LAURA LAMONT'S LIFE IN PICTURES

(Paperback)

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A captivating debut about the lure of the 1930s Hollywood, in all its dangerous glamour. Irving snapped his fingers, so loudly that it echoed through the room, over all the chatting and flirting. Elsa was surprised that such a sharp, loud noise could come out of such a small person. Laura Lamont, he said. You want it It's yours. Come see me when you're ready. When the most famous producer in 1930s Hollywood plucks Elsa Emerson from a party and gives her a brand-new name, a star of the silver screen is born. Step by step she succumbs to the consuming power of the studio. But her transformation is more profound than she could ever have foreseen...

Reviews

'Emma Straub is a magician, full of brilliance and surprise' Lorrie Moore
Straubs deft hand is gentler than any tabloid artist could hope to be, and her addicting portrayal of Lauras life is one of a complicated woman who cannot fully grasp her own power but transcends her circumstances, nonetheless Booklist
At once a delicious depiction of Hollywoods golden age and a sweet, fulfilling story about one womans journey through fame, love, and loss Boston Globe
Intimate, epic, beautifully observed Jennifer Egan
Emma Straub is a magician, full of brilliance and surprise Lorrie Moore
Sinking into this book is like settling down to watch a Greta Garbo film its elegant, and refreshing in its simplicity of storytelling. Timeless Los Angeles Review of Books
Will appeal to any girl who has left a small town behind to follow her dreams to the big city Marie Claire
Plays to our longing to peer behind the movie screen New York Times
An enriching, enlightening and inspiring portrait of a doting mother, a besotted wife and a remarkable actress Psychologies
An engaging epic of a life that captures the bittersweetness of growing up, leaving home, and finding it again Publishers Weekly
Emma Straub fills out the satin-draped chambers and arc-lit sound stages of this world with loving care Scotsman
Straubs brisk pacing and emotionally complex characters keep the story fresh . . . This bewitching novel is ultimately a celebration of those moments when we drop the act and play the hardest role of all: ourselves O, The Oprah Magazine
'Sparkly' Vanity Fair
Big-hearted . . . A witty examination of the psychic costs of reinvention in Hollywoods golden age Washington Post

Author Bio

Emma Straub lives in New York City. Prior to her debut novel she published a short story collection, Other People We Married. She has an excellent blog at: http://www.emmastraub.net/