![]() Apparently not! This is a unique take in that it is mostly set in Los Angeles and Italy. I love historical fiction as a genre but thought I had burned out on World War Two novels. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Random House/Hogarth for the ARC. There is a lot going on in this story and it's difficult to distill it down, but I will say the author did a very good job of moving the story along, there were some sections that I thought read more like a novella at times, but in the end the whole story ties together very nicely. Maria and him are both labelled enemy aliens and required to register as one. Maria's boyfriend is a Chinese American who works as an actor mostly typecast in bit parts. Maria is an assistant producer and is looking to become an executive producer, but her boss and owner of the studio continually denies her the credit she deserves. Maria and her mother end up in Los Angeles and she finds work at Mercury Pictures, a "B" type studio that puts out low budget films and military type training films (the story takes place just before and during WW2). This story largely follows Maria who had to leave Italy with her mother after her father is accused of anti fascist activities, something that Maria inadvertently played a role in and something that plagues her throughout the book. I went into this book with high expectations, having read the author's previous book, Constellation of Vital Phenomena, a book I very much enjoyed. I relished some of Marra's stunning turns of phrase. The characters' personalities and the inside look at the 40's film industry propel the story along, and the issues raised are certainly relevant today, providing much food for thought. But it is not just Maria's story, because her family members, childhood friends, co-workers and boss, and boyfriend are thoroughly introduced, not only in the context of their relationships to Maria, but also as they are affected by indignities, hypocrisies, cruelties, and dangers of the workplace, government, and culture of the times. Maria's journey brought her to Los Angeles, where her adulthood revolved around her work for a minor studio making B level films. She spent her childhood in a small town in Italy and all was happy until her defense lawyer father was arrested for his inflammatory writings critical of Mussolini's government. There are several key characters, with chapters devoted to each, but the focal one is Maria. With the backdrop of the European turmoil leading up to World War II, and the film industry of the 1940's, Marra has written a complex novel about family, politics, loyalty, betrayal, and greed. ![]() #RandomHouse #hogarth #NetGalley #NetGalleyreads If you like an epic tale, historical thrills or just beautiful literary fiction, then Mercury Pictures Presents is for you! Marra is the author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena, and this novel is one of the most anticipated for the year. It's a fascinating tale as Maria attempts to keep her personal and professional life separate as the world is literally exploding all around her. The dawn of WWII stirs politics into the movie business and Maria needs to determine how to support her boss (congressional hearings), her boyfriend (an Asian actor who is typecast) and her mother who she is estranged from. Reminiscing of the memories she had with her father in the cinema, she claws her way slowly to become an associate producer - almost unheard of for a woman at that time. Maria Lagana is an Italian immigrant burdened with a childhood mistake that bring her mother and her to America. Mercury Pictures Presents is an epic story of a woman struggling to survive in the 1940's. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. This is a challenging read so not for those who want an easy read. ![]() However, as with his other novel, the prose is simply stunning. It is a story of painful loss, family, love, deception, and triumph. But the novel also recounts their struggles, mostly of recent Italian emigres fleeing from Mussolini’s and the Nazis atrocities, and it’s impact on their lives. However, this is an interesting historical fiction saga of a very diverse group of people who become involved with a fledgling Hollywood studio in the 1940s, and into World War II. This story was a bit challenging to get through and I had trouble staying engaged. ![]() His first novel was about the Chechen war-its horrors, tragedies and yet also encompassed love and forgiveness. I really liked Marra’s debut novel, A Constellation of Vital Phenomena so I was excited when I got an advance copy of his most recent novel, Mercury Pictures Presents. ![]()
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