A Touch of Stardust

A Touch of Stardust by Kate Alcott
296 Pages

 (Get up on Soapbox, unfurls Pet Peeve)  To all writers of historical fiction, it is fine to invent characters and move some unimportant events around slightly to advance the plot but can we please get the main events of history correct? Especially when getting them wrong serves no purpose whatsoever.  (Gets off soapbox)


This novel revolves around Julie Crawford who has come to Hollywood to become a screenwriter and her efforts in this vein.  As she works her way into the system she gets a job as the personal assistant to Carole Lombard at a time when Lombard is in a relationship with Clark Gable who is filming Gone With The Wind.  At the same time Julie is also finding herself and learning about her love interest whose family is back in Europe as World War II is getting off the ground. 

Alcott does a very good job of bringing the character of Carole Lombard to life as well as the personalities surrounding Gone with the Wind.  The book could have easily been about Lombard since she outshines Julie hands down.  My pet peeve was irked when Julie love interest said he was trying to get his brother out of Vichy France and not succeeding.  The problem was the year is 1939 in the book and Vichy France did not exist until June 1940.  This blatant error took away from the reading experience for me especially since the brother was never mentioned again in the book.
Other than that the book was good, 3 out of 5 stars.

A Touch of Stardust

A Touch of Stardust by Kate Alcott               304 pages

Alcott has made a career out of writing book whose backstories are near an anniversary day. Her second novel, The Dressmaker (a fabulous read BTW), was published during the 100^th anniversary year of the Titanic’s sinking. Her new novel, A Touch of Stardust, comes out on the heels of the 75^th anniversary of the movie Gone With The Wind release.

Protagonist Julie Crawford wants nothing more than to become a Hollywood. After graduating from Smith College, she leaves her hometown of Fort Wayne behind and heads west. We first meet Julie in 1938. She has a menial job with David O. Selznick Studios. She is making her way to one of the backlots with an important message for Selznick. Julie founds herself on the set of GWTW’s burning of Atlanta set.

When she finally finds the director, he’s atop a tower, watching the action. After climbing to deliver her message, Julie gets to meet a lovely young woman, Vivien Leigh; the King of Hollywood, actor Clark Gable; and screwball comedy sensation, actress Carole Lombard. That night she also meets Andy Weinstein, Selznick’s right-hand man.

Alcott’s novel has many layers. First there is the Old Hollywood connection before WWII.  Second is the love story of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara. Third is the love story between Gable and Carole. Fourth, the one between Julie and Andy. Five, the story the Jews and WWII.

I wouldn’t call this a romance novel, not by any means. I felt as if I was at Selznick Studios watching the filming of that remarkable movie. I felt as if I was a witness to the great love Gable and Lombard shared.

I give A Touch of Stardust 5 out of 5 stars.