Did You Hear about Kitty Karr?: A Novel

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For instance, at one point, it took me a beat too long to realize the character Sarah was Elise’s mother! I had no idea what was going on the first chapter as Smith completely failed to set up the story and properly introduce the characters.

However, the modern portions of the novel, which follow Elise in the wake of Kitty’s death, were a significant drop in quality.One of the major themes of the novel is passing, and it explores the many different reasons someone would choose to pass or not. All the executives behind Drag On were seated with their coffee mugs and ballpoint pens, ready to get their film’s petite star, Elise St. Hidden behind the glitz and glamour of 1950s Hollywood were real lives (and heartbreaking, necessary, lies). VERDICT Paul's novel highlights the burden and loss of racism by focusing on the color line and passing. During difficult times of segregation in the deep south, this made the quality of life a whole lot better.

A year ago, the sisters had all promised to come home to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of their parents’ legendary Halloween costume party. Elise and Aaron owned a modest (aka four-bedroom) house behind a sliding gate in West Hollywood and had been engaged for a year.I just finished her April selection, Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld, when I saw she picked Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?

There’s a ton of characters in the Elise storyline right at the beginning and it was a little hard to keep track of. Superstar Elise, who was particularly close to Kitty, is tasked with combing through the star’s trove of memorabilia and possessions, which may provide some clues. is well-written and engrossing, but I did feel like some parts were rushed and like some scenes were even missing—I would have loved to see more of Kitty as her status elevated higher in the industry and further explorations of how both her fame and hidden background affected her sense of self and relationships with others.Now she's been nominated for an Oscar that could expand her successful acting career, but she's not sure if that's what she wants. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.