Scan barcode
librariam10's review against another edition
4.0
This was a good read. I only gave it 4 stars because it didn't feel like I was reading an Adriana Trigiani book. Yes, there was romance, and Italian main characters, and even a trip to Italy. But it just felt different.
shelbyl's review against another edition
5.0
Sometimes you just want to read a good story. One that spans an entire lifetime of a character. Trigiani writes a great saga. Love stories that aren't sappy or predictable. This was a fantastic story of love in the Golden Age of Hollywood. Excellent audiobook.
mctmama's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed the book, mostly about learning about the "old Hollywood" ways. Interesting take on Clark Gable/Loretta Young romance. Read this for the library book discussion group.
mimima's review against another edition
3.0
Most of my friends who struggled with this one have read other Adriana Trigiani books. Since I have not, I did not have any issue with bringing my past experience of her as an author and as such was able to enjoy this novel for what it was - an imagining of a love story between Loretta Young and Clark Gable. It evoked old Hollywood well and had some interesting things to say about Loretta's quiet faith, about studio contracts, repentance and forgiveness.
irishbelle10's review
emotional
slow-paced
1.5
I usually love Adriana’s books, and wanted to like this much more than I did. But it was ruined for me in the middle of reading it when I found out (trigger warning: date rape) that in real life, in 1998, Loretta Young reportedly told her daughter-in-law that she had been date raped by Clark Gable which led to the conception of their daughter. It’s unfortunately very dull as well. Sad to say that I am not a fan of this one.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape
hezann73's review against another edition
4.0
No one can tell a story like Adriana Trigiani. I was so wrapped up in the characters and the setting that I felt sad when it ended.
biblioventurer's review against another edition
3.0
I think one of the hardest things is to write historical fiction about real people, as opposed to characters created by the author. Invariably, the characters on the page don't mesh with the public figures each reader thinks they know. I liked the portrayal of Loretta Young, and I thought the author captured David Niven's comedic spirit, but some of the characterizations bothered me. The other thing I found challenging was that Trigiani switched characters frequently - sometimes even in the course of one paragraph. She told the story from the perspective of a dozen or more characters, some of whom only got the leading role for a few pages. That part seemed kind of disorganized. But otherwise, it was an enjoyable read set in Hollywood's Golden Age.
bibliocat4's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure I loved the idea of a fictional story based off a real hollywood story
readingonfordearlife's review against another edition
2.0
All the Stars in the Heavens is a dramatic saga set during the 1930s in Hollywood, and is based on the true life love affair of starlet Loretta Young and movie star Clark Gable. Interwoven in this tale is also the story of Alda Ducci, who is forced to leave a convent before taking her vows as a nun, and winds up working as Loretta's secretary. The book is epic in scope, spanning from before Loretta and Clark work together on The Call of the Wild and stretching to both their deaths, decades later.
I so wanted to enjoy this novel. I have always been mesmerized with the classic movies and the actors and actresses from Hollywood's golden age. The story is a great premise for a romantic historical fiction plot. Trigiani's attempt fell short of the mark, in my eyes. I have not read this author before, but as a first time reader of her work, I would not describe her as a "masterful storyteller," as the book jacket does. The pace of the novel was plodding and the writing felt scattered, as if the author were trying to fit too many ideas about Hollywood and movies and art and life into its pages. Trigiani also attempted to vary perspectives, and did not do so well in this book. Though the whole book was written in 3rd person omniscient, the author jumped from one character's thoughts to the next quickly at times, and the result was a lack of true depth for most of the characters. I found most of the book to be rather boring, except for when Loretta and Clark began filming their first movie together and the love affair began. Otherwise, the story moved very slowly. I think the book could have been shortened by about 150 pages, and that Trigiani could have included important later events in an epilogue. There are other larger-than-life movie actors that appear as characters, but most of them do not enhance the storyline--it often felt that Trigiani was simply name-dropping to catch the reader's attention.
All in all, unless you are a Gable or Young enthusiast, I would probably skip this one and just watch some of their movies instead.
I so wanted to enjoy this novel. I have always been mesmerized with the classic movies and the actors and actresses from Hollywood's golden age. The story is a great premise for a romantic historical fiction plot. Trigiani's attempt fell short of the mark, in my eyes. I have not read this author before, but as a first time reader of her work, I would not describe her as a "masterful storyteller," as the book jacket does. The pace of the novel was plodding and the writing felt scattered, as if the author were trying to fit too many ideas about Hollywood and movies and art and life into its pages. Trigiani also attempted to vary perspectives, and did not do so well in this book. Though the whole book was written in 3rd person omniscient, the author jumped from one character's thoughts to the next quickly at times, and the result was a lack of true depth for most of the characters. I found most of the book to be rather boring, except for when Loretta and Clark began filming their first movie together and the love affair began. Otherwise, the story moved very slowly. I think the book could have been shortened by about 150 pages, and that Trigiani could have included important later events in an epilogue. There are other larger-than-life movie actors that appear as characters, but most of them do not enhance the storyline--it often felt that Trigiani was simply name-dropping to catch the reader's attention.
All in all, unless you are a Gable or Young enthusiast, I would probably skip this one and just watch some of their movies instead.
maisiesmom's review against another edition
slow-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
2.0