I loved how the author wove this tale with various narratives and the flashes of Salome throughout. Experiencing the dual setting between Golden Era Hollywood and Palestine was remarkable; the writing is so lush that you can’t help but become fully immersed in both!

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a beautiful writer and I really enjoyed this depiction of Salome. Would definitely recommend this to lovers of old Hollywood and mythology/biblical retellings!

I've read one Silvia Moreno-Garcia book before and didn't especially enjoy it, but as soon as I heard she was writing about golden age Hollywood, I was seated. And I was far from disappointed - 'The Seventh Veil of Salome' delivers a lush tragedy, darting between two actresses in 1950s Hollywood at different ends of the success spectrum and a reimagined life of Salome herself, drawn from centuries of writings about this mysterious biblical figure. The level of detail is so intricate, so well-drawn, it's a feast for the eyes to read and the parallels between Vera, Nancy and Salome made for thoroughly diverting and interesting reading.

I read half of this book over a few sittings on the Bank Holiday Monday as I was coming back from a family wedding, but the second half took me much longer to read. And reflecting back, I think the second half was weaker than the first. Moreno-Garcia does all this work to set up a fascinating conflict that certainly mirrors the fanaticism of people who believe they've had something 'taken' from them that was never theirs in the first place (think a fangirls un-motivated hatred of the partner their fave celebrity marries), but it starts to falter rather than develop as we hit the 60% mark. The build up to Salome / Vera's dances went on for too long and lost momentum as we kept hearing the same things over and over again, waiting for what we knew would be a significant moment in the plot.

Nevertheless. For lovers of Hollywood's nasty side during the slow downfall of the studios or the rich intrigue of the legends of Salome, 'The Seventh Veil of Salome' should be added immediately to your TBR.

Firstly thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of the book in return for my honest opinion .

The story of the old Hollywood was very interesting especially as I am a fan of film . The three main female characters all had differing personality traits with one main theme uniting all three - the need to be loved . This trait led to heartbreak violence and tragedy .

Although i enjoyed the story I felt it was a bit slow in the middle while the ending was rushed in my opinion.

Solid 3.75 ⭐️ would recommend to anyone who loves film and history

In The Seventh Veil of Salome we follow the stories of three women: Salome, the biblical figure, Nancy and Vera, who are both actresses in 1950s Hollywood, starring in a movie about Salome.
I did enjoy the Hollywood setting and I do like Silvia Moreno-Garcia‘s writing style. However I did not connect to any of the characters and there just wasn‘t enough plot to keep me engaged.

I read an eARC of this book so thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is one of my favourite authors of all time. I’ve read all of her books. So when I found out she was writing a book set in a time and place I have a particular fascination with, I was over the moon. Moreno-Garcia has the incredible talent to be able to effortlessly write across genres. Her books are always standalones (something I love) and they also provide a unique character study within a particular context. She’s written horror, fantasy, historical, crime, magical realism. Here we take a foray into the Hollywood Golden Age. Studios are indulging in sword and sandals pictures. We follow the creation of ‘The Seventh Veil of Salome.’ A historical picture with an ingenue as the star, a receptionist from Mexico who was discovered as having the perfect look for Salome.

Vera Larios is a hard worker, a talented musician who has grown up in the shadow of her sister, the one whom their mother preferred and would see be a star. Vera experiences the bigotry and cruelty of jealous and lecherous people working on the movie. She is polite and well-meaning but her quiet frustration at the behaviour of others grows throughout the book as the callousness escalates. Vera is mirrored by Nancy, an arrogant, prejudiced actress who believes she should be a star. We see both perspectives and see Nancy’s delusions of her own talent and what she is owed. While Vera tries to exist, Nancy demands attention, using and discarding people as it suits her. Nancy’s resentment of Vera intensifies, causing her to spread rumours, lies and luxuriate in the tabloid tales spread around Vera.

We also see chapters of the tale of Salome, framing the movie that’s being created in the 1950s narratives. We experience chapters from many different perspectives in this story, often for only a few pages, providing another view of the events, context to the story or to share information our characters are not party to yet. This felt like far more perspectives than Moreno-Garcia usually provides, but it works, particularly the narrative from the screenwriter, almost acting as a Greek Chorus for the events that unfold.

I was already primed to like this given I’m a fan of the author and the setting. However this was another fantastic example of Moreno-Garcia’s razor-sharp writing, her ability to inhabit the minds of morally grey characters, her skill at exploring new genres, and her beautifully evocative lens into specific time periods and settings.

Salome.

1950s Hollywood, put on a playlist and sit back and enjoy.

I’m not going to love someone in fractions, and I won’t be loved in quarters or in halves.

I felt completely lost in this story. I could visualize everything so well and felt like I was there.

The writing is amazing as always. Loved how Vera grew confident in herself. The ability to show character growth in these short segments we get with each character was really impressive to see.


I hate Nancy. Garbage rat.

This was such a good read! As always with Silvia Moreno Garcia, I learned a lot, this time about Golden Age Hollywood. And as always, the characters were amazing. Well drawn, relatable, it’s a great example of a book where people make stupid choices, but you cannot help but understand where they are coming from. It is also written superbly, with shifting points of view, a sense of foreboding, and a mixture of chapters that resemble long interviews after the fact, chapters that bring forward the plot of the movie, and chapters that follow our protagonists. I really loved this book, and I would like to thank NetGalley, Quercus Books, and Silvia Moreno Garcia for the advance copy.

The story revolves around the legendary character of Salome. One of the studios in Golden Age Hollywood is shooting a movie centring her, and every (wannabe) actress in town covets the lead role, which is given to a young and unknown Mexican woman, Vera Larios. Vera soon becomes the talk of the town and the object of Nancy Hartley’s envy. Nancy has been trying to make it in Hollywood for several years and believes herself to be the perfect woman to portrait Salome. Among gossip, (broken) promises, stereotypes, lucky breaks, and shooting days, the stories of Nancy, Vera, and Salome become intertwined in this dazzling and glamourous story, up until a highly cinematic ending.

There are many things that I loved about this book. The characters and the mixed style of the chapters are definitely two of them, together with the plot in itself, which I found wholly entertaining. What I liked the most, though, is the tone of this book. The words used, the short descriptive sentences peppered throughout, the switching points of view and narration styles, everything contributed to making this book a highly cinematographic experience. You could definitely close your eyes and imagine the lights, the sounds, the cameras rolling, and feel like Nancy and Vera were part of a movie themselves, maybe about the making of a movie in Golden Age Hollywood. Up until the action sequence at the end of it all.

Honestly, I don’t have much negative feedback, except maybe that I did not particularly enjoyed the book cover, which I think makes this book look much more focused on lust and desire than what it actually is. But this is really nitpicking.

I cannot wait for it to be published and translated into Italian so I can give it to my mom and we can discuss it, maybe after having watched one or two golden age “Sword and Sandals” movies to get in the right mood!

The Seventh Veil of Salome is a delightful dive into 1950s Hollywood. Vera, a Mexican debutante cast as Salome, and Nancy, an actress vying for the same role, bring drama and ambition to life. The book also offers a fascinating retelling of Salome's biblical story. Moreno-Garcia's vivid writing and engaging characters make the era come alive. It's a compelling and enjoyable read, especially for fans of old Hollywood and historical fiction.

3.5 stars.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is an excellent writer with a great talent for setting the scene. I love old Hollywood and felt really drawn into the setting.

This is written from the prospective of Vera, Nancy, Salome and the others. It eventually became clear that the others were some way into the future and doing an interview of sorts. It would've been nice to know exactly when in time each chapter was happening and more about this interview.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and SMG for the advanced copy.

The Seventh Veil of Salome takes place in the Golden Age of Hollywood and it follows multiple POV'S. The main POV'S are Vera who plays Salome in the movie, Nancy who wanted to get the role of Salome and the POV of Salome. We see Vera Larios who is a young Mexican girl cast in the lead role of Salome. Vera is very new to the machinations of Hollywood and soon becomes the talk of the town. Nancy Heartly desperately wants the role of Salome as she has been in Hollywood for a while now but has nothing to show for it. This means she becomes envious of Vera and wants to take the role away from her. The reader gets Salome's POV as if this is a historical fiction story and whilst you are reading Salome's POV you can imagine Vera playing the role.

This was a very well done story set in 1950s Hollywood. The Hollywood vibes were very much in this story and I had a good time reading this. I enjoyed all 3 main POV's particularly Nancy as she reminded me of the worst characteristics of Evelyn Hugo. I also enjoyed the other minor POV's which gave insight into the Vera and Nancy through other people. Salome's POV was very well done as it felt very historical and in many ways this book felt like 2 stories. It was quite a slow story though and it is not something you would binge read. I would recommend this and I am going to give this 4.5 stars rounded up to a 5. This is my favourite novel this author has written out of the ones I have read. The cover is gorgeous so that is a huge plus. There was also some important conversations on Mexicans and POC's in Hollywood and how they were treated.

"The Seventh Veil of Salome" is historical fiction depicting the behind-the-scenes production of a 1950s Hollywood film about the biblical character Salome. The story is told in an interview-like format with multiple points of view, primarily focusing on Vera, a Mexican-born debutante and starring actress, and Nancy, an aspiring actress struggling to break through in Hollywood. The narrative also includes a retelling of the biblical tale of Salome from her perspective.

As a fan of Silvia Moreno Garcia's work, I appreciate her ability to write captivating tales across various genres. "The Seventh Veil of Salome" is ambitious and beautifully written, showcasing the author's knowledge of cinematic history. However, it didn't captivate me like her other books. The division of the narrative into three separate subplots impoverished the perspectives, leaving me wishing for more depth in each character's arc.The stories of Vera and Nancy seemed to lack substance to me. The whole narrative felt somewhat predictable, and the romance threads were not compelling enough to offset this. Paradoxically, the most interesting aspect for me was Salome's story itself, as it offered great opportunities to provide an intriguing reinterpretation of the biblical narrative and give voice to Salome herself. I somewhat regret that the author did not place more emphasis on her relationship with Jokanaaan. Anyway, I have no doubt that the structure of this book may not work for everyone. The fates of the three women only intertwine until the very last pages. While I found the conclusion emotionally resonant, it felt somewhat delayed, as the book becomes rewarding only towards the end.

All in all, in the case of this book, instead of being guided solely by the author's name, it is worth reading the synopsis. This novel will certainly appeal most to fans of mid-20th century Hollywood history and novels set in that era.

This took me a wee while to get into but once it sucked me in, I flew through it in a few hours. Reminded me a bit of the seven husbands of Evelyn Hugo, so if you like that I highly recommend this.

It’s twisty and you never really know what’s about to happen, and features some truly awful characters who you just wanna shake!

Bit of a bittersweet ending but overall a great read. 4.5 stars!