I'm a big fan of Anna May Wong, so when I saw the premise for this book, I was very intrigued in how the story was going to unfold through the novel format. I think this is an important story to tell, as Anna May Wong's story is one piece to a much larger puzzle, but as a novel, I'm not sure this format works. It feels more nonfiction and preach-y at points, which makes it seem less like a novel and more forcing facts in a CNF form.

In THE BRIGHTEST STAR by Gail Tsukiyama the author tells the story of Anna May Wong the first Chinese American Hollywood star to appear on the silver screen. I was intrigued by the story of Anna May Wong. From 1920's to the 1960's this strong, courageous, woman worked her way up into becoming a hero to the silver screen. Her dream was to become the first Chinese American headliner in film. This story tells of all the trials and tribulations Anna goes through to get her dream. Unfortunately, Hollywood hasn't changed much.

Fantastic historical fictionilized story of Anna May Wong. While I did feel that part of this book were written a bit....simple, it was still, overall, an excellent story.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this book.

⭐️=3 | 😘=3 | 🤬=3 | 14+

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review

The Brightest Star is a fictionalized retelling of Old Hollywood star Anna May Wong's life, focusing on her struggles as one of the first well-known Chinese American actresses.

this was okay? it felt a little unnatural sometimes, like this weird mix between memoir and a Taylor Jenkins Reid book? it was definitely an interesting story, but given that it's about someone's actual life, it's difficult to, like... properly pace everything. if you're specifically interested in Old Hollywood or Chinese American history, i'd recommend this, but otherwise it's just meh.

Thanks to NetGalley for a pre-publication copy.

Tsukiyama unrolls the fascinating life of Anna May Wong, the first well-known Asian-American movie star. Hewing close to the actual events of her life (perhaps a bit too much fidelity here that stifles the reach of the emotional impact), we see the ups and downs of her career. Her family's reluctance to support her and the threat her acting posed for "dishonoring" the Chinese community clash with her conviction that she will become a star. Unfortunately, Hollywood only had hackneyed stereotypes and bit parts to offer her. She persisted, though, and had greater success in Europe.

The focus on Wong's life crowds out some other details, as well. She's in Europe on the cusp of WWII but it seems very much relegated to the background and of less concern than seems reasonable. There are throwaway moments to highlight how she interacted with other famous characters that feel a bit like name dropping.

It's lushly told and very engaging but feels more like a biography with a few flourishes than a novel.

A great historical fiction about such a pioneer!! I got interested and learned more about not just Anna May Wong but also other actors from that time period. Loved the detail in the book esp bc I love old films.

I found this book hard to put down because I knew very little about Anna May Wong besides her name. It was fascinating to read this historical fiction novel based on her life. As a Chinese-American she faced an incredible amount of racism but persevered throughout her life to pursue her dream of stardom as an actress.

Gail Tsukiyama’s choice to use a first person narration added to the intimacy of the story. At the beginning of the book Anna Mae Wong boards a train crossing the country in 1960. As she travels she rereads her journals describing her expansive life and wonders if her memories are worthy of publication. Her determination as a teenager in Los Angelos to become a movie star begins the tale. The story goes back and forth in time but each segment is fascinating leaving this reader happily flipping pages quickly to find out what comes next.

The blending of fact and fiction relying on much research is skillfully accomplished. Despite all Anna Mae Wong experienced as an actress of color, however, not much has changed, it seems. She should be lauded (as this book seems to do) for her groundbreaking career. Thanks to Gail Tsukiyama for this eye-opening book!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Via as well.

THE BRIGHTEST STAR
BY: GAIL TSUKIYAMA

Even though Anna May Wong was born in the United States and should have been treated like an American, her Chinese heritage would have her straddling both Los Angeles, California, and China. When she was young and attending grammar school, she was called racial slurs being teased by young boys, which was because she looked Chinese. Her father owned a laundry, and always locked horns with Anna telling his large family to study hard receiving good grades in school. He had his oldest child who still lived back in China who was a boy, with his first wife. Here in the United States Anna had been the second born girl, her oldest sister who she was close to was named Lucy. Anna's father expected his daughters to get married, and have children. Her father expected his children to not bring dishonor to China when Anna decided at a young age she wanted to be an actress. The kids were expected to attend Chinese Language classes after school. Anna would skip the Chinese School to sneak to the cinema to study the silent movies. Her sister Lucy covered for her as much as she could.

When Anna's father found out he would hit her across the back of her thighs with his belt. Anna had a rebellious streak, even though she would feel pain sitting down. She continued to argue with her father, going back to the cinema until she was too old to get hit with her father's belt. She ended up not finishing High School taking small parts in movies. Even when movies changed to technicolor, and Anna got bigger parts the laws prohibited a Caucasian male to kiss or marry a different ethnic race so she always got parts where her character would die. By this time they would cast an oriental woman in a leading role to what Anna called a "yellow face." Which I interpreted to mean a Caucasian woman wearing make up to look Oriental got the leading roles.

So when Anna was old enough she traveled to Europe where she worked in Berlin, Paris and London, where there weren't the same restrictions. She was known Internationally gracing the covers of many magazine covers, but never got the big roles she yearned for in Hollywood. She made a lot of famous friends, but never married. She seems to have led a sad life. Smoking and drinking alcohol seemed to give her liver problems, which landed her in the hospital. The doctor told her to stop doing both, and she was still drinking alcohol. She really earned quite enough to help support her family, when she was younger.

During World War II. Anna tried to raise money for China, which she visited only once before the Japanese started invading parts of China. Anna worked hard yet I still feel sorry for her. This was written in an excellent first person narrative making it easy to connect with Anna. She was the first Chinese American actress to get a star. She did do some television work when they were invented, and became a popular medium. I love Gail Tsukiyama, and I met her over twenty years ago at an Author event. She was a bestselling Author, who had written many books, but was kind and humble. I enjoyed this, but I feel that Anna May Wong's life leaves me feeling depressed as I reflect on her life. She never made it to the top, never got married and knew the joy of having children. Maybe if she was born later, her dream of getting the recognition she craved by getting the acting roles could have been achieved. I still feel like she missed out on some of life's meaningful milestones. The romantic relationship that was mentioned was with a married man, who chose to return to his wife. It seemed like an empty life even though I devoured this. Gail Tsukiyama did a fantastic job writing a historical novel that I didn't want to put down. It just seemed like I'm left feeling extremely sad, that this Brightest Star's life was one that missed out on finding happiness.

Publication Date: June 20, 2023

Thank you to Net Galley, Gail Tsukiyama and HarperVia for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

#TheBrightestStar #GailTsukiyama #HarperVia #NetGalley

THE BRIGHTEST STAR tells the story of Anna May Wong, Hollywood’s first Chinese American movie star. The novel begins with Anna May as an older woman in 1960 traveling across the US by train for a press tour after years out of the public eye. Cutting back and forth between the “present” moment of 1960 and Anna May’s earlier life, we trace her life story from her days as an eight-year-old dealing with schoolyard racial attacks to her life as an international celebrity and through the waning of her career.

The novel’s approach is one of introspection and retrospection, reading like a fictionalized biography rather than a story with a strong narrative arc and progression. The scenes and the character are textured and alive, capturing the many worlds Anna May moved through and the contradictions she faced as a Chinese American and a celebrity. We get a real sense of what it was like to be a Chinese American girl in the 1910s determined to become an actor, her family’s laundry business, the family expectations and conflicts that pulled at her, the ins and outs of Hollywood, and 1930s China. (Those who care about film and entertainment history will appreciate scenes featuring Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, Josephine Baker, Marlene Dietrich, Paul Robeson, and more.) We see the rise and fall of her career against the political realities that shaped public policies and attitudes about Chinese Americans from the 1920s through the early 1960s.

Unlike Amanda Lee Koe’s Delayed Rays of a Star (a 2019 novel also featuring Anna May Wong, along with Marlene Dietrich and Leni Riefenstahl), which has a structure like its title–with scenes expanding out from one central photo, capturing the three women and other peripheral characters over the course of decades–The Brightest Star has a linear and horizontal movement, with the “past” storyline moving chronologically through Anna May’s life and the “present” storyline moving on a train line from east to west, across the US.

THE BRIGHTEST STAR is a slow and introspective–but interesting–read about an important figure in Hollywood history. And given the recent rise in anti-Asian sentiment and violence, it tells an important historical story that is especially relevant to our current times.

Anna May Wong defined the term movie star. Her good looks and elegance made her popular amongst the smart set, the Hollywood elite, and film audiences. Anna May Wong saw Hollywood from the silents to the talkies and beyond. Gail Tsukiyama's novel The Brightest Star highlights life of Anna May Wong from daughter of a laundry owner to a movie star never afraid of the anti-miscegenation laws bent on holding back Asians from attaining the American dream.

Anna May Wong's first part in a film was a girl in a crowd scene. She ended her career as the first Asian woman with her own television show. Her career consisted of mostly stereotypical "Asian" parts - she portrayed "butterflies" - soft, gentle Asian girls who may fall in love with the white man but could never end up with him. As she aged she was given "dragon lady" rolls - the inscrutable tough woman with an edge crime boss type parts.
Despite being pigeonholed in this way, Anna May Wong rose above the material, making each part uniquely her own.

Once parts in Hollywood began becoming fewer and fewer due to the advent of the talkies, Anna May Wong performed in Berlin, London, Paris, New York and collected a cadre of friends: Bennett Cerf, Josephine Baker, Paul Robeson, Sessue Hayakawa (the latter two being excluded from Hollywood mainstreams stardom due to race.) When the novel The Good Earth became a film Anna May Wong saw the opportunity for Hollywood to cast actual Asian actors in a uniquely Asian story. The female lead went to a German actress Louise Reiner, who won an Oscar. Wong found this a crushing blow, but despite the setback Anna May kept performing until the 1960s when she had to resign from a role in Flower Drum song due to her ailing health. Anna May Wong spent her time off screen traveling, taking care of her family, and doing her best to positively promote the Asian race.

The novel is written as a conversation between Anna May Wong and the reader. The writing can be expository, explaining names long forgotten to modern movie fans. Tsukiyama mentions a lesbian affair with Marlene Dietrich but does not mention Wong's other lesbian affairs. Overall the novel feels like a friendly chat with a kind person who just happens to encapsulate cinematic history. Anna May Wong was a trailblazer for Asians and women alike. This novel tells a story that more people should know.

One of my favorite books was The Samurai’s Garden so I eagerly looked forward to reading the author’s newest novel. Written in the voice of Anna May Wong, the reader is exposed to the little 11 -year -old girl in 1919 who was resolute in her desire to become a famous actress. She never lost the desire nor the determination, quitting school at age 16, to pursue an acting career. This was a time when no Chinese American actress performed on stage, relegating “yellow faced” white actors to play Chinese parts. Growing up she assisted in the family laundry, always at odds with her father who was not comfortable with her rambunctious nature. Because she refused to stop acting, her father felt she had shamed not only the family but the whole Chinese community causing Anna emotional stress for years to come. How could she uphold her traditional upbringing yet embrace being an American? At 19, she landed a big role with Douglas Fairbanks but the subsequent roles were always demeaning..playing the part of a prostitute, a helpless supporting role, or a demon. Despite her beauty and acting ability, it was not easy as miscegenation laws did not even allow her to play a leading lady. As a trailblazer, she fought for roles, never giving up and ended up being the first Chinese American to have a star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood.
The actual story was interesting but felt like the author was trying to cram in all her extensive research by providing lists of what films Anna was in, whose parties she went to, and whose friends she surrounded herself with. Little do we really know of the depth of Anna May’s emotional interior, including relationships with married men and a lesbian affair. Everything was glossed over, feeling like I was reading a tabloid magazine. Her first attempt to write about a real individual did not quite live up to my expectations. Reading a biography of Anna May Wong would have been more satisfying.

Anna May Wong is the first Asian-American actress of note in Hollywood history and the challenges she faced in trying to find a place for herself. I did not know much about Ms. Wong when I first started reading this book, but I was interested in it as I've always enjoyed author Gail Tsukiyama's work. This book provided beyond what I expected.

There's a lot of name-dropping, which is to be expected as this is early days of Hollywood and Anna May Wong traveled in some pretty exclusive circles while often being excluded herself. As a reader, I felt like I was so in the head of Ms. Wong that a part of me understood a bit of the challenges she was facing. And when tragedy strikes later in the book, and I won't mention what to avoid spoliers, the reader picks up on Ms. Wong's pain.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review and I heartily endorse it.

I enjoyed reading The Brightest Star, a fictionalized account of the life and career of Chinese American actress Anna May Wong, who rose to fame starting in the ere of silent films. The book is interesting, and given the many hurdles Anna May faced due to miscegenation laws and the Hays Code, quite moving. The biggest issue I have with the book is not knowing how much or what was real and what was conjecture or made up to move the story along. I also feel like the writing was ocassionally sophomoric. I did feel it was timely, reading this when Everything Everywhere All at Once won so many Oscars! Thank you to Netgalley and Harpervia for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to the publishers at HarperVia for a chance to read “The Brightest Star” in exchange for an honest review!

“The Brightest Star” is a novelization of the life and times of Anna May Wong, Hollywood’s first ever Chinese-American starlet. The book is unabashedly a love letter to Anna May Wong’s legacy and her fight against erasure, Yellowface, sexism, and so many other people attempting to define her and her career.

At the same time, the prose is a little clunky, indulging in some ineloquent monologuing that boil down to, “they’ll see! They’ll all see!” but ostensibly said in In Anna May Wong’s own voice. It distracts from the larger narrative, and often made me wish I was reading Anna May Wong’s actual biography or reading a book like Nghi Vo’s “Siren Queen,” which takes elements from Anna May Wong’s life and weaves it with even more fantastical elements to punctuate the fact that this is a tale of fiction.

My biggest issue with “The Brightest Star” is that I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be a factual retelling of Wong’s life or a novel. It seems to want to be both and its two goals are at odds with each other. Tsukiyama I’m the acknowledgements talked about the extensive research she’s done in preparation for writing this book, but I’m not sure what readers gain by reading this take. Wouldn’t it just be better to read the original biographies that inspired this novel instead?

All in all, I hope that this book inspires folks to give Anna May Wong her flowers and invest more time and attention to her legacy. But now that I’ve read this, I can’t wait to go read up on what actually happened in her life.

When The Brightest Star by Gail Tsukiyama, a historical fiction novel based on the life of Anna May Wong, became available on NetGalley I was stoked. Thankfully, NetGalley approved my request. After watching Hollywood on Netflix, I learned who Anna May Wong everything that I could about her. I was beyond excited to be able to read this book.

Anna May Wong was the first Asian American actress to achieve stardom in Hollywood. Her career began in 1919 and lasted until 1960. To escape the racism of Hollywood and the laws that enforced racial segregation, she traveled to Europe often for work on stage and screen. When Anna May wasn’t working on a film, she was working on becoming a fashion icon.

The book follows Anna May as she goes to the ceremony to receive her star on the Walk of Fame in 1960. The fictional character of Anna May narrates the book so it seems like a memoir. Honestly, I kept forgetting that it was fiction and not an autobiography.

Although Anna May is traveling around the world, she is still close to her sisters Lulu and Mary. Their father is not supportive of her non-traditional job. However, Lulu and Mary always hope that she follows her heart. They bicker as most sisters do but I enjoy hearing about their family. Anna May worked with many famous people but was still someone’s sister.

Recommendation
If you like stories about women who become successful in spite of obstacles, then you will love The Brightest Star. Also, if you enjoy hearing about the early days of movies and Hollywood, then this could also be the book for you.

If you aren’t a fan of historical fiction that is insanely accurate, then you are missing out on a great book if you don’t read The Brightest Star.

* I received this book from NetGalley. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own. Obviously.

This story of Anna May Wong is incredibly timely. It is the story of the first genuine Asian star. It explores her difficulties in Hollywood and it’s a great social history of the era. It is also ironic that she has been honored by a quarter bearing her imprint. Sadly, anti-Asian prejudice has also been rising in the past years.

Anna is also the victim of sexual abuse at the hands of older men, typical of the studio system.

I enjoyed this since it is a very well researched piece of American/film history.

Thank you Netgalley for this very readable book.

The books I have read by Gail Tsukiyama have remained with me, not only because of the stories they tell, but because of the style in which she tells them. In The Brightest Star, Tsukiyama shares a reimagination of the life of the infamous Hollywood star, Anna May Wong. She shares the difficulties of being a Chinese/American in the United States, and particularly in Hollywood in the early 20th century. My complaint with this book is that the author is simply telling us this story. She has not written in a style that allowed me to feel the character’s life and emotions. It felt like watching a news documentary about this brave and talented woman. One disturbing event follows another as if checking off days on a calendar. I learned a tremendous amount but I also wanted to feel the emotions. Anna May Wong lived through a dark period in Hollywood and America. It is a life people should become familiar with. Even though the book dragged for me I would still recommend it to readers.

What a beautiful reimagining of Anna May Wong’s life. Tsukiyama obviously took great care in following the chronology of Wong’s real life, and every addition felt believable.
I enjoyed the vignettes of locations and periods of time; nothing ever felt drawn out but each felt intentional in adding richness to the story. Letters written by and to Wong also deepened the impact.
I loved not only learning more about Wong’s life but also feeling the strong emotional Tsukiyama creates by writing from Wong’s perspective.

The life of amazing Hollywood star Anna May Wong is outlined in this readable historical fiction about her life story. More people will get to know about her because of this book and more will embrace her historical legacy. The pace could be a little faster, but still, an enjoyable read.

I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review. I found this novel interesting, although a bit slow in the first 10%. The excellent writing made it easy to read through the slower sections, and the naturally fascinating story of Anna May Wong kept me coming back to this novel. What impeccable timing for this book to be released in 2023, the same year a new U.S. currency will feature Wong.