The Great Pretenders is a great look at life in Hollywood in the 1950’s. It’s the story of Roxanne Granville and her rise to being a successful agent representing writers to her fall from grace. She has a famous Grandfather who runs a studio. He’s been doing it for years. She could work with him but doesn’t want to especially after he left her late Grandmother for a younger woman.
Roxanne gets a job at an agency but is soon sexually assaulted by the man running the agency. She quits and decides to start her own agency. She recruits writers and gets a few of their scripts sold. When a well known writer named Max (who is on the run being accused of being a communist) offers her two great scripts she takes them. She sells them to her Grandfather’s studio with one of her current writers names on them.
And then she meets Terrence Dexter an African-American journalist she finds herself in love with him. They share a secret relationship because in those times it is frowned upon. And then the crap hits the fan. Her relationship is outed, her secret scripts are also revealed to be from Max, who the Government is trying to find. Her agency goes down and she losses basically everything, including Terrence. But Roxanne is a fighter and she picks herself up and decides on her next move.
This is a great look at this time period in Hollywood. There were the hearings going on and if anyone even had a hint that you might be a communist you were ruined. Wearing red was not a thing to do. Men would assault women and get away with it. It was a man’s world and women were suppose to know their role. Author Laura Kalpakian paints a very vivid picture and has done her research on the time she writes about. Just a well done job.
You can pick it up in stores on Tuesday, April 16 from Berkley Trade Paperback Original.
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