Thanks to Suzy Missirlian, publicist, I am giving away one print copy of Platinum Doll by Anne Girard.
Description of Platinum Doll by Anne Girard
Set against the dazzling backdrop of Golden Age Hollywood, Platinum Doll tells the enchanting story of Jean Harlow, one of the most iconic stars in the history of film.
It’s the Roaring Twenties and seventeen-year-old Harlean Carpenter McGrew has run off to Beverly Hills. She’s chasing a dream—to escape her small, Midwestern life and see her name in lights. In California, Harlean has everything a girl could want—a rich husband, glamorous parties, socialite friends—except an outlet for her talent. But everything changes when a dare pushes her to embrace her true ambition—to be an actress on the silver screen.
With her timeless beauty and striking shade of platinum-blond hair, Harlean becomes Jean Harlow. And as she’s thrust into the limelight, Jean learns that this new world of opportunity comes with its own set of burdens. Torn between her family and her passion to perform, Jean is forced to confront the difficult truth—that fame comes at a price, if only she’s willing to pay it.
Featuring a glittering cast of ingénues and Hollywood titans—Clara Bow, Clark Gable, Laurel and Hardy, Howard Hughes—Platinum Doll introduces us to the star who would shine brighter than them all.
My Thoughts on Platinum Doll by Anne Girard
Harlean’s mother, Jean Harlow took her from her father at a young age. They went to Hollywood where mother Jean, tried to break into an acting career that never transpired. They eventually went back to Missouri but Harlean never forgot about Hollywood.
At the age of 17 Harlean marries Chuck McGrew and he takes her to Hollywood with the surprise of a brand new house to live in. She has everything she could ever want. She has a rich husband who adores her, new friends, and a house in Hollywood. She thinks that is enough however, she becomes bored with being a housewife and daily shopping and lunches with friends and eventually decides to do some extra work.
She initially signed up for the job as a dare from friends and doesn’t think she would ever get hired. However, one morning she gets a call for extra work and she finds she enjoys it. It doesn’t take long for her to get noticed, with her striking looks and her platinum blonde hair. Soon after she starts as an extra, she is hired to work with Laurel and Hardy in their shorts and her career starts to take off from there. She called herself Jean Harlow in honor of her mother.
During this time her mother remarries and they move to Hollywood to be near Harlean. Chuck and his mother in law do not get along. He also drinks too much and is jealous whenever another man looks at Harlean and gets volatile. Harlean’s mother purposely adds fuel to the flame and eventually Harlean divorces him. Her mother is a master manipulator throughout the book.
When I was offered a review copy of this book, I couldn’t refuse. It wasn’t that long ago that I read and loved Madame Picasso , also by Anne Girard. I also thought I would enjoy a book about Jean Harlow. As a child I grew watching old Laurel and Hardy films and had also seen some of Harlow’s feature films on TV.
Once I picked up the book and started reading, I thought that perhaps I made a mistake in accepting it. It took me quite a few pages to get into it and it never really took hold of me. There seemed to be a lot of repetition and some of the dialogue didn’t seem quite natural, to me. Perhaps it was because Harlean/ Jean Harlow only lived in this world for 26 years. Was there enough material for the author to draw a cohesive story from?
I also think that it would have been better had the author delved into Jean Harlow’s other two marriages and movies, up until her death. Rather than spend so much time on her first marriage. She ends the book with Jean getting married to Paul Bern but then just mentions in the Author’s Note that Jean later married Hal Rosson and has an affair with William Powell.
That said, I am still glad I read the book, it certainly had some good tidbits.
3/5
I received a advanced reader print copy for my honest review.
About Anne Girard
Diane Haeger, who currently writes under the pen name Anne Girard (Madame Picasso), holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from UCLA. A chance meeting with the famed author Irving Stone 25 years ago sharply focused her ambition to tell great stories from history, and write them only after detailed research and extensive travel to the place her character lived.
That determination has provided a fascinating journey that has taken her from the halls of Chenonceaux, to a private interview with one of Pablo Picasso’s last surviving friends, and most recently an invitation inside Jean Harlow’s home.
Since the publication of her acclaimed first novel, Courtesan, in 1993, a novel that remains in print today, her work has been translated into 18 different languages, bringing her international success and award-winning status.
Platinum Doll, a novel about Jean Harlow, is her 15th book. She lives in Southern California with her husband and family.
Website: dianehaeger.com
Facebook: facebook.com/annegirardauthor
Twitter: @annegirard1
Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/Anne_Girard
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Giveaway of Platinum Doll by Anne Girard
This giveaway is open to the U.S. and Canada and ends on February 12, 2016, 12 AM Pacific. Entries are accepted via Rafflecopter only.
