The big laugh

Four stars is probably too high a rating, but I enjoyed the book. At one point, mid-novel, in my enthusiasm, I imagined myself giving it four and a half stars, but the sudden and rapid denouement made me realize that even four stars is probably too generous: it felt as though O'Hara became bored with the novel and decided "to call it a wrap." Then he added this didactic recapitulation--is it an afterword, an epilogue, a conclusion? Whatever it is, it's weird because the rest of the novel is in a single, unchaptered run, which gives it the feel of a long story (or long short story), a structuring well-matched to his treatment of the material. So this brief, concuding section seems unnecessary, abrupt, and quite out of step with the rest show more of the novel: he might as well have begun that section with "and the moral of the story is..."

In conclusion (smile), if you like novels about Hollywood, I think you will enjoy this one. Also if you like John O'Hara novels, I think you will enjoy this one. show less