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Last year, the Netflix movie Babylon offered viewers a look at the early days of Hollywood—from the film sets to the wild parties. The Hollywood novel From Dust to Stardust by author Kathleen Rooney takes readers back to the same time, giving a much more subdued—but still captivating—perspective on the silent film era.
The story follows fourteen-year-old Eileen as she sets out to make her Hollywood dreams come true. Ever since she saw her first movie, she wanted to be an actress. And when her journalist uncle gets her an audition with director D. W. Griffith, she changes her name to Doreen O’Dare and boards a train to California with her beloved grandmother. Doreen’s determination soon turns her into a Hollywood success story—but as she tries to navigate through the ups and downs of stardom while suffering through a difficult marriage, she feels that something’s missing.
Told from 60-something Doreen’s perspective, From Dust to Stardust follows the actress from her arrival in Hollywood, through her rise to stardom, and as she suffers through a turbulent marriage to studio press man Jack. It follows the young star from film sets to dinner parties with her famous friends to give readers a backstage look at Hollywood’s early days—from the silent era through the challenging transition into films with sound.
The story was inspired by real-life actress Colleen Moore, who’s known for her Fairy Castle, which is still on display in Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry. While the story is fictionalized, the closeness to real life can sometimes be distracting—because it’s hard to know where Colleen ends and Doreen begins. At times, it feels like the author chose to include unnecessary parts of the story to keep it true to Colleen’s—and that often makes the pacing feel uneven. Still, for readers who are interested in the history of Hollywood, it can be quite a fascinating read, blending glimpses into the lives of familiar figures and behind-the-scenes looks at the fledgling movie industry with Doreen’s story of hard work, romantic hardship, and recovery.
If you love tales of old Hollywood—long before the social media spectacle—From Dust to Stardust offers a charming story of one woman’s rise to stardom, as well as her life beyond the screen. Admittedly, the filmmaking parts of the story are the most interesting, but it all comes together to show readers the bigger picture.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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