This historical fiction book is based on the life of Hollywood actress, Colleen Moore. Now, even though I enjoy old films and consider myself somewhat knowledgeable when it comes to Old Hollywood, I had never heard of Ms. Moore!

Doreen O’Dare, the protagonist in this book, is such a strong woman! I adored her perseverance, kindness and work ethic and abhorred how she was treated by certain men in her life.

I loved the writing style and realistic descriptions of the daily grind of an actress, but I found the dual timelines and discussion of the Fairy Castle to be a little confusing. I understand that it’s based on Ms. Moore’s real-life collection and dollhouse, which is a very cool concept, but it was a little disjointed for me.

Overall, I think this was a great read sprinkled with a bit of fairy dust!

While this fictional story is inspired by the life and work of 1920s Hollywood silent film star, Colleen Moore, it is not a biography. The book is formatted with each chapter being titled from rooms of the one-ton dollhouse miniature fairy castle that she created to raise the country’s spirits and raise funds for children’s charities during the Great Depression. The fairy castle was donated to Chicago’s own Museum of Science and Industry in 1949. Interestingly enough, her friend & journalist, Adela Rogers St.Johns, did write a little film in 1932 called “A Star is Born” based on Colleen Moore’s rocky marriage to John McCormick.

Synopsis:
The story of silent film actress, Doreen O’Dare is told like a memoir as she is sharing her history with a museum curator named Gladys. As an Irish Catholic child growing up, she became enamored with miniatures she was gifted by her aunts & uncles and the folklore fairy stories that her grandmother told her.

After an unstable childhood consisting of several relocating experiences with her parents, in 1916 with stars in her eyes at the tender age of fourteen and in the care of her grandmother, she drops out of school moving to Hollywood to fulfill her dreams of staring in films. We’re reliving her memories as she maintains her good Catholic moral upbringing, through divorcing her first husband who was an alcoholic, starring in many films between 1916-1930, retiring from Hollywood, and creating the fairy castle.

Personal thoughts:
I really really enjoyed the writing style of the author, Kathleen Rooney. A moderate page turner containing such fantastic creative prose. I rate this historical fiction a 4/5. While I found the content amusing and well researched about an amazing & intelligent woman, not everyone is drawn to stories of Hollywood celebrities or history. Absolutely love the cover art.

To be a star in the silent film era takes Eileen Sullivan, stage name Doreen O'Dare, in with such names as D.W. Griffith and Cecil B. DeMille. Based on the true story of Colleen Moore, this is an inspiring story of the early days of Hollywood and what it takes to be star!

⭐️⭐️⭐️
Doreen O’Dare arrives in Hollywood 1916 with her Irish grandmother and a dream to make it big. Within a decade she has becomes one of the most prominent actress of Hollywood and is on top of the world in her career and her fairytale marriage.
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Doreen is based on the real life actress Colleen Moore. Colleen is considered one the most iconic actresses of the Silent Era of Hollywood and helped popularize the bobbed haircut. Unfortunately, many of her films were lost to time due to poor preservations. She had a hobby of collecting miniatures all her life and created the Colleen Moore dollhouse that toured the United States during the Great Depression and raised money for children. The house is currently at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago since the early 1950s.
🤍
Each chapter is named after a room in the dollhouse as Doreen recounts her life in an interview in the 1960s. Doreen hops on a train from Chicago to Hollywood at 14 years old and ends up being a huge star. Lots of old Hollywood stars are featured in the book. We look into her first marriage and all the movies she filmed.
🤍
I loved reading about the Silent Era of films and how much of an impact ‘talkies’ made to the industry. At times this felt more like a biography rather than a novel I still enjoyed the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a free digital copy on exchange for an honest review. This book will be published 5 SEPTEMBER 2023.

Capturing the glamour and chaos of the black and white Hollywood film industry, this is slow to pick up pace, which may put off some readers and is less salacious but no less satisfying than Evelyn Hugo. It has a far gentler tone, reading more rambling and less acerbic then Taylor Jenkins Reid, which will be very appealing to some readers.

I dnfed this book pretty early on - nothing to do with the author and I love the concept, unfortunately it’s just not my style and I couldn’t get into it.. HOWEVER, based on what I have read and the reviews I’ve seen I think people are going to love it so for that I’ve given 3 stars :)

I loved "Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk", and Rooney's newest book doesn't disappoint.

While not as quirky as Lillian, Doreen O'Dare is an equally compelling character. She retells her history in Hollywood, framed by the construction of an extravagant miniature castle. From her arrival in Hollywood as a young teenager, through the silent movie era and into the age of talkies, she makes friends with some of the iconic stars and others of the times.

The book is based on the life of Colleen Moore, and apparently many of the stories of her real life made their way into this historical fiction.

I was immersed in this book for several days, and enjoyed it immensely.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Out of pure serendipity, I started this book while on the train to Chicago, heading there for the weekend specifically to visit the Museum of Science and Industry.. It was magical to spend time taking in THE dollhouse at the start of diving into this story, and the quest to preserve that feeling had me reading this as slowly as I could manage. I'd recommend going in blind - this novel is inspired by a real person, but is purely fiction, and although I'm now interested in more of the back ground, I enjoyed the book so much not knowing more real-life specifics. The story and writing style were both enrapturing!

I loved the idea of this book, but for me it didn't really deliver what I was expecting. When I hear "Hollywood starlet," "ambition," "dangerous marriage," etc, I'm picturing a Evelyn Hugo-esque page turner of a story. The reality was that this book felt slow for me, and was more of a stream of events that didn't all build to a climax. It was more like "I did this movie" then "I met this person" etc. Some of the other characters didn't feel really developed and like more of an afterthought.

What I did like -- learning about the real life actress Colleen Moore, on whom the book's main character was based, and her fairy castle that exists in real life even today. If and when I'm in Chicago this book has inspired me to go check it out!

Based on the description of the book I expected more about the fairy castle itself and the Great Depression-era years. The reality was the construction of the fairy castle doesn't start until about the 80% mark of the book, and the Depression years were even later in the plot than that -- I was hoping for a book that was more balanced between her Hollywood years AND the castle's construction and tour.

In the end I enjoyed learning about the actress and had a tender spot for her pluck and determination, but the pacing and balance of this book was just not for me.

Having really liked the author's book "Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk" I was eager to read this book. This book did not disappoint! Even though it is fiction, it is loosely based on Colleen Moore's life and Holly wood career. We learn about her childhood and marriages as well as the studio drama and social life of the stars. There are great moments that take place at The Brown Derby and San Simeon (Hearst's castle). There are interactions with other famous stars such as Clara Bow, Marion Davies, Lillian Gish and Mary Pickford. The writing was exquisite - her detail about the miniatures in the Fairy Castle Colleen Moore possibly is now most famous for (it is housed in the Museum of Science and Industry) brought me back to my childhood visits to this wonderful castle. The author also references "Mold-a-Rama" and as soon as she mentioned it I could smell the plastic smell of it. This book was a delight for those who love old Hollywood, miniatures and Chicago. I recommend this book!

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC and I left this review voluntarily.

After loving Lillian Boxfish, I immediately grabbed the chance to read this new one from Kathleen Rooney and I have to say I really loved being in Eileen's world.
This book meets Eileen as an older lady as she is interviewed about her fairy castle, what ensues is her reminiscing about her life in silent films and beyond, in the same vein as Evelyn Hugo.
It felt like reading about an old friend, the book was just comforting despite some of the subject matter and I loved the format, switching each chapter to a different room of the fairy castle and learning about Eileen's life.
I also loved the fact it was based on a real person and that actress became the inspiration for A Star is Born.
Recommended.

Unfortunately, I didn't like the stream-of-consciousness, slightly rambling style of the writing here. Though I was intrigued by the setting and the premise, there wasn't enough happening for my taste in books - I had the same issue with some of the author's previous work.

<i> Chicago, 1916. Doreen O’Dare is fourteen years old when she hops a Hollywood-bound train with her beloved Irish grandmother. Within a decade, her trademark bob and insouciant charm make her the preeminent movie flapper of the Jazz Age. But her success story masks one of relentless ambition, tragedy, and the secrets of a dangerous marriage.

Her professional life in flux, Doreen trades one dream for another. She pours her wealth and creative energy into a singular achievement: the construction of a one-ton miniature Fairy Castle, the likes of which the world has never seen. So begins Doreen’s public tour to lift the nation’s spirits during the Great Depression—and a personal journey worth remembering. </i>

The fictional character of Doreen is based on a real-life actress, and you really feel her story come to life in these pages. It’s an epic tale with much to say about life for women in that time period, especially in Hollywood. Doreen is a highly sympathetic character who comes to feel like an old friend by story’s end.

Thank you Kathleen Rooney, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for providing this ARC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

Last year, the Netflix movie Babylon offered viewers a look at the early days of Hollywood—from the film sets to the wild parties. The Hollywood novel From Dust to Stardust by author Kathleen Rooney takes readers back to the same time, giving a much more subdued—but still captivating—perspective on the silent film era.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

I did finish this book, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me. I didn't feel as connected as I should have to the characters and struggled a little to focus on some aspects of the book. Usually I enjoy this genre so I'm not 100% sure why it wasn't working for me.

When I saw this book as a “read now” offer on NetGalley, I was a bit surprised. While I wasn’t totally thrilled with Rooney’s last book (“Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey”), I just loved her “Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk.” Because I knew I wanted to read more by Rooney, without thinking twice or even looking at the blurb, I hit the link and downloaded the ARC. All I could think was: You’re giving this away, no request required? Okay, sure! I’ll bite.

And am I ever happy I did so! Within the first pages I realized that this book was a fictionalized biography of Colleen Moore. Never heard of her? Well, I don’t blame you, because I forgot myself. However, I can tell you that anyone who grew up within a school bus ride from Chicago’s famous Museum of Science and Industry, and recalls the ‘dollhouse’ there, will certainly have their memories jogged. In fact, as a matter of course, as a student from nearby school district 65, if we went to the Brookfield Zoo the year before, we knew we’d be going to the Museum of Science and Industry that year (and NOBODY ever tried to get out of that field trip). If we were lucky, our tour that year would include a visit to Colleen Moore’s Fairy Castle (and not the dreaded coal mine). So, you can believe me that when I realized within the first pages about whom I was reading, I immediately choked up. Going to see that Fairy Castle was such a lovely childhood memory for me. I’m sure I even had a copy of the souvenir booklet at one time.

However, I knew nothing about Colleen Moore herself, or that at one time she had been an extremely big star of the silent movie era. In order for Rooney to tell her story, she changed the name to Doreen O’Dare, and then crawled into Doreen/Colleen’s head and simply let the tale of her life pour out of her. Rooney does this in the guise of first having Doreen recording her thoughts about the various rooms of the Fairy Castle, which would be used by the museum with the exhibition. After Doreen describes a room, she then flashes back, starting with when she was a young girl dreaming of being a movie star. She then describes her whole life, chronologically, interspersed with each of the castle’s rooms. Yes, this is very similar to how Rooney did Lillian Boxfish, and trust me, that’s a good thing.

Rooney really does such a marvelous job of creating Doreen here, that you can’t help wonder why the name Colleen Moore isn’t still as well known as some of the other silent movie stars of the same era. Okay, I’ll admit that while I adore movies, and have seen thousands of them, I’m not such a film-buff as to have much knowledge about their origins, and the early days of Hollywood. Colleen’s story, in the guise of Doreen, goes an extremely long way in filling the enormous gaps in my film education. Furthermore, Rooney has picked not only a woman who didn’t compromise, but one who knew her own worth, and insisted on being treated as equally as was possible, considering the era. Plus, Rooney gives us a woman who fully understands that stardom and popularity are both fickle and fleeting. By picking Moore as her model, she got the perfect combination of all these rare talents.

Now, I won’t go into all the real people that Rooney included here, or all the real films that featured Doreen/Colleen. You’ll get all that if you read this book. I will add, however, that I had no idea why this Fairy Castle was built, the amazing treasures it includes (like how all the books in the library are actually miniatures of real novels), or how Moore used this amazing creation to help those in need during the Depression era. All I knew was it was a beloved thing to see. As noted above, this novel choked me up a few times, but I ended up crying a couple more times near the end, especially when she mentions how every year the Fairy Castle got its own miniature Christmas tree for the Museum’s famous “Christmas Around the World” celebrations (which, despite my being Jewish, has a special, personal connection to me). This is why I’m wildly recommending this book and awarding it a full (and possibly insufficient) five out of five stars.

From Dust to Stardust is the new book from Kathleen Rooney (who also wrote Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk)

Doreen O'Dare was the symbol of the Jazz Age flapper during her career as an actress - mostly in silent films.
She traveled to Hollywood in 1916 with her grandmother, determined to break into the movies and become a star. Now at the site of what she thinks of as her greatest accomplishment - her very own Fairy Castle - she's ready to tell her story. Working with famous directors, friendships with other actors (What was Charlie Chaplin really like?) And her new found abilities after retiring from Hollywood. Doreen holds nothing back."

The plot is driven in a similar way as Lillian Boxfish - a woman nearing the end of her life reminisces about her life experiences. But the stories and flow are different. Doreen tells so many great stories about Hollywood and the film community. The heartache of living with an alcoholic husband, the fight for roles, the behavior of Hollywood and the building of the Fairy Castle.

Doreen is based on the silent film actress, Colleen Moore. And an actual miniature Fairy Castle exist. One more reason to visit Chicago.

Doreen is one of those characters you want to spend time with - so full of stories and few regrets. This book is going in my Top Ten reads of the year. Don't miss this great new book from Rooney.

The longer I read the more interested I became with this book. The story is based on silent screen star Colleen Moore as much as it is about a miniature castle she had built to house her miniatures and which toured the country during the Depression as a way to raise funds which went to charity. It was nice to have a story in which someone "escaped" from Hollywood relatively unscathed and managed her finances so that she didn't have to worry for the rest of her life.
I have several questions I would like to ask the author. I'm always impressed with her research.

FROM DUST TO STARDUST is another historical fiction tale from author Kathleen Rooney, in which an audacious woman lives her very best life and treats readers to the charming details. This story takes place in the Hollywood before talkies, when star-struck girls could yearn for fame and travel with their grandmothers in search of it. Once our heroine finds it, she holds on tenaciously, even as events conspire to pull it away. The drama of the story is engaging and readers will wonder how it all unfolds. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Oh, I so wanted to like this one more than I did. I usually devour Hollywood stories, especially the ones of the classic era. While the story is based on a real actress's life, the way it was presented just did not work for me. Doreen is elderly when we meet her and is recounting her life for a museum exhibit. So we get snippets in the present and then long stretches in the past telling her rise to stardom from a young girl with stars in her eyes. I just never connected with the story and kept waiting for her life to get more interesting. I think perhaps if I haven't read so many other stories of this era, I would have enjoyed this more. But it also could just be the writing style. 

If you like books about this era, you should give this one a try, just because I didn't love it doesn't mean you won't.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing for gifted access via Netgalley. All opinions above are my own.