Review: Eve in Hollywood
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 25, 2013
I really loved the debut novel Rules of Civility: A Novel, so I was delighted to find this book of six linked stories, which looks at what happened to character Evelyn Ross after she left New York. "Rules of Civility" was based around three friends - working girls Katey Kontent and Evelyn Ross, plus the wealthy and handsome Tinker Grey. Set in Jazz Age New York, the novel centres on Katey but, at the end of the novel, Eve leaves for home and somehow ends up in LA. These stories tell you how she made her way to Hollywood and what happens to her while she is there. However, it is not necessary to have read "Rules of Civility" to read these stories, which do stand alone.The stories begin with Eve on a train, where she extends her trip from Chicago to Los Angeles. Along the way she meets a widow, a faded celebrity, makes the acquaintance of star Olivia de Havilland, a journalist and a lawyer. The last story is told from Eve's own viewpoint. In LA, the big story is the current casting of "Gone With the Wind" and it is a time of real Hollywood glamour. These are a good read and there is a sample of "Rules of Civility" at the end of the book. I really hope the author will write more about these characters and I look forward to reading his next novel.