Happy Release Day!
Congratulations Deanna
on the release today of
The Last Lady of the Silver Screen!
The Last Lady of the Silver Screen by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Historical Fiction, 261 pages
Published May 28, 2024 by Deanna Lynn Sletten
The streets of old Hollywood are paved with glitter and gold, secrets and lies. What’s real, and what’s imagined? Only those who lived it know the truth.
1934 – Young Kathleen Carver dreams of becoming a movie star despite her father’s warnings that she wouldn't want that life. As she grows, she becomes more determined and her strong personality and independent soul won’t let her give up. After college, she stays out east and works in the theater. Then her big break comes—Hollywood is calling—and she goes home to California to become the star she always knew she’d be. But there are bumps along the highway to stardom, heartbreak, losses, and scandals. And secrets—so many secrets to keep.
Today – Kathleen Carver hates publicity. Despite having been an actress of both stage and screen since the mid-1940s, she’s always despised the way newspapers and tabloids distorted stories about her private life. Her life had been unconventional for a single woman of her generation, making her an easy target for rumors. But now, at ninety-eight years old, she’s published her autobiography for personal reasons, and she hates that she had to do it. Additionally, she’s agreed to do several interviews for a documentary on a streaming channel, and it feels like torture sharing bits and pieces of her life with the world. But she has her reasons, and the public will never learn from her the true secrets she’s kept locked inside no matter how hard they try. Because old Hollywood had big secrets, and she refuses to betray her friends, or herself.
My thoughts about The Last Lady of the Silver Screen~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)
First lines—"Kathleen Carver stood on the sidelines studying the studio with disdain. It was set up to look like a living room with fake walls, an imitation fireplace, cheap carpet, and strategically placed furniture."
Two facts. I love historical fiction and Deanna Lynn Sletten is at the top of my must-read authors, it doesn't matter what she writes. I absolutely love it when she releases a new historical fiction story. I just know it's going to be interesting and educational. The Last Lady of the Silver Screen did not disappoint!
Kathleen Carver lived the beautiful life of the movie world, but also lived with secrets. The story is told is dual timelines, the past when she was young and in demand in the movie world, and the present when she is near the end of her life, sharing her story in her upcoming autobiography, as well as holding an in-depth interview. She has her reasons for sharing her private life now but no one will learn all of the secrets. Some things cannot be shared.
I was dropped into the magical days of the movie world of the 1940's with this story, where all the actors and actresses were beautiful, glamourous people and huge stars in the entertainment world. It was a glorious time to be alive. I absolutely loved reading about the movie world of the 40's and loved seeing all the movie star's names mentioned in the story. I love old movies and this story was a reminder to me of all of those great people from the past.
The Last Lady of the Silver Screen is a beautifully written story about an amazing time, with an interesting character who lived through a lot. I devoured this story when I started it and loved every second I was in that world. I came to care deeply about Kathleen and admired everything she lived though. I loved all the references to the old movies and movie stars. I think I'll go watch an old movie now.
Seriously though, if you are an old movie buff, you are going to love this story. And even is you aren't into that thing, you'll still love it for the fabulous storyline and characters. I highly recommend The Last Lady of the Silver Screen. Don't miss it!
I received The Last Lady of the Silver Screen from the author and this is my honest opinion of the book.
About the author
Deanna Lynn Sletten is the author of Mrs. Winchester's Biographer, The Ones We Leave Behind, The Women of Great Heron Lake, Maggie's Turn, The Lake Harriet Series, and several other titles. She writes compelling historical fiction, heartwarming women's fiction, romance novels, and murder mysteries. She has also written one middle-grade novel that takes you on the adventure of a lifetime
Deanna has recently begun a new murder mystery series, The Rachel Emery Series which includes The Truth About Rachel and Death Becomes You.
Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her home with her beautiful Australian Shepherd or relaxing on the lake in the summer. ~ Goodreads
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Susan - Thank you so much for this amazing review! I just loved writing this story and am happy you enjoyed it.
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