I hadn't read a book about the roaring 20's before so this is a new subject for me. I really enjoyed it. I am a fan of older movies; watching TCM more than any other channel. I love black & white, history, how movies got started and what it was like for actors long ago.
This book didn't disappoint! I loved "traveling" with them on their journey of ups and downs, hardships, etc. I will keep an eye out for other books in this genre. I found it interesting enough that it was a page turner!
I appreciate having been able to read it thanks to NetGalley, Juliette Fay & Gallery Books.
My opinions are my own.

What an adventure Juliette Fay has taken her readers on! The once small village named Hollywood in the early 1900's has a fascinating history, the beginnings of which I'd never known. Ms. Fay concocted a fanciful tale about 3 friends' journeys in early Tinseltown. I was immediately transported "backstage" to the reality behind the glitz and glamour of Hollywood in the 1920's. Irene, Henry, and Millie were irresistible characters with unique qualities, who developed a beautiful friendship. Pulling from the real-life experiences of various big names in old Hollywood, Fay created a story that propelled the reader along in an entertaining tribute to that place which has captured Americans' curiosity from its inception. Having visited Hollywood many a time in my youth during summer vacations, this novel caused me to reminisce rather unexpectedly.

Look for the release of this "star" on April 16th!

Many thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for gifting me with this novel in exchange for an honest review.

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I received this ARC from Net Galley for my honest review. I really enjoyed this story of early Hollywood, during the silent movie era. It tells the story of three burlesque performers that escape the entrapment of miserly wages, poor living conditions and mistreatment, and jump a train for Hollywood.
This well researched novel by Juliette Fay, follows the struggles of Millie, Irene and Henry, as they try to find their way in the brutal competition of film making.
The characters are well developed and likable, as we follow their struggles and success, as they find their footing in a challenging industry.
I would recommend this book, which is a perfect beach or travel read. My thanks to Net Galley, Gallery Books and the author for this delightful story.

Early Hollywood, silent movies. This is the first book that I have read about this time and place in history. I loved it! 3 friends, who are trying to "make it" in Hollywood, who have escaped from a horrible burlesque show. This book details the brutal process of trying to break into the movies, through 3 very easy to relate to friends. Sensitive issues of the time period, such as pregnancy, homosexuality, and racism are dealt with-the seamier side of Hollywood. It is not all glitz and glamour!Thanks to the publisher, the author and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the ARC.

This isn't terrible, it's just boring and predictable and uses a lot of cliches. The characters are cardboard. In the mid-1920s, three white folks--responsible, clever Irene, dim, cuddly MIllie, and handsome, gay Henry--go to Hollywood to become stars. Along the way, of course, there is sexism and a rape and gay-bashing and the perils of heroin addiction, but then everyone is spotted as the talents they are and get jobs they like! Irene becomes a writer, Millie becomes an actress and then a mother, and Henry learns about gay Hollywood and has a romance with a director. The director is murdered, but Henry gets over it, marries a white woman in a relationship with a black man, and gets to find new lovers. Everyone lives near each other and have a happily ever after. The author calls women's breasts "orbs," and uses about a thousand other tired descriptors and phrases I could do with never reading again. The author also tries to cite a lot of 1920s events and realities of Hollywood, but they remain on the surface, window-dressing. The reader's guide at the back is terrible and earnest and is apparently geared towards five-year-olds.

Thank you to the publisher and author for gifting me a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

I quite enjoyed this novel. I was quickly drawn into the story and into each character. They quickly became so real that I thought they must be based on real people and actually stopped reading to look them up. (I'll save you the time- they are fictional although some characters are based on real people as the author explains at the end of the book) I had read The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin last year- another great read- from the same time period and history of film making. It was nice to have the information from Benjamin's novel as some of those characters weaved in and out of Fay's novel. Such an interesting piece of history. I found City to be well written, interesting, and full of drama, intrigue, compassion, and a lot of friendship. A nice story of overcoming odds and never giving up on your dreams,

This is my first Juliette Fay book and I loved it!!!!!! Hollywood novels are right up my alley. Henry, Millie, and Irene all escape a horrid job together and head to Hollywood to make it big and boy do they ever!!!!!!! Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Threshold Books for it honest review.

I had trouble getting into this book. The characters seemed rather cardboard. The author clearly did lots of research for this novel, but I became bored with it rather quickly.

I've found a new go to author! This book is another great read from the author of the Tumbling Turner Sisters. It is a delightful tale with a great cast of characters that is set in the early days of the making of silent movies in Hollywood. Like her prior book, each chapter opens with a wonderful quote from a Hollywood legend that foreshadows the issues exposed in the forthcoming chapter. It was entertaining, interesting and as would be expected rather disturbing at times, to read about that era and how woman survived and somehow managed to excel within it. I'm already looking forward to her next release!

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an early release in exchange for an honest and fair review.

I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

This is a historical novel about the early, silent-movie days of Hollywood. The reader learns about the difficulties of breaking into the "flickers" through the three main characters. They live hand-to-mouth and hope to be noticed. Coming from vaudeville and burlesque, they all strive to make it as actors, but they soon learn that their skills may be elsewhere. I enjoyed watching the friendships evolve as the characters faced different crises.

Each chapter begins with a pertinent quote from a person who did "hit it big" in Hollywood. These quotes shine a spotlight on the characters in the book.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped I would, so I’d prefer not to leave a negative review.

Irene, Millie and Henry are jumping off of a train. They are in Arizona bound and determined to make their way in Hollywood. It's the roaring twenties. Hollywood is making "flicker" shows. That's where the just know their fortunes will be made. It's not easy. And there are days where they don't know if they have money to eat or pay rent. Their determination is in strength and friendship. They will make it, come hell or high water!
A unique story of getting into the glitz and glamour of making it in pictures. Whether you make it as a a writer, director, actor or actress, it's all about the love of the business. I loved the characters. They were very realistic and relatable. Great storyline!

I love the Golden Age of Hollywood and was excited to be able to read this book. It did not disappoint. It is very interesting to read about how Hollywood got started and all the old times stars and what they went through. If you like movies, you will like this book.

This was a good book about the silent film era that was well researched.
I enjoyed the history of Hollywood in the 20’s..
thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

It’s been a long time since I’ve read a book this good about Hollywood in the silent era. The main characters, Henry, Millie and Irene, aren’t always likable, but they’re always human and believable. Ms. Fay’s knowledge of silent film history is impressive, and she uses it to create a realistic world without overwhelming you with facts. As someone who studies the era, I appreciated her accuracy. An especially fun side game with the book is figuring out whom the secondary characters were based on. Bravo and well done, Ms. Fay. Now I have to read The Tumbling Turner Sisters.
I received a free e-copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

City of Flickering Light is a fantastic book 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.

When a story pulls me in, makes me feel strongly for the character(s) and leaves me wanting to learn MORE once it's over, I believe it earns 5 stars from me. THIS is one of those books. I really enjoyed following these 3 people thru a time and place unfamiliar to me. I became enchanted with their lives, with the time in history, with the whole thing! The quotes at the beginning of each chapter were a great addition, and the Author's Note afterward kept me up late into the night researching and reading more about the places and people she mentioned.

Enjoyed the trip through Hollywood and the friendship of these three people and what goes on in Hollywood,the things that they had to go through to live and make a living! Enjoyed the book,really the people came alive for me!

Juliette Fay's new novel is a glimpse into the golden age of Hollywood, the time where there were no rules, and anyone could become anyone. Fay's main three characters were easy to root for, they are likable people doing whatever it takes to make their dreams come true. The novel is well written with an engaging story, and I would have been happier to read even more about the main character's lives!

The beginning of a little village called Hollywood in the 1920s was a place where dreams became reality or for some, a real nightmare.
Three unlikely traveling companions jump a train to escape the evil world of vaudeville and a burlesque show to begin what they feel is their destiny - the movies. For Irene, it offers a chance to discover her writing talents, for Henry, it is an awareness of who he really is and for poor lost Millie, it is a chance to find love and attention from any source. This historical novel touches on the seedier side of the movies - the racism, homophobia and sexual abuse that went on unchecked or swept under the rug. It includes many famous names and the events that occurred during that time as well as each chapter starting with a quote to set the scene. The characters and their stories are interesting and tragic when you realize that much of what they went through in the early days of moviemaking still exists today. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.