A Darn Good Read: The Limits of Limelight by Margaret Porter Book Review + Giveaway (International)

Publication Date: September 14, 2021
Publisher: Gallica Press
Format: Paperback & eBook; 412 pages
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis

Pretty Oklahoma teenager Helen Nichols accepts an invitation from her cousin, rising movie actress Ginger Rogers, and her Aunt Lela, to try her luck in motion pictures. Her relatives, convinced that her looks and personality will ensure success, provide her with a new name and help her land a contract with RKO. As Phyllis Fraser, she swiftly discovers that Depression-era Hollywood’s surface glamour and glitter obscure the ceaseless struggle of the hopeful starlet.

Lela Rogers, intensely devoted to her daughter and her niece, outwardly accepting of her stage mother label, is nonetheless determined to establish her reputation as screenwriter, stage director, and studio talent scout. For Phyllis, she’s an inspiring model of grit and persistence in an industry run by men.

While Ginger soars to the heights of stardom in musicals with Fred Astaire, Phyllis is tempted by a career more fulfilling than the one she was thrust into. Should she continue working in films, or devote herself to the profession she’s dreamed about since childhood? And which choice might lead her to the lasting love that seems so elusive?

My Thoughts

In Margaret Porter's latest biographical novel, she shines the spotlight on Helen Brown Nichols, better known as Phyllis Fraser, actress and writer.

who as a teenager in the 1930s left Oklahoma City for Hollywood.

Phyllis, as a teenager in the 1930s, leaves Oklahoma City for Hollywood where her aunt, Lela, and cousin, Ginger Rogers, oversee her introduction into the very competitive world of the big screen. She has a modicum of success working with future stars, such as Boris Karloff and John Wayne, but most of her scenes end up on the cutting room floor.

Phyllis befriends many of the other starlets, including Peg Entwhistle and Mary Blackford, whose lives end tragically. She also meets Katherine Hepburn, John Payne, and a host of others who became famous during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

While Phyllis enjoys the Hollywood lifestyle, she is not too disheartened when her acting career stalls. Writing has always been a passion and eventually, she says goodbye to Hollywood for New York, where marriage and a career in publishing await.

The Limits of Limelight is an interesting read about the many challenges facing those pursuing an acting career in Hollywood and the relationship between Phyllis and her aunt and cousin.

There are many famous names flitting through the pages as expected given the setting of the novel. To some, this may be off-putting, but I had no issue with it. Many of the names were familiar to me having grown up when films from that era were regularly shown on television. I had a lot of fun putting faces to those names I knew but couldn't quite place and discovering the films in which they starred.

I liked Phyllis. She seemed levelheaded and not easily swayed by the glitz and glamour of Hollywood. She went on to have a stable private life, as well as a successful professional one.

The Limits of Limelight will appeal to those curious about the early years of Hollywood and the life of a lesser known celebrity.

Where to Purchase

Meet the Author

MARGARET PORTER is the author of more than a dozen works of historical fiction, including The Limits of Limelight (September 2021) and the award-winning Beautiful Invention: A Novel of Hedy Lamarr. Her critically acclaimed novels have been translated into several foreign languages. Other writing credits include nonfiction, newspaper and magazine articles, and poetry. She studied British history in the U.K. and afterwards worked professionally in theatre, film and television. Margaret and her husband live in New England with their dog, dividing their time between a book-filled house in a small city and a waterfront cottage located on one of the region’s largest lakes. When not writing, she keeps busy reading, tending her extensive rose gardens, or playing the mandolin.

More information is available on her website and blog. You can also connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Goodreads.

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, September 20
Guest Post at Novels Alive
Review at Books, Cooks, Looks

Tuesday, September 21
Review at Reading is My Remedy

Wednesday, September 22
Review at Rachelle Loves Books
Excerpt at Books, Ramblings, and Tea

Thursday, September 23
Review at Michelle the PA Loves to Read

Friday, September 24
Review at View from the Birdhouse

Saturday, September 25
Review at A Darn Good Read

Monday, September 27
Review at Rajiv's Reviews
Review at Booking With Janelle

Tuesday, September 28
Review at With A Book In Our Hands

Wednesday, September 29
Guest Post at Jorie Loves A Story

Thursday, September 30
Interview + Excerpt at Passages to the Past

Friday, October 1
Feature at Bibliostatic
Review at Niki Loves to Read

Monday, October 4
Review at Novels Alive
Review at Jorie Loves A Story

Tuesday, October 5
Review at Little But Fierce Book Diary

Wednesday, October 6
Review at Passages to the Past
Review at The Enchanted Shelf

Giveaway

During the Blog Tour, we are giving away some fabulous prizes! Enter HERE.
Grand Prize Winner:

Choice of an autographed paperback or an ebook or an audiobook, plus an acrylic 16-oz sippy “go” cup with straw.

2nd and 3rd Prize Winners:

Choice of an autographed paperback or an ebook or an audiobook.

Runners-up (5):

Reproduction vintage Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire postcard, plus author-autographed bookplate.

The giveaway is open internationally and ends on October 6th. You must be 18 or older to enter.