of Hollywood experienced by those chasing the flickering light. Charming and at times dark, I highly recommend this novel.

Delighted with The Tumbling Turner Sisters, I was thrilled to read City of Flickering Lights, a wonderful story of Hollywood in the 1920s and the beginning of the silent movies, called “flickers”. Vaudeville actors: Gert, a Tumbling Turner, Irene, healing from a sad past, and Henry, their friend who is trying to find his true self, jump off a moving train to avoid their past lives and land in Hollywood. Their achievements, sorrows, loves, and self-awareness make these characters people you would like to know. Show biz, racism, alternative lifestyles, death, love, and surviving are all covered in this book. I loved it!

This was a fun light book about early Hollywood. I live near Hollywood so it made it more fun. It was not a deep literary novel but it held my interest

I received an ARC of this book. Juliette Fay's last book, The Tumbling Turner Sisters, is a book I recommend often at the library. It's a lovely book about sisters set in a fascinating time period. City of Flickering Light is just as delightful, and what a treat to have one of the Turner sisters show up in this book! Young Hollywood is so fascinating-the whole process of how stories were developed, how actors were cast as extras, all the details of what goes into a flicker. Add in such interesting characters and the book is irresistible. Each character has a fully drawn out life-both past and present-that combined with the novelty of the setting was hard to put down.

This was just an all-around enjoyable read. The main characters were very likable people and even though it may have been a bit predictable, it was still a very engaging story.

Irene, Millie and Henry each have a background that they feel the need to run away from. They form a make-shift family after making a daring escape from a traveling burlesque show. When they get to Hollywood, they help each other until they each find jobs.

Even after they each begin to experience some success with their careers, they still face some trying times and come together to support one another. As they make friends with others, they form a larger group of “family” in the Hollywood community.

I loved the references to actors and actresses from the 1920’s and the descriptions of the Hollywood topography at that time. It was an interesting inside look at what it took to get a foot in the door of Hollywood during the 1920’s.

A fun read and one that I think most readers will enjoy, especially those with an interest in Hollywood and historical fiction.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for allowing me to read an advance copy and offer my honest review.

Absolutely. Loved. This. Book!

I’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for novels about Old Hollywood. Just love ‘em. And Juliette Fay’s new historical gem, “City of Flickering Light” is no exception. I don’t believe it’s too early to prognosticate that this will be the beach read of the 2019 season.

Irene, Millie and Henry all work for the same burlesque troupe. They are not-quite-friends but more than acquaintances. Irene is the seasoned veteran, having once been part of a sister-act with her twin, Ivy. Millie is the innocent ingénue, someone who needs looking after, and Irene takes on that burden. Henry is the new guy, the bad comedian all burlesque troupes seem to have.

One day in July 1921, Irene decides that she had had enough. She’s quitting the business and heading for Hollywood. Flickers, or silent movies, are the rage. She hatches a plan where she and Millie jump off a moving train, just like theater-goers saw in those early films. She didn’t count on Henry following them, and she didn’t count on the boss sending his muscle to find them.

After a harrowing escape, the trio makes their way to the land of eternal sunshine and set about becoming a star. It’s not as easy as it looks. Author Fay takes readers on a journey of bad, but cheap, boarding houses; lining up outside the studio, hoping and praying, they’ll catch the eye of an assistant director; traipsing around after dark, trying to make that all important connection in whatever speakeasy they can find. Their adventures kept me up way past my bedtime for three nights.

One of the things that I really like about the novel was that Fay didn’t shy away from the sordid side of the casting couch and other indelicate secrets that only appeared when one looked beneath the surface of the glamour and fame….if you made it.

The only thing I didn’t like about this book was the ending. It just kinda stopped. I had really gotten to know these characters, had developed a bond with them and wanted to know how it all turns out. Fingers crossed that there will be a sequel. If not, I’ll pretend I’m a movie star and make my own happy ending.

“City of Flickering Light” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.