I don't know what I was expecting, but I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It follows three major stories.
The first (and main) story is that of Julie Crawford, an aspiring screenwriter who wants to be discovered in Hollywood. Julie is trying to escape her Midwestern upbringing, and is determined to stay in Hollywood, even though her parents want her to come back home and get married. As the story begins, she is working a mediocre job at MGM Studios doing grunt work, until she is asked to deliver a message to David Selznick, the producer for Gone with the Wind. Despite the negative encounter she has with him, it turns out to be a turning point in Julie's life and career: she meets Selznick's right-hand man, Andy, whom she later begins dating, and she also bumps into Carole Lombard, who is on set with Clark Gable (the future Rhett Butler) to finish negotiations for Gone with the Wind. Julie somehow becomes involved in their lives--first as Carole's personal assistant, then--as Julie gets more settled into a career in screenwriting--as a lifelong friend.
The second story is of Carole Lombard and Clark Gable. According to the author, Lombard was a firecracker; loud, straightforward, and flashy. At the time the story starts, Lombard and Gable are in the midst of their "secret" affair, since they are waiting for news of Gable's divorce to come through. Eventually, the divorce is finalized, and they rush off to elope. Their love story (as Alcott tells it) is really quite beautiful, and it is amazing to see the love they have for each other, and the support they show. Carole shares with Julie the things she has learned in Hollywood, and helps Julie make the hard decisions that come with growing up.
The final story is of the filming of Gone with the Wind, and how it ties everything together. I suppose I hadn't realized what a huge undertaking it was--or, for that matter, how important it was. There were countless setbacks, and still a lot of racism in the United States that made the movie premiere bittersweet. Gone with the Wind completely took over the lives of the people involved, and was a huge undertaking for MGM. As this book is fictional, I don't know which parts of the filming are accurate. However, if it is true, then there were barriers such as an unfinished script when filming started, a reluctant Rhett Rhett and Scarlett, the head of MGM demanding a "happy ending," and the United States teetering on the edge of joining WWII. This book touches on all of those.
Alcott does a beautiful job of tying the three stories together; so much so, it is difficult to pick them apart. A Touch of Stardust explores a lot of interesting themes--following your dreams, racism, war, love, growing up, World War 2--and how people tried to ignore it, and the illusion of Hollywood. The book feels like you would expect a book based in Hollywood to feel like--it is glamorous and exciting, and changes very quickly. But, at the same time, there is a dark underbelly that the glamor tries to cover up. Julie finds herself wondering what is real and what is a facade, and the reader asks the same question.
My one real issue with this book was the end, to be completely honest. I have thought a lot about how it ended, and can't decide if it was a nod to Gone with the Wind--it ended appropriately, but not necessarily happily-- or if the author wanted to leave an ambiguous ending for the benefit of the reader.
Either way, it was a really good book, and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a historical fiction-type book. And when you do, I would love to hear your thoughts on the ending!
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