The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin

The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue and The Aviator's Wife, a rich exploration of two Hollywood friends who shaped the movies (USA Today)--screenwriter Frances Marion and superstar Mary Pickford

Full of Old Hollywood glamour and true details about the pair's historic careers . . . a captivating ode to a legendary bond.--Real Simple

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE

It is 1914, and twenty-five-year-old Frances Marion has left her (second) husband and her Northern California home for the lure of Los Angeles, where she is determined to live independently as an artist. But the word on everyone's lips these days is flickers--the silent moving pictures enthralling theatergoers. Turn any corner in this burgeoning town and you'll find made-up actors running around, as a movie camera captures it all.

In this fledgling industry, Frances finds her true calling: writing stories for this wondrous new medium. She also makes the acquaintance of actress Mary Pickford, whose signature golden curls and lively spirit have earned her the title America's Sweetheart. The two ambitious young women hit it off instantly, their kinship fomented by their mutual fever to create, to move audiences to a frenzy, to start a revolution.

But their ambitions are challenged by both the men around them and the limitations imposed on their gender--and their astronomical success could come at a price. As Mary, the world's highest paid and most beloved actress, struggles to live her life under the spotlight, she also wonders if it is possible to find love, even with the dashing actor Douglas Fairbanks. Frances, too, longs to share her life with someone. As in any good Hollywood story, dramas will play out, personalities will clash, and even the deepest friendships might be shattered.

With cameos from such notables as Charlie Chaplin, Louis B. Mayer, Rudolph Valentino, and Lillian Gish, The Girls in the Picture is, at its heart, a story of friendship and forgiveness. Melanie Benjamin brilliantly captures the dawn of a glittering new era--its myths and icons, its possibilities and potential, and its seduction and heartbreak.

A boffo production . . . Inspiration is a rare and unexpected gift in a book filled with the fluff of Hollywood, but Benjamin provides it with The Girls in the Picture.--NPR

Profoundly resonant, The Girls in the Picture is at its core, an empowering and fascinating tale of sisterhood.--Bryce Dallas Howard

Melanie Benjamin is the New York Times bestselling author of Mistress of the Ritz, The Girls in the Picture, The Swans of Fifth Avenue, The Aviator's Wife, The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb, and Alice I Have Been. Benjamin lives in Chicago, where she is at work on her next historical novel.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781101886809
ISBN 10	1101886803
Title	The Girls in the Picture
Author	Melanie Benjamin
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Random House USA Inc
Year published	2018-02-15
Number of pages	448
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.