LAURA LAMONT'S LIFE IN PICTURES - Softcover

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

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 . . .