Books & Java

All the Stars in the Heaven 

by Adriana Trigiani 

 

Synopsis:

 

A hypnotic tale, based on a true story—that dazzles with the signature elements of her previous work—family ties, artistry, romance, adventure—and introduces an unforgettable new heroine: Loretta Young, an ambitious starlet struggling to survive in Hollywood’s dream factory

In this spectacular saga as radiant, thrilling, and beguiling as Hollywood itself, Adriana Trigiani takes us back to Tinsel Town’s golden age—an era as brutal as it was resplendent—and into the complex and glamorous world of a young actress hungry for fame and success. With meticulous, beautiful detail, Trigiani paints a rich, historical landscape of 1930s Los Angeles, where European and American artisans flocked to pursue the ultimate dream: to tell stories on the silver screen.

The movie business is booming in 1935 when twenty-one-year-old Loretta Young meets thirty-four-year-old Clark Gable on the set of The Call of the Wild. Though he’s already married, Gable falls for the stunning and vivacious young actress instantly.

Far from the glittering lights of Hollywood, Sister Alda Ducci has been forced to leave her convent and begin a new journey that leads her to Loretta. Becoming Miss Young’s assistant, the innocent and pious young Alda must navigate the wild terrain of Hollywood with fierce determination and a moral code that derives from her Italian roots. Over the course of decades, she and Loretta encounter scandal and adventure, choose love and passion, and forge an enduring bond of love and loyalty that will be put to the test when they eventually face the greatest obstacle of their lives.

Anchored by Trigiani’s masterful storytelling that takes you on a worldwide ride of adventure from Hollywood to the shores of southern Italy, this mesmerizing epic is, at its heart, a luminous tale of the most cherished ties that bind. Brimming with larger-than-life characters both real and fictional—including stars Spencer Tracy, Myrna Loy, David Niven, Hattie McDaniel and more—it is it is the unforgettable story of one of cinema’s greatest love affairs during the golden age of American movie making.

My Review:

I loved The Shoemaker's Wife which Trigiani wrote a few years ago. The immigrant story that is full of romance, struggle, and tragedy. However, I have tried to read other Trigiani books and have not really enjoyed them as much. I was a bit reluctant to read this one so soon after it was published as there are so many others on my nightstand waiting to be read. But the fact that not only did Trigiani return to the immigrant story similar to The Shoemaker's Wife along but she incorporated another of my favorite subjects - The Golden Age of Hollywood and lives of the movie-stars of the times.

This novel focuses on the brief love affair between Loretta Young and Clark Gable which resulted in the rumored child the Young family spent most of their lives trying to keep secret. I have read many accounts of what the tabloids wrote about with regards to this very short affair between these two Hollywood greats. I think Trigiani painted Gable as much more likable than the other accounts I have read. Personally, I feel that Clark Gable was a total cad but Trigiani does tell the story in a very classy and respectful way.

Loretta Young is portrayed as the good Catholic woman she was so well-known for being and the whole sordid affair as simply that - an unfortunate love affair that was just not meant to blossom further. Fantastic book with a lot of intermingling stories to include some of Hollywood's greats - Spencer Tracy, Carole Lombard, Jean Harlow, David Niven, Don Ameche, Cary Grant, and the list goes on and on. If you love stories about the old Hollywood and its great love affairs, this is one you don't want to miss.