Fame. Fortune. Love. You can't have them all.
Meet LA darling Evra Scott. The daughter of an Oscar-winning director and a Brazilian bombshell actress, Evra is the city’s reigning style queen. By day, she’s at the helm of Sunset on Sunset, the boutique beloved by Hollywood’s young and beautiful. By night, she’s on the arm of Kai de la Faire, Hawaii’s hottest export, and the screenwriter of the moment.
Enter Theodora Leigh. The twenty-something Paramount Pictures assistant looks like a big screen star, but her sights are firmly set behind the scenes, as she fights to become a movie producer in a town where sex and sexism sell. Theodora’s got the talent and instincts, but she’s not willing to wait. Luckily, getting ahead by any means necessary is LA’s mantra.
Observing it all is Bea Dupont, a photographer for Rolling Stone and Vogue, who never misses the party, but always keeps to its fringes. A Manhattan blue blood turned West Coast bohemian, Bea holds Evra’s Sunset crowd together. She’s also Kai’s oldest friend, and she’s harbored a not-so-secret flame for him since they met at an elite Swiss boarding school.
But in Hollywood, no one stays on top forever. And it’s not long before Theodora’s unrelenting ambition sets in motion a dramatic quest for power in an industry that is as glamorous as it is duplicitous.
From Rodeo Drive to the French Riviera, Karin Tanabe's The Sunset Crowd is a tale of survival and reinvention, of faking it until you make it, and the glittering appeal of success and stardom, as it seeks to answer that timeless question―who gets to have the American dream?
Reviews with the most likes.
I just finished the Sunset Crowd by Karin Tanabe and here are my musings.
It's LA in the 1970s... Sex, drugs and celebrities on sunset blvd is the norm and when Theodora Leigh, a paramount assistant who looks like a movie star, comes crashing into the lives of Evra, the daughter of a movie star and Bea, a photographer for Vogue and rolling stones.... Evra is on the arm of Kai, the screenwriter of the moment... Bea has been in love with Kai since they were kids and Theodora.... Is looking to replace them all.
I actually really enjoyed this book. I love historical fiction so the bar is always set really high. I love Karin Tanabe's writing style, it flowed well and she really set the Hollywood vibes for me. I felt like I was there partying.. An insider!!!
The characters were on point. Anyone on the cusp of fame will always feel fake to a degree and this was nailed for me. Friends in the front, frenemy behind your back. Classic!!
I didn't like Kai but that was the point. You weren't supposed to fawn over him. He is the epitome of Hollywood. It was so well done that you can tell the author did a lot of research on the era and the comings and goings of the time.
It touches on some difficult subjects but its not covered in detail but just in case, TW sexual assault, drug use and all round debauchery. I loved the plot, I loved the atmosphere and it made me nostalgic for a time before I was born.
Excellent read, I couldn't put it down.
5 stars and out now!
Thank you to @stmartinspress for my gifted copy