How To Be Famous

There are loads of movie industry novels out there and it doesn't take you long to realise that, where most of them are concerned, the author hasn't even been to LA let alone actually experienced life as a Hollywood hot-shot. So Alison Bond already has a head start. Though she's a Brit, she worked in the film industry for nine years before writing this book, a no holds barred look at the cut-throat world of film, fame and being fabulous...

In the novel, we follow three women looking to make it in La-la land. Lynsey Dixon works for a London talent agency, but is whisked off to Hollywood after proving her worth in a momentary crisis. Once there, she realises the true meaning of the phrase 'working your way up from the bottom', in a world where assistants have assistants, phones ring off the hook and nobody gets to work later than 6am if they want to keep their job.

Next we have Melanie Chapman, the troubled British starlet hoping to make it big in the US (with a little help from Lynsey, of course). She's in love with a married man - and that's just the beginning of her problems! Finally, there's Serena Simon, a very young girl with very big dreams who meets Lynsey on the way to LA and later takes advantage of her contacts in the industry in a big way.

With three stories to follow, the book has a wonderful fast pace, and is an enjoyable, light read with a few big shocks and lots of mouth-wide-open moments when you think 'surely this doesn't really happen?' Unfortunately, laying the groundwork for three such interesting and detailed stories does have its downfalls, and even after 519 pages, the ending feels a little rushed. The characters have their flaws but they're all essentially quite likeable, and this is the kind of book that almost warrants a 'what happened next?' sequel.

In contrast to the main protaganists, the supporting cast will probably drive you mad. From Lynsey's boss Max to Melanie's co-star Fabien (the token Hollywood bad boy), they have a slight tendency towards the stereotypical, but it's pretty safe to say people like this do exist in LA. Overall, if you're willing to accept the cookie-cutter minor characters and forgive the slightly unbelievable ending, this is a good way to while away a train ride or a rainy afternoon, and much better than most movie-based books.

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Did you know?
One of Alison Bond's favourite books is  'The Secret History' by Donna Tartt.

If you liked this, you might like The Movie by Louise Bagshawe or Sundowners by Lesley Lokko.

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