Starstruck

Starstruck

When I was a child, Hollywood, with its stars and glamour, was
pretty much the center of the universe for lots of folks. We devoured
the movies and eagerly anticipated highly advertised new releases.
Both teens and many moms read the glossy magazines cover to cover.
Some women knew the preferences of their favorite actors more
intimately than those of their spouses. I can only imagine how things
were back in the 1930's when studios were ruled with iron hands and
fans were more trustingly infatuated.
This is the setting of Rachel Shukert's Starstruck. It combines
a lively plot and fascinating characters with just enough of a social
message to get people thinking.
Margo comes from a rich, snobby, and oh so proper Pasedena
famly--the only child. She dreams of being in the movies. One day
when she cuts private school to go to the drugstore where would be
players try for a break she's offered a screen test. She does well
and is offered a contract. Her father tells her (in a scene as
dramatic as any movie scenario) that he will disown her if she signs it.
Basically, jumping into the biz with no option for failure,
Margo must navigate a very confusing, highly competitive world.
People aren't always who they seem. Wheeling and dealing can take
place anywhere. An insatiable press ruthlessly hunts for any sign of
weakness (blood on the water) in those beings whose legends they have
helped to create. And publicists don't care what they have to do to
individuals to keep the studio rep spotless.
In a photo shoot with a boyfriend chosen by studio bigwigs (the
all American couple--America's sweethearts) Margo finds herself
thinking, "On Camera. Everything was for the camera. She wasn't
Margaret Frobisher anymore; she wasn't even really Margo Sterling.
She was a thing on display, powdered, primped, and starving, in a
dress that didn't fit, on the arm of a man she didn't love. The
camera ruled them all."
Starstruck is a glitzy and yet insightful coming of age story
set in a fascinating time and place. If you're anything like me you
won't be able to put it down.
On a personal note, I did not get the perfect library job I was trying
so hard for. Why? I didn't have enough computer experience. Most
good jobs require this. But where do you get computer experience? A
job...
A great big shout out goes out to my friends who still believe in me.
Julia Emily Hathaway



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