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patwolf's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
is4b3113's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ckreads28's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
4.75 out of 5 Stars: I loved the details and perspectives in this book. I loved seeing more of Marlene and Anna May Wong's relationship and I wished they could've had the HEA that so many in Hollywood made people hide. As much as I love this era and specific genre of books for the fashion and the beauty, I also know how much hate there were for people in the "other" category where they were queer or just not white. They were fought against for different beliefs. This was the era of the witch hunt. This book was a perfect description of it all.
rosietomyn's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 ☆
Delayed Rays of a Stat by Amanda Lee Koe is an authentic and engaging look at the lives of three early 20th century actresses: Anna May Wong, Marlene Dietrich, and Leni Riefenstahl.
As someone who found The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo rather problematic, I find Koe's character development, reflection, and prose more refined and authentic. Her characters are believably Anna, Marlene, and Leni. They are multidimensional women who have shared aspirations and who fight different demons.
Side characters, including Marlene's Chinese maid, are also compelling and engaging. There are no "good" and "bad" characters in Delayed Rays - instead, we see very (VERY) historically problematic people through a contemporary, nuanced lens. This alone reflects Koe's skill at character.
It is also not lost on me that none of the storylines conclude with a happy ending. This is also refreshing. There are no pandering happy endings - like life, these characters struggle and fail, and there is often no alternative. In the failing, in the lack of resolution, there is some grit and authenticity that is lacking in so many books.
Delayed Rays of a Star is definitely a lift of a read. It is heavy (especially during Leni's storyline), but it is worth it. If interested in the diverse lives and loves of early-1900s female movie stars, this is a solid read that holds weight. And Koe, who identifies as queer and was born in Singapore to Chinese parents, is just the author to tackle their stories.
Delayed Rays of a Stat by Amanda Lee Koe is an authentic and engaging look at the lives of three early 20th century actresses: Anna May Wong, Marlene Dietrich, and Leni Riefenstahl.
As someone who found The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo rather problematic, I find Koe's character development, reflection, and prose more refined and authentic. Her characters are believably Anna, Marlene, and Leni. They are multidimensional women who have shared aspirations and who fight different demons.
Side characters, including Marlene's Chinese maid, are also compelling and engaging. There are no "good" and "bad" characters in Delayed Rays - instead, we see very (VERY) historically problematic people through a contemporary, nuanced lens. This alone reflects Koe's skill at character.
It is also not lost on me that none of the storylines conclude with a happy ending. This is also refreshing. There are no pandering happy endings - like life, these characters struggle and fail, and there is often no alternative. In the failing, in the lack of resolution, there is some grit and authenticity that is lacking in so many books.
Delayed Rays of a Star is definitely a lift of a read. It is heavy (especially during Leni's storyline), but it is worth it. If interested in the diverse lives and loves of early-1900s female movie stars, this is a solid read that holds weight. And Koe, who identifies as queer and was born in Singapore to Chinese parents, is just the author to tackle their stories.
song's review against another edition
4.0
3 stars for story, but a lesser writer couldn't have gotten me to finish the book. such enjoyable, richly brocaded prose!
libraryofemilyjayne's review against another edition
4.0
4.5⭐️
Amanda Lee Koe skilfully blends biography and fiction to tell the story of three iconic women in Hollywood cinema. The book is comprised of three parts covering different periods in time: each of these parts feature three separate narrative strands that tell stories from the lives of Marlene Dietrich, Anna May Wong and Leni Riefenstahl. While each of these women have very different stories to tell about their careers and subsequent fame/stardom/controversies, the stories all highlight the dilemmas these women faced when navigating the different aspects of their identity - their gender, their race, their sexuality - and the intersections of these. In Delayed Rays of a Star, Amanda Lee Koe transports readers back in time to show us the sacrifices and struggles these three women encountered in their attempts to break into the male-dominated world of cinema and to make a name for themselves.
I thought this book was incredibly well written and that it was very, very interesting - it has since inspired further research about these women! I was already familiar with Marlene Dietrich after (briefly) studying Hollywood cinema at university, but I loved learning more about her/her career-defining roles, as well as learning about Anna May Wong and Leni Riefenstahl - both of whom I was not previously familiar with. I also really liked all the layers to this book and all the side characters in this book, especially when it came to exploring their respective connections to these women.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of cinema/film, diversity & representation on screen and feminism.
Amanda Lee Koe skilfully blends biography and fiction to tell the story of three iconic women in Hollywood cinema. The book is comprised of three parts covering different periods in time: each of these parts feature three separate narrative strands that tell stories from the lives of Marlene Dietrich, Anna May Wong and Leni Riefenstahl. While each of these women have very different stories to tell about their careers and subsequent fame/stardom/controversies, the stories all highlight the dilemmas these women faced when navigating the different aspects of their identity - their gender, their race, their sexuality - and the intersections of these. In Delayed Rays of a Star, Amanda Lee Koe transports readers back in time to show us the sacrifices and struggles these three women encountered in their attempts to break into the male-dominated world of cinema and to make a name for themselves.
I thought this book was incredibly well written and that it was very, very interesting - it has since inspired further research about these women! I was already familiar with Marlene Dietrich after (briefly) studying Hollywood cinema at university, but I loved learning more about her/her career-defining roles, as well as learning about Anna May Wong and Leni Riefenstahl - both of whom I was not previously familiar with. I also really liked all the layers to this book and all the side characters in this book, especially when it came to exploring their respective connections to these women.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the history of cinema/film, diversity & representation on screen and feminism.
marykl's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
scorpisoph's review
3.0
finally got my hands on the audiobook and while I enjoyed this story and found it super super interesting, for me it kind of dragged (like a lot). it’s definitely a dense and heavy story, which I did not expect to this extent, but I learned lots and would still recommend it to historical fiction lovers
katie_barty's review
4.0
“Everything became a fantastic joke if you could afford to hang around long enough for the punchline”