The Golden Age of Hollywood is marked by classic movies like Gone with the Wind, Citizen Kane, and Cleopatra. This era gave rise to the first true movie stars and left a legacy that has survived the decades. Whether you’re a film fanatic or just a history buff, this fragment of culture is an exciting deep dive for your TBR pile.
Season of the Gods by Robert Matzen
At the start of America’s entry into World War II, Renie Lee has climbed the ladder of Warner Bros. and is determined to make her mark. Creating the perfect movie may seem impossible to some, but she’s determined. When she discovers a stage play set in Morocco, she believes she’s found that story. The screenplay is named Casablanca. This novel takes readers on a journey of making the greatest movie of all time.
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The Location Shoot by Patricia Leavy
If you’re a film lover, part of your joy might come from production. In this contemporary romance, actors and the crew are gathered in Sweden to shoot a cinematic masterpiece. When a heartthrob actor falls for the bohemian writer, art begins to mirror life in a story about “the big questions.” Culminating on the red carpet of the Cannes Film Festival, this book will give you all the joy of diving head first into the world of movie magic.
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The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
Louise is a beautiful and talented star on the rise even at only fifteen-years-old. Cora is her thirty something chaperone who has begrudgingly taken on the task of caring for the young star on the rise. As they struggle to adapt to one another they face the challenges and changes of the 20s and 30s in all its revolutionary glory.
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The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin
Perhaps even before the classic movies came the silent pictures. In this 1914-set story, twenty-five-year-old Frances has left her second husband in pursuit of creativity. In Los Angeles she finds a burgeoning film industry and Mary, a beloved new screen actress. As both women seek to change the world with their art, they face the challenges of their gender and the drama that swirls in the early days of Hollywood.
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The Blackwoods by Brandy Colbert
In this captivating new YA novel, the legacy of Hollywood reaches into the next generations. Blossom Blackwood was a silver screen icon and the head of the most famous Black family in Hollywood. Now, her great-grandaughters are faced with the lifelong exposure of fame. Hollis isn’t interested in the spotlight, but is thrust into it when her great-grandmother dies and private photos of her are released.
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All the Stars in the Heavens by Adriana Trigiani
Based on a true story, this novel lands readers right in the middle of the Golden Age of Hollywood. When twenty-one-year-old Loretta meets Clark Gable, the married actor falls for the young actress. Far from Hollywood, Sister Alda is forced to leave her convent and she becomes a secretary to Loretta. Over the years, the two women traverse the dramatic landscape of Hollywood enduring scandals, love and adventure together.
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Stars Over Sunset Boulevard by Susan Meissner
In present day Los Angeles, a relic of old Hollywood arrives in Christine’s vintage clothing boutique. It was a hat worn by Scarlett O’Hara in Gone With the Wind. In an effort to return it, she ends up on an adventure of her own. In 1938 L.A., Violet’s life as a wife and mother has come to pieces and she’s hoping to start a new one in Hollywood. She ends up working on the set of Gone With the Wind where she encounters Audrey, a former film star who is now also working as a secretary. The two dive head first into the glamour of Hollywood as they attempt to find themselves and a happy ending.
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The Age of Dreaming by Nina Revoyr
Jun Nakayama was once a silent film star, but his career came to an end amid secrets and an unsolved murder. Now, decades later, a young writer has written a part with Jun in mind. As he comes out of retirement to step back into the spotlight, he fears the events that forced him out will resurface.
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Delayed Rays of a Star by Amanda Lee Koe
In this novel, three women woven into Hollywood have their stories traced across the industry and the world. One, an icon, another, the first Chinese American star and the third an infamous propogandist. As their journeys unfold, the roles they play on and off the screen create a daring tapestry of ambition, love and challenge.
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