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Big Red

A Novel Starring Rita Hayworth and Orson Welles
By Jerome Charyn
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Big Red by Jerome Charyn is a captivating exploration of Hollywood's golden age through the eyes of historic characters blended with fictional elements. It delves into the life of an actress navigating fame, ambition, and secret desires, weaving a vivid tapestry of 20th-century stardom and personal turmoil. The narrative immerses you in a world of glamour and complexity, filled with intrigue and emotional depth.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This captivating tale might appeal to you if you're intrigued by the glamour and grit of Old Hollywood. The narrative delves into the personal and professional life of a legendary actress, set against a backdrop of intrigue and scandal. Jerome Charyn crafts a richly detailed world that brings to life the complexities of fame and the ghosts that haunt those in the spotlight.

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Narrated by a starry-eyed reporter, Big Red reimagines the tragic career of Rita Hayworth and her indomitable husband, Orson Welles. An insightful, tender portrait of a seemingly halcyon age before blockbusters and film franchises, Big Red promises to consume both Hollywood cinephiles and neophytes alike....

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Narrated by a starry-eyed reporter, Big Red reimagines the tragic career of Rita Hayworth and her indomitable husband, Orson Welles.

Set amidst the noir glamour of Hollywood's Golden Age, Big Red reenvisions the life of one of America's most enduring icons: Gilda herself, Rita Hayworth, whose fiery red hair and hypnotic dancing helped make her the quintessential movie star of the 1940s.

With narrator Rusty Redburn - a feisty second-string gossip columnist from Kalamazoo tasked with spying on Hayworth by Columbia movie mogul Harry 'The Janitor' Cohn - as our guide, we follow the meteoric rise and heartrending demise of the actress, encountering her exploitative father, Eduardo; her controlling husband, 'boy genius' Orson Welles; and notorious journalist Louella Parsons, among many others.

Mixing his trademark screwball comedy and unerring tragedy, Jerome Charyn, with his 'polymorphous imagination' (Jonathan Lethem) reanimates film classics such as Cover Girl, Gilda, and The Lady from Shanghai.

An insightful, tender portrait of a seemingly halcyon age before blockbusters and film franchises, Big Red promises to consume both Hollywood cinephiles and neophytes alike.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Big Red by Jerome Charyn explores the turbulent life of 1940s screen icon Rita Hayworth through the perspective of Rusty Redburn, a gossip columnist turned confidant. Critics praise the novel's rich narrative and Charyn's ability to echo F. Scott Fitzgerald's style while highlighting the seductive and challenging nature of fame. Reviewers find the book both compelling and immersive, capturing the complex dynamics of Hollywood's golden era.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780857305244

Publisher: Bedford Square Publishers

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 December 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: No Exit Press

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 129.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 288

Collections

Fiction General Fiction Historical Fiction Jerome Charyn Literary Fiction

About the Author

Jerome Charyn is an award-winning American author. With more than 50 published works, Charyn has earned a long-standing reputation as an inventive and prolific chronicler of real and imagined American life. Since Charyn's first novel, Once Upon a Droshky, he has published thirty novels, three memoirs, eight graphic novels, two books about film, short stories, plays, and works of non-fiction. Two of his memoirs were named New York Times Book of the Year and he received the Rosenthal Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Charyn lives in New York City.

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