Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures by Emma Straub (English) Paperback Book

Description: Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures by Emma Straub A Bookpage Best Books of 2012 pick"At once a delicious depiction of Hollywoods golden age and a sweet, fulfilling story about one womans journey through fame, love, and loss."—Boston Globe In 1920, Elsa Emerson is born to the owners of the Cherry County Playhouse in Door County, Wisconsin. Elsa relishes appearing onstage, where she soaks up the approval of her father and the embrace of the audience. But when tragedy strikes her family, her acting becomes more than a childs game of pretend. While still in her teens, Elsa marries and flees to Los Angeles. There she is discovered by Hollywood mogul Irving Green, who refashions her as an exotic brunette screen siren and renames her Laura Lamont. But fame has its costs, and while Laura tries to balance career, family, and personal happiness, she realizes that Elsa Emerson might not be gone completely. Ambitious and richly imagined, Laura Lamonts Life in Pictures is as intimate—and as bigger-than-life—as the great films of the golden age of Hollywood. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Author Biography Emma Straub is from New York City. She is the author of the short story collection Other People We Married. Her fiction and non-fiction have been published in Vogue, Tin House, The New York Times, andThe Paris Review Daily, and she is a staff writer for Rookie. Straub lives with her husband in Brooklyn, where she also works as a bookseller. Review "At once iconic and specific, Emma Straubs beautifully observed first novel explores the fraught trajectory of what has become a staple of the American dream: the hunger for stardom and fame. Laura Lamonts Life in Pictures affords an intimate, epic view of how that dream ricochets through one American life." – Jennifer Egan, author of A Visit from the Goon Squad"Emma Straub is a magician, full of brilliance and surprise."— Lorrie Moore"An exquisite debut novel that brings Depression-era Hollywood to life with startling immediacy. Laura Lamont is a memorable character, and Emma Straub illuminates her inner life with uncanny authority."— Tom Perrotta, author of The Leftovers and Little Children"I absolutely loved this tale of one womans incredible journey from small town girl to movie star. Straub brings Old Hollywood fully to life, in all its glamour, excess, ruthlessness, and beauty. I didnt want this marvelous novel to end."— J. Courtney Sullivan, author of Commencement and Maine"Fantastic…a stunningly intimate portrayal of one womans life."—Entertainment Weekly "Straubs 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"[A] timeless tale with true heartfelt warmth throughout…one of the most entertaining novels this fall."—Matchbook Magazine"delightful… mesmerizing."—The Miami Herald "at once a delicious depiction of Hollywoods golden age and a sweet, fulfilling story about one womans journey through fame, love, and loss."—Boston Globe "Straub makes masterful use of the golden age of Hollywood to tap contemporary questions about the price of celebrity and a working mothers struggle to balance all that matters."—People "Straub vividly recaptures the glamour and meticulously contrived mythology of the studio-system era."—USA Today "big-hearted…a witty examination of the psychic costs of reinvention in Hollywoods golden age."—The Washington Post "[With] effortless prose and precise observations…Straubs novel explores themes of identity, career and motherhood through the filter of one womans life experience…an entertaining narrative."-San Francisco Chronicle "Laura Lamont might be the most anticipated debut of the year. Its easy to understand the hullabaloo; Straubs style is clear and engaging, and her plot balances the glamour of the Hollywood Golden Age with trenchant thematic links to issues of contemporary working women. The result is a delightful, entertaining read with substance."—Minneapolis Star Tribune"Like the protagonist in her new novel, Laura Lamonts Life in Pictures, Emma Straub is a rising star."—TimeOut Chicago "Will appeal to any girl who has left a small town behind to follow her dreams to the big city."—Marie Claire "Dramatic, human and historical: like a classic Hollywood movie…Straub knows when to linger and when to be brief, and her portrayal of Elsa/Lauras relationships is exquisite…Peppered with stunningly crafted sentences and heart-twisting storytelling, the richness of this full life is portrayed with perceptive clarity."—BUST Magazine"Straub imbues her writing with surprising insights and wit… [her] writing reminds the reader how good literary fiction can precisely capture the human experience."—Pop Matters Review Quote "At once iconic and specific, Emma Straubs beautifully observed first novel explores the fraught trajectory of what has become a staple of the American dream: the hunger for stardom and fame. Laura Lamonts Life in Pictures affords an intimate, epic view of how that dream ricochets through one American life." - Jennifer Egan, author of A Visit from the Goon Squad "Emma Straub is a magician, full of brilliance and surprise."-- Lorrie Moore "An exquisite debut novel that brings Depression-era Hollywood to life with startling immediacy. Laura Lamont is a memorable character, and Emma Straub illuminates her inner life with uncanny authority."-- Tom Perrotta, author of The Leftovers and Little Children "I absolutely loved this tale of one womans incredible journey from small town girl to movie star. Straub brings Old Hollywood fully to life, in all its glamour, excess, ruthlessness, and beauty. I didnt want this marvelous novel to end."-- J. Courtney Sullivan, author of Commencement and Maine "Fantastic...a stunningly intimate portrayal of one womans life."-- Entertainment Weekly "Straubs 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 "[A] timeless tale with true heartfelt warmth throughout...one of the most entertaining novels this fall."-- Matchbook Magazine "delightful... mesmerizing."-- The Miami Herald "at once a delicious depiction of Hollywoods golden age and a sweet, fulfilling story about one womans journey through fame, love, and loss."-- Boston Globe "Straub makes masterful use of the golden age of Hollywood to tap contemporary questions about the price of celebrity and a working mothers struggle to balance all that matters."-- People "Straub vividly recaptures the glamour and meticulously contrived mythology of the studio-system era."-- USA Today "big-hearted...a witty examination of the psychic costs of reinvention in Hollywoods golden age."-- The Washington Post "[With] effortless prose and precise observations...Straubs novel explores themes of identity, career and motherhood through the filter of one womans life experience...an entertaining narrative."- San Francisco Chronicle " Laura Lamont might be the most anticipated debut of the year. Its easy to understand the hullabaloo; Straubs style is clear and engaging, and her plot balances the glamour of the Hollywood Golden Age with trenchant thematic links to issues of contemporary working women. The result is a delightful, entertaining read with substance."-- Minneapolis Star Tribune "Like the protagonist in her new novel, Laura Lamonts Life in Pictures , Emma Straub is a rising star."-- TimeOut Chicago "Will appeal to any girl who has left a small town behind to follow her dreams to the big city."-- Marie Claire "Dramatic, human and historical: like a classic Hollywood movie...Straub knows when to linger and when to be brief, and her portrayal of Elsa/Lauras relationships is exquisite...Peppered with stunningly crafted sentences and heart-twisting storytelling, the richness of this full life is portrayed with perceptive clarity."-- BUST Magazine "Straub imbues her writing with surprising insights and wit... [her] writing reminds the reader how good literary fiction can precisely capture the human experience."-- Pop Matters Excerpt from Book THE NURSEMAID Fall 1941 The studio lawyers made everything easy: Within two years of her initial contract, Elsa was divorced and Laura had never been married. Gardner Brothers represented both Laura and Gordon, though it was easy to see whom the bosses favored. Who was Gordon but a sidekick, a bit player? Louis Gardner arranged to help Laura ?nd a bigger house, perfect for her and the two girls and one nanny. It was so easy to change a name: Clara and Florence became Emersons, as they should have been from the start. Elsa couldnt believe shed ever let herself or her daughters carry the name Pitts. The lawyers never charged Laura for their time: It was all in the contract. No one in the papers asked the questions Laura thought they might: If youve never been married, where did these two girls come from, the stork? Questions that did not follow the script were simply not allowed. The divorce had been Elsas idea, which was to say it had been Lauras idea too. She found that there were certain activities (feeding the children, taking a shower) that she always did as Elsa, and others (going to dance class, speaking to Irving and Louis) that she did as Laura, as though there were a switch in the middle of her back. The problem had been that neither Elsa nor Laura wanted to be married to Gordon, who wanted to be married only to Elsa. Before the girls were born, Gordon seemed happy enough for Elsa to be an actress, but not when she was the mother of his children. Clara spent her days in the on-set school with all the other kids, though Florence was only a baby and stayed home with Harriet, the nanny, who was the ?rst black woman Laura had ever really known and charged as much per week as the lead actors at the Cherry County Playhouse. Harriet was exactly Lauras age and had a kind, easy way with all three of the Emerson girls. The new house was on the other side of Los Feliz Boulevard, on a street that snaked up into the hills. Sycamore trees hung low over the sidewalks, and Laura loved to take long walks with Harriet and the girls, pointing out squirrels and even the occasional opossum. Grifth Park wasnt technically Lauras backyard, but that was how she liked to think of it. She went to every concert she could at the Greek Theatre and at the Hollywood Bowl, which wasnt often but often enough, and far more often than if she had stayed in Door County, Wisconsin. She sat outside, under the stars, with all of Los Angeles hushed and quiet behind her; Laura felt that she was once again sitting in the patch of grass outside the Cherry County Playhouse, and every note was sung just for her. One evening, a secretary found Laura on her way from the day care to dance class, and stopped her in her tracks. Irving Green had a box at the Hollywood Bowl, and wanted Laura to be his date for the evening. It was never clear how Irving came to possess all the pieces of information he did, just that he was very good at ?nding things out and holding them all inside his brain until he needed them. Laura said yes, which neither pleased nor surprised the secretary, and Harriet stayed home with the girls. Irving and his driver came to pick her up at six, before dusk, and they sat in near silence until they reached their destination, which gave Laura ample time to examine the inside of the automobile, which was the ?rst Rolls-Royce shed ever seen up close. When they arrived at the Hollywood Bowl, ushers quickly showed them to their seats, which were inches from the stage, so close that Laura could have reached out and grabbed the ? rst violinists bow if shed had the urge. A few minutes in, an usher hurried over to Irvings side, whispered in his ear, and they ducked out again. Laura fussed nervously, sure that everyone in Los Angeles was staring straight at her, wondering why shed been chosen as his date at all, and sure that he probably wasnt coming back. When Irving returned a few minutes later, he said only, "Garbo," as if that were all that was necessary, and it was. "Ive been meaning to ask you," Laura said, in between movements. The seats around them were empty; the Bowl wasnt always full, she knew from her time in the cheap seats several hundred feet from where they were sitting, but even so, Laura imagined that Irving was behind their seclusion, that he held unseen power here as on the lot. "Why Brothers, when its only Louis? Isnt that misleading?" She blushed at her wrong choice of words--she hadnt meant misleading , which implied that Louis, their boss and Irvings mentor, was hoodwinking the audiences. Shed meant secretive, or goofy, even, something that she hadnt communicated. Laura was nervous whenever she was alone with Irving, whether it was in his ofce or the few times shed seen him walking purposefully around the lot. There were things everyone on the lot knew about Irving, things Laura had overheard: Hed been sick as a child, and there was something wrong still, a weakness in a ventricle (so said Edna, the costume assistant) or a lung (so said Peggy, a devoted gossip). Laura didnt think shed ever be bold enough to ?nd out the truth. Eating together was the worst: Irving hardly touched his food, swallowing tinier bites than Laura knew was possible and pronouncing himself stuffed. The desire for him to like her was so strong she could barely think. Laura thought of the ?rst time theyd met, and how silly shed found all those actors pretending to examine their shoes when all they really wanted was his attention. Now she was just as guilty. He was a father ?gure to all of them, and most of the actors werent afraid to get scrappy with their siblings. "Oh," Irving said, "that. I told Louis I thought it sounded better." The orchestra began playing a selection from Cos Details ISBN1594631824 Author Emma Straub Language English Year 2013 ISBN-10 1594631824 ISBN-13 9781594631825 Format Paperback Publication Date 2013-07-02 Short Title LAURA LAMONTS LIFE IN PICT Media Book UK Release Date 1900-01-01 Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2013-07-02 NZ Release Date 2013-07-02 US Release Date 2013-07-02 Pages 352 Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc Imprint Riverhead Books,U.S. DEWEY 813.6 Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:52804946;

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