LAURA LAMONT'S LIFE IN PICTURES - Hardcover

'Emma Straub is a magician, full of brilliance and surprise' Lorrie Moore 'Straub's deft hand is gentler than any tabloid artist could hope to be, and her addicting portrayal of Laura's life is one of a complicated woman who cannot fully grasp her own power but transcends her circumstances, nonetheless' Booklist 'At once a delicious depiction of Hollywood's golden age and a sweet, fulfilling story about one woman's journey through fame, love, and loss' Boston Globe 'Intimate, epic, beautifully observed' Jennifer Egan 'Emma Straub is a magician, full of brilliance and surprise' Lorrie Moore 'Sinking into this book is like settling down to watch a Greta Garbo film -- it's elegant, and refreshing in its simplicity of storytelling. Timeless' Los Angeles Review of Books 'Will appeal to any girl who has left a small town behind to follow her dreams to the big city' Marie Claire 'Plays to our longing to peer behind the movie screen' New York Times 'An enriching, enlightening and inspiring portrait of a doting mother, a besotted wife and a remarkable actress' Psychologies 'An engaging epic of a life that captures the bittersweetness of growing up, leaving home, and finding it again' Publishers Weekly 'Emma Straub fills out the satin-draped chambers and arc-lit sound stages of this world with loving care' Scotsman 'Straub's brisk pacing and emotionally complex characters keep the story fresh ... This bewitching novel is ultimately a celebration of those moments when we drop the act and play the hardest role of all: ourselves' O, The Oprah Magazine 'Sparkly' Vanity Fair 'Big-hearted ... A witty examination of the psychic costs of reinvention in Hollywood's golden age' Washington Post

When the most famous producer in Hollywood plucks seventeen-year-old Elsa Emerson from a party and gives her a brand-new name, a star of the silver screen is born. Laura Lamont. Having spent the summers of her childhood at her father's roadside theatre, all she has ever wanted is to act. Here, it seems, is her dream come true. Step by step - new figure, new wardrobe, new house, new husband - she succumbs to the consuming power of the studio. But her transformation is more profound than she could ever have foreseen . . . Taking us from the spotlight and into the shadows, Emma Straub's sweeping and wildly enjoyable novel has all the glamour and tragedy of the movies. As the lights darken and the credits roll it asks: how many people can we be in a lifetime? And at what cost?