aileron's review
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Confinement, Racism, War, Antisemitism, Xenophobia, and Suicide
Moderate: Death and Animal death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Dementia
oceanwriter's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I was super excited about this one. The synopsis drew me in, the cover is gorgeous, the setting is fantastic, the premise is promising... but I found myself utterly bored and impatient to finish.
The book mainly follows Maria's story, an Italian immigrant who moved to America with her mother. At the start of World War II, she is working for Mercury Pictures. This was a turbulent time for Hollywood for a lot of immigrants given the stigma against people coming from countries aligned with the Axis powers. As the war carries on, Maria and the others have to navigate the changes that come with wartime as well as figures from Maria's past.
I loved the concept of all of this, but it fell flat for me. There were too many characters. I couldn't name half of them from memory if I tried. The plot was chaotic, or I should say plots. This felt like two different books. There were some funny lines, so I'll compliment the witty writing (actually, it was well-written altogether). Still, I'm not really sure what the full picture of the book was. There were too many jumps and not enough character development.
The book mainly follows Maria's story, an Italian immigrant who moved to America with her mother. At the start of World War II, she is working for Mercury Pictures. This was a turbulent time for Hollywood for a lot of immigrants given the stigma against people coming from countries aligned with the Axis powers. As the war carries on, Maria and the others have to navigate the changes that come with wartime as well as figures from Maria's past.
I loved the concept of all of this, but it fell flat for me. There were too many characters. I couldn't name half of them from memory if I tried. The plot was chaotic, or I should say plots. This felt like two different books. There were some funny lines, so I'll compliment the witty writing (actually, it was well-written altogether). Still, I'm not really sure what the full picture of the book was. There were too many jumps and not enough character development.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Death, Antisemitism, and Racism
Moderate: Misogyny and War
Minor: Genocide and Suicide
ciwanski's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I was tempted to give this book a 4 star rating because I loved all the themes and messages and the poetic language, but ultimately the book was a bit of a behemoth for me to get through. In the last two years I have tried to get back into reading, and I think I've successfully done so. That being said, I haven't been reading the most intellectual of books to get me back into it, and this book had so many new vocab words in it that I often had to reread sentences and check definitions before I could get through just one page. When I did finally get through some of the tougher passages, I ended up really loving what I was reading.
Here are some quotes from the book that I especially loved:
"Uncorrected pages billowed from the crash site where the typewriter had collided with his fingers."
"Her mother still brought a Mezzogiorno mindset to suffering: it was never explicable; it was only endurable."
"The true temptation of fantasy wasn't its outlandishness but its aching plausibility."
"In my experience, when a Christian comes to town to clean things up, it rarely ends well for the locals."
"Joe Breen is as intellectually disingenuous as the thoughts before prayers."
"Every totalitarian knows you cannot change the future, only the past."
"A firework fills **REDACTED SPOILER**'s empty eyes, a molten asterisk in the heavens to which the body on the ground is a footnote."
"Devils must tell themselves they are angels too."
One of the things that really warmed me to this book was that almost every character mentioned was given some sort of backstory, some type of reality, some type of future. To me that represented that even the strangers in our lives have their own, full lives to live, and you never know how they might influence you or how you influence them.
Lots to think about with this book. Lots to say about this book. Definitely recommend it if you have the patience for it.
Here are some quotes from the book that I especially loved:
"Uncorrected pages billowed from the crash site where the typewriter had collided with his fingers."
"Her mother still brought a Mezzogiorno mindset to suffering: it was never explicable; it was only endurable."
"The true temptation of fantasy wasn't its outlandishness but its aching plausibility."
"In my experience, when a Christian comes to town to clean things up, it rarely ends well for the locals."
"Joe Breen is as intellectually disingenuous as the thoughts before prayers."
"Every totalitarian knows you cannot change the future, only the past."
"A firework fills **REDACTED SPOILER**'s empty eyes, a molten asterisk in the heavens to which the body on the ground is a footnote."
"Devils must tell themselves they are angels too."
One of the things that really warmed me to this book was that almost every character mentioned was given some sort of backstory, some type of reality, some type of future. To me that represented that even the strangers in our lives have their own, full lives to live, and you never know how they might influence you or how you influence them.
Lots to think about with this book. Lots to say about this book. Definitely recommend it if you have the patience for it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Antisemitism, Death, War, Xenophobia, and Religious bigotry
Minor: Hate crime and Suicide
unboxedjack's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Suicide, Antisemitism, Genocide, War, Death, Grief, Deportation, and Confinement
mondovertigo's review against another edition
funny
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Xenophobia, Misogyny, Antisemitism, and War
Moderate: Death and Death of parent
Minor: Child death
rosa_inverno's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This book left me breathless. I lost count of the number of times I said to my roommate, "I hate this book. It's just so good. I will never write anything even approaching this good."
I try to avoid a lot of historical fiction books set during WWII. I find that they are often overly romanticized depictions of how people would like to believe they would have acted if lived then. This story on the other hand, seems to be more of a portrayal of people just trying to survive and in that way it naturally becomes more realistically human than any other historical fiction I've read recently. I'm not sure that makes sense, but read it, you'll understand what I mean.
If that's not reason enough, read it for the pov shifts between characters and time that flow like water. It's rule breaking to be sure, but it's done in such a way that you'll say to yourself "rules are made to be broken." I know the literary rules that run over my own manuscripts in red pen: only one pov per section, it can be a memory or a flashback but it can't be both, etc. But this book breaks all those rules, and the way it's written...it's too good. Honestly.
I try to avoid a lot of historical fiction books set during WWII. I find that they are often overly romanticized depictions of how people would like to believe they would have acted if lived then. This story on the other hand, seems to be more of a portrayal of people just trying to survive and in that way it naturally becomes more realistically human than any other historical fiction I've read recently. I'm not sure that makes sense, but read it, you'll understand what I mean.
If that's not reason enough, read it for the pov shifts between characters and time that flow like water. It's rule breaking to be sure, but it's done in such a way that you'll say to yourself "rules are made to be broken." I know the literary rules that run over my own manuscripts in red pen: only one pov per section, it can be a memory or a flashback but it can't be both, etc. But this book breaks all those rules, and the way it's written...it's too good. Honestly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia and Death
Moderate: War
Minor: Suicide and Homophobia
laura_is_fae's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
This was so much more than just Maria's story. This was a story of people struggling to find their way during the turbulent time that was WWII. This was a story of immigrants seeking safety and freedom only to find cages in new shapes, and a story of the film industry interacting with this time and these people. This book was heartfelt, and I felt like I saw the stories and struggles of so many characters, while still maintaining Maria as a starting point and circling back to her as a main character. It was funny and beautiful, despite be so far out of my reading comfort zone.
Content Warnings
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, War, Infidelity, Racism, Homophobia, and Xenophobia
hollyd19's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
I was entirely engulfed by this stunning story. Anthony Marra is such an exceptional writer.
Mercury Pictures Presents takes place mostly in the first half of the 20th century with a focus around World War II. However, don’t let the idea of it being a war book mislead: Marra takes a unique, timely angle with a focus on art (mostly movies) and political refugees, not on-the-ground military engagements. At the center lies a production studio led by a chaotic but principled loud-mouth and staffed heavily by immigrant labor. The executive’s right hand, Maria, is the point from which the story spools. In true Anthony Marra fashion, Maria may be technically the protagonist, but the narrative far outstretches her immediate sphere. Despite the book holding dozens of named characters, no one is a bit player or a literary device. Marra imbues everyone in the cast with human complexity — one of my favorite markers of his work.
Ultimately, this book deftly explores the power of communication, propaganda, integrity, public opinion, and fortitude. It was truly wonderful.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Violence, Death, Confinement, Racism, and Grief
Moderate: Misogyny, Antisemitism, Racial slurs, Suicide, and Gaslighting
Minor: War and Genocide
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