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thekatiefu's review against another edition
2.0
Annoying and indulgent.
I only give this more than 1 star because it actually included factually sound descriptions of some aspects of the Catholic faith.
I only give this more than 1 star because it actually included factually sound descriptions of some aspects of the Catholic faith.
mbenzz's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars, really. It started out strong, but was way too easy to put down towards the middle-to-end. I'm sure it was the times, but I feel like Jesse made a much bigger deal of everything than was necessary, and the Academy Awards ending (while predictable) was completely ridiculous. I love Ingrid Bergman, but I'm very happy to be done with this.
samanthamoore's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity and Sexism
wellreadjill_'s review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ckreads28's review against another edition
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
4.5 out of 5 stars: This book is about the love and disenchantment of Hollywood and family. I loved following Jessica's journey but also Ingrid Bergman's career and story. I do think Jessica's mother was a little hard on her even when it is explained because I wanted to her parents to see the strength in their daughter's voice and beliefs.
kristi518's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoy stories about Old Hollywood and this book will be added to my list of favorites. A mix of unique characters and an interesting story set among the background of 1940's Hollywood made this book a quick read.
I liked how the author combined fact and fiction in this book. She took the events of Ingrid Bergman's life and created a story around it that tells about a young girl's journey from childhood to young adulthood. I found it fascinating to read about the way that Ingrid was idolized and then torn down by the very fans who thought she was perfect. It was a unique look into the world of Hollywood and the way stars were treated in this time period.
There is a family dynamic to this story that I found interesting. I enjoyed reading how Jessica interacted with both of her parents. Her mother seemed to be a devout Catholic while her father could be described as a casual Catholic. The way the parents treated Jessica was different, too. Her mother seemed to be more strict and wanted Jessica to remain a child longer while the father wanted to treat her as more of a grownup.
The story has a good pace to it and was easy to get interested in and stay involved in from beginning to end. I loved all of the descriptions of the settings and the time period. It really added to the story and made me feel a part of it all.
Movie fans or fans of old Hollywood are sure to enjoy this story. It is easy to read and even more easy to enjoy. Definitely a book for the keeper shelf.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are mine.
I liked how the author combined fact and fiction in this book. She took the events of Ingrid Bergman's life and created a story around it that tells about a young girl's journey from childhood to young adulthood. I found it fascinating to read about the way that Ingrid was idolized and then torn down by the very fans who thought she was perfect. It was a unique look into the world of Hollywood and the way stars were treated in this time period.
There is a family dynamic to this story that I found interesting. I enjoyed reading how Jessica interacted with both of her parents. Her mother seemed to be a devout Catholic while her father could be described as a casual Catholic. The way the parents treated Jessica was different, too. Her mother seemed to be more strict and wanted Jessica to remain a child longer while the father wanted to treat her as more of a grownup.
The story has a good pace to it and was easy to get interested in and stay involved in from beginning to end. I loved all of the descriptions of the settings and the time period. It really added to the story and made me feel a part of it all.
Movie fans or fans of old Hollywood are sure to enjoy this story. It is easy to read and even more easy to enjoy. Definitely a book for the keeper shelf.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions are mine.
ifyouhappentoremember's review against another edition
2.0
I found this to be extremely boring. This is simply not an interesting coming-of-age story.
tobyyy's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting little book. Very slow paced, and I’m not entirely sure how the MC healed from her emotional baggage/wounds from the past. The story was a bit dry, and although there were fairly emotional scenes, the retelling of them was removed and avoidant. This may have been purposeful, to create a sense of the dissociation that the MC may have been feeling, but I’m not entirely sold on that concept.
The story was told in dual timelines, one occurring while the MC grew up to age 18, and one occurring at age 27, 9 years after she graduated from high school. However, the 1959 timeline (present day as a 27 year old) felt like it should’ve been written as occurring 20 years in the future rather than just 9 based on her reflections of how long it’s been and how much has happened. Girl, 9 years is a chunk of time but it’s not as long as you’re making it sound. Goodness. Or maybe that’s just me being grumpy, a smidge.
The story was told in dual timelines, one occurring while the MC grew up to age 18, and one occurring at age 27, 9 years after she graduated from high school. However, the 1959 timeline (present day as a 27 year old) felt like it should’ve been written as occurring 20 years in the future rather than just 9 based on her reflections of how long it’s been and how much has happened. Girl, 9 years is a chunk of time but it’s not as long as you’re making it sound. Goodness. Or maybe that’s just me being grumpy, a smidge.
cammmiam's review against another edition
2.0
Here we have an example of a book that wanted to be more, and that truthfully could have been more had the author gone deeper into the characters and the issues they dealt with.
The story deals with Hollywood of the Golden Era as it faces censorship from the Church and Washington. Questions of morality and communism were a big deal in that time -- and we see these conflicts play out through the eyes of Jesse, a Catholic school girl who idolizes Ingrid Bergman (who becomes vilified for having an affair) and who has a Hollywood publicity machine father (who along with his colleagues must grapple with the threat of the being blacklisted). The inner conflict arises due to the lens of religion Jesse tries to see everything through.
Now, these issues were real and true to Hollywood, and they could have made a fascinating story. Jesse, however, is kept in the dark concerning many secrets and truths about this political climate, leaving a lot to unfortunately be dealt with off the page. Instead she is grappling with a religious conflict that was difficult to relate to. I felt like I was being told she had reconciliation issues rather than really digging into her character to see why and how. The resolutions did not do much for me either because of this. The characters all came off flat, creating a skeleton of a story when there could have been flesh, and blood, and life.
I'm disappointed in this one. It really could have been a lot more.
The story deals with Hollywood of the Golden Era as it faces censorship from the Church and Washington. Questions of morality and communism were a big deal in that time -- and we see these conflicts play out through the eyes of Jesse, a Catholic school girl who idolizes Ingrid Bergman (who becomes vilified for having an affair) and who has a Hollywood publicity machine father (who along with his colleagues must grapple with the threat of the being blacklisted). The inner conflict arises due to the lens of religion Jesse tries to see everything through.
Now, these issues were real and true to Hollywood, and they could have made a fascinating story. Jesse, however, is kept in the dark concerning many secrets and truths about this political climate, leaving a lot to unfortunately be dealt with off the page. Instead she is grappling with a religious conflict that was difficult to relate to. I felt like I was being told she had reconciliation issues rather than really digging into her character to see why and how. The resolutions did not do much for me either because of this. The characters all came off flat, creating a skeleton of a story when there could have been flesh, and blood, and life.
I'm disappointed in this one. It really could have been a lot more.