BOOK REVIEW: The Great Pretenders by Laura Kalpakian @LauraKalpakian @BerkleyPub #thegreatpretenders #bookreview

If you love a strong female lead and an old-Hollywood setting, Laura Kalpakian’s The Great Pretenders is a must-read book! Set in the 1950s, the book tells the story of Roxanne Granville, granddaughter to a successful studio head and an agent to script writers. But Roxanne’s life is not as easy as it seems. She falls in love with a black man—frowned upon in the time and setting where she lives. And she breaks a few rules along the way to promote her writers. A dazzling story about a fascinating, flawed, fierce female that I positively loved!

About the Book

The daughter of Hollywood royalty, Roxanne Granville is used to getting what she wants–even if she has to break the rules. But after a falling-out with her grandfather, a powerful movie mogul, she has to face life on her own for the first time….

Roxanne forges a career unique for women in the 1950s, becoming an agent for hungry young screenwriters. She struggles to be taken seriously by the men who rule Hollywood and who often assume that sexual favors are just a part of doing business. When she sells a script by a blacklisted writer under the name of a willing front man, more exiled writers seek her help. Roxanne wades into a world murky with duplicity and deception, and she can’t afford any more risks.

Then she meets Terrence Dexter, a compelling African American journalist unlike anyone she’s ever known. Roxanne again breaks the rules, and is quickly swept up in a passionate relationship with very real dangers that could destroy everything she’s carefully built.

Roxanne Granville is a woman who bravely defies convention. She won’t let men make all the rules, and won’t let skin color determine whom she can love. The Great Pretenders is a riveting, emotional novel that resonates in today’s world, and reminds us that some things are worth fighting for.

Reflection

Though Roxanne begins the novel as a bit of a spoiled rich girl—she came from means, afterall, during a time of Hollywood opulence—she quickly transforms into a strong, brave, and forward-thinking woman. Not without flaws, Roxanne is a character that you can’t help but root for. She’s relatable, despite the difference in era and status from many readers. I found Roxanne totally sparkled, despite how women were often treated at the time.

There was a lot about the 1950s that I knew, but only pieces of. The bit about communism and the red scare—those were things I knew about but didn’t have a great frame of reference for what it was like at that time. I thought Laura Kalpakian brought many issues—the red scare, racial tensions, rampant sexual misconduct in the workplace—to life in old Hollywood, making me feel both the glamour and the toxicity of a town where everything glitters but doesn’t quite mask the seedy underbelly of that much money and power.

The relationship between Terrence and Roxanne felt authentic, emotional, raw, and fierce. Mixed race couples were just not done at that time, particularly in Hollywood and at the level of status Roxanne was at. I really enjoyed their relationship—the ups and downs, the tenderness, and the way they struggled to move forward despite the times.

The symbolism was also something to note! Not only does this book take place in Hollywood, but often it felt like a film itself. From the birth of Roxanne literally on a film set to Terrence whisking her off in that cream convertible (hello, white horse), I felt the book was rich with vivid scenes and interesting characters, not to mention a fascinating storyline about a woman breaking all of the rules to help talented people find their way despite all of the stigma.

Appearances are everything in Hollywood in the 1950s, and The Great Pretenders clearly showcases that. I loved this book and I want more—I want to know what happens next to Roxanne! The hallmark of a great book (and a great movie) is wishing it would never end. This book felt that way to me!

Thank you to Berkley for my copy. Opinions are my own.