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sireno8's review
4.0
I really love Mann's Hollywood non-fiction books. They're great reads -- captivating and juicy without being gossipy. I hadn't had the same experience with his fiction. (I'd read THE MEN FROM THE BOYS and THE BIOGRAPH GIRL which I didn't finish.) I'd found the fiction too cloying and sentimental for my tastes. This book changed my mind. I'm in a different place than I was when I read the others and I think he's in a different place as a fiction writer. This book was the perfect companion on a trip to see my family in Fox News country -- reminding me that I am indeed part of the general population and that there are people out there that think and feel and experience life the way I do. The characters are always interesting and the story is full of unforeseen turns--and though at times it teeters on the edge of cheesy (more in dialogue than narration) it never gives over to melodrama. And it's very effecting. The ending had me choked up and I'm pretty cynical in the literary romance department. Which is probably why I'm always on the lookout for a good one and this is definitely one! I'm going to back and finish BIOGRAPH GIRL and check out his other books.
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