Saturday, April 15, 2017

A Woman of Integrity


Summary: Finding herself to be on the wrong side of fifty for a female film star, Laura Scott's career is on the slide. She has an opportunity to reverse this downward spiral when she is offered the starring role in a one-woman play about the life and loves of Hollywood silent screen actress turned pioneering pilot, Georgie Hepburn. Laura jumps at the chance for Georgie is someone she has admired for her courage and integrity ever since she was a child. But as Laura discovers more about Georgie, she realises there is always a price to pay for integrity - in her own life as well as Georgie's. Acclaimed author J David Simons' fifth novel, this is a subtle and complex exploration of a creative life and the challenges faced when a person's desire to be authentic comes under pressure.

My thoughts: I love books where the protagonist is a strong woman. Well, this book has two of them. Two actresses born in different eras: Georgina Hepburn, a silent era actress who becomes a pilot and photographer, and Laura Scott, a fading star floundering because she has been dumped by her agent and is facing financial difficulty. This is the story of how Laura and Georgie, who she portrays in a one-woman play, deal with difficult choices and remain true to themselves. So this was right up my alley.

Besides that, I liked how the novel has a dispassionate narrative style, as in there is zero angst in the descriptions themselves. Does that mean Laura and Georgie were unfeeling? No. It is more of a ‘I will cry in private and deal with the messy parts on my own, thank you’ attitude. While I love reading books full of angst and strife, I am more of ‘oh it happened, now deal with it’ kind when it comes to such situations in my life. 

Note: This was given to me in exchange for an honest review by Freight Books via Net Galley. I thank them both.

No comments:

Post a Comment