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A review by lola425
Leading Men by Christopher Castellani
4.0
Castellani's Leading Men is everything "biographical" fiction should be. I am a sucker for fiction with a biographical bent, maybe I am too lazy to read an in-depth biography or maybe I just prefer fiction, but for whatever reason, I will read anything fictional about a real-life subject, even if I often end up disappointed by a point by point rehashing of a subject's life with fanciful, but rarely fully fleshed out, fictional sidetrips.
Leading Men is a book that brings Frank Merlo vibrantly to life. In the process you learn about Tennessee Williams, you get a glimpse of Truman Capote, but this story is really about Frank. What is it like to be a helpmeet to a famous, and famously troubled, man? How do you inhabit that role when it is hidden in euphemism, unacknowledged by society? Frank Merlo was Williams' companion during the years when he wrote his most famous and enduring plays. That means something and yet you may never have known Frank Merlo's name if not Castellani bringing him to life. Castellani also does the nearly impossible--creating an original character around which to build Frank's story that feels real and completely of the story. You believe that Anya existed. She is not just plausible, but vital. That the true action of the book is set in gorgeous sun-drenched Italy, that you get a little frisson of rubbing elbows with the literary elite is a bonus.
Recommended for readers who don't think they like biographical fiction. This might change your mind.
Leading Men is a book that brings Frank Merlo vibrantly to life. In the process you learn about Tennessee Williams, you get a glimpse of Truman Capote, but this story is really about Frank. What is it like to be a helpmeet to a famous, and famously troubled, man? How do you inhabit that role when it is hidden in euphemism, unacknowledged by society? Frank Merlo was Williams' companion during the years when he wrote his most famous and enduring plays. That means something and yet you may never have known Frank Merlo's name if not Castellani bringing him to life. Castellani also does the nearly impossible--creating an original character around which to build Frank's story that feels real and completely of the story. You believe that Anya existed. She is not just plausible, but vital. That the true action of the book is set in gorgeous sun-drenched Italy, that you get a little frisson of rubbing elbows with the literary elite is a bonus.
Recommended for readers who don't think they like biographical fiction. This might change your mind.