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3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
My wife recommended this book to me because we used to live in LA and this book is a testament to how fake it is.
Taking place during the Great Depression, the main character (an art graduate from Yale) tries to make it big in Hollywood after being hired as a set painter. He soon discovers that the dream of Hollywood is completely fabricated as an escape from the capitalist hell that he and the rest of the characters endure. The prose is not particularly compelling, but with some of the graphic things that happen in the book you can see how dead inside the characters are. They are tired, jaded and broke after being promised the world. That’s Hollywood for ya, and it’s gotten even more like this almost 85 years after this book was written.
A short enough read, I can appreciate the cultural relevance of the book but be warned that it slogs on and on.
Taking place during the Great Depression, the main character (an art graduate from Yale) tries to make it big in Hollywood after being hired as a set painter. He soon discovers that the dream of Hollywood is completely fabricated as an escape from the capitalist hell that he and the rest of the characters endure. The prose is not particularly compelling, but with some of the graphic things that happen in the book you can see how dead inside the characters are. They are tired, jaded and broke after being promised the world. That’s Hollywood for ya, and it’s gotten even more like this almost 85 years after this book was written.
A short enough read, I can appreciate the cultural relevance of the book but be warned that it slogs on and on.
Depressing, crushing realization that the American dream isn't all it's cracked up to be, and that Hollywood glitz and glamour is just going to screw you up sooner or later.
This is the Golden Age of Hollywood, full of beautiful actresses, movies, hopes and passion. Tod Hackett gets caught up in this world when he finds himself in an LA studio, working as a set designer. As well as Tod, there's a whole bunch of unfortunate characters pulled into this spotlighted charade, most notably - Faye (a wannabe actress), and Homer Simpson (a sexually clueless Iowan with uncontrollable hands).
Perfect for those who like [a:F. Scott Fitzgerald|3190|F. Scott Fitzgerald|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1427040571p2/3190.jpg], but want something even more tragic and depressing than Gatsby.
This is the Golden Age of Hollywood, full of beautiful actresses, movies, hopes and passion. Tod Hackett gets caught up in this world when he finds himself in an LA studio, working as a set designer. As well as Tod, there's a whole bunch of unfortunate characters pulled into this spotlighted charade, most notably - Faye (a wannabe actress), and Homer Simpson (a sexually clueless Iowan with uncontrollable hands).
Perfect for those who like [a:F. Scott Fitzgerald|3190|F. Scott Fitzgerald|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1427040571p2/3190.jpg], but want something even more tragic and depressing than Gatsby.
dark
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
In the Day of the Locust, Hollywood is a city that consumes people in a bonfire of ambition and desperation. For every successful actor, there are a thousand con artists, prostitutes, cock-fighters, disgruntled midgets, violent cowboys, and Midwest rubes all fighting over their piece of the American dream.
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The tormenting of the Californian dream, both in its expectations and evasiveness. Lost and unrooted characters. Sardonic writing, yet somehow sympathetic, and an apocalyptic ending to remember.
challenging
dark
lighthearted
tense
slow-paced
Apparently West was friends with F Scott Fitzgerald and there are shades of Fitzgerald in this cynical look at LA and Hollywood in the late 30s. There's some beautiful writing and sharp observations, but the sweeping condemnations of the hoi polloi I found to be a bit much.