The price of a soul, or cost of success, for a hero in Hollywood.
Robert Peterson, encouraged by easy words and the success of one novel, is a Hollywood innocent. His first lessons are harsh; pornographic films with a waiter’s job to pay the rent seem the only option. Then he meets a powerful, eccentric British producer who, liking a Svengali role, adds Robert to his stable of wannabes. But there is a price...
Bryan Forbes’ powerful new novel is filled with great characters. The women in Robert’s life include the wholly ambitious, sexy Amanda; the domesticated Tracey with the morals of an alleycat; the beautiful, empty Lauren, whom only the camera defines. And the men who teach him the lessons of life include a knife-throwing English director more histrionic than his stars, the agents, double-dealing in wives and clients, and the fellow script writers with strange secrets.
Who could live in the middle of all this scheming ambition and survive?
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‘A fascinating novel. Utterly compelling and wonderfully authentic.’ William Boyd
‘A wonderfully evocative novel about Hollywood in the 1950’s, one that captivates... Bryan Forbes has captured an era, an industry, a very unique ‘company’ town and all its diverse players, and he has done so with unerring precision. A page turner’
Barbara Taylor Bradford
‘A splendidly evocative novel... . This dark love story of obsession and passion has a great cast of colourful characters and a fascinating plot decorated with much authentic detail. This is an immensely enjoyable read.’ Sunday Telegraph
‘Forbes’ astute eye for period detail and characterisation keeps the action rippling along as we follow our hero on his wry everyman quest in the technicolour style of a Tinseltown musical blockbuster.’ The Scotsman
In the Hollywood of the 1950’s – a period which the author knows intimately from personal experience – the major studios were still very much in control of actors and, directors and writers – and the price of success could be unacceptably high.
Robert Peterson, encouraged by easy promises and the success of one novel, is a Hollywood innocent. His first lessons are harsh, and pornographic films with a waiter’s job to pay the rent seem the only option. But for reasons no-one quite understands at the time, a powerful eccentric British producer suddenly takes him up, and even introduces him to another of his proteges, the enigmatic, tantalising Amanda. And desperate to be a player among the swirling, successful crowd, Robert allows himself to be seduced along the first stages of corruption.
Bryan Forbes’ novel is filled with dramatic incident, authentic Hollywood detail and a great cast of characters: the domesticated girl with the morals of an alleycat; the empty beauty whom only the camera defines: the knife-throwing English director more histrionic than his stars: the agents double-dealing in wives and clients: the fellow script-writers with strange secrets and hidden pasts. Who could live in the middle of all this scheming ambition and survive, intact?
The theme of the novel is the corruption of the innocent , but at its heart is a love story, a comedy of manners with a dark undertone, written with Bryan Forbes’ unique inside knowledge of the film industry.
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