Book review of “ALL THAT GLITTERS”

               

Synopsis:

Alexandria Moreno—clever, sexy, ambitious and, at times, self-destructive. She blazes a path from Texas to Los Angeles at the dawn of the 1980s to make her dreams of becoming an A-list Hollywood film director come true. She and her best friend arrive in Los Angeles with little more than hope and the determination to make it big. Alex, a beauty as dark and mysterious as her scarred heart, stands at the bottom of the Hollywood mountain looking up, fighting for her chance to climb to the top. Will her quest to live fast and take no prisoners on her way to success destroy her in the end? All That Glitters is a women’s fiction Jackie Collins-type saga that introduces a strong, driven Latina heroine at the center of a rags-to- riches story spanning a decade of action. Along the way, Alexandria walks the fine line separating ambition and self-destruction, and discovers that some sacrifices will cost her everything.

My Review

Life is a roller coaster ride, with bumps, highs and lows. Youth is once such ride where you discover the new world and the amazing places and people you meet along the way. The adrenalin rush to do the impossible, to be known and get rich is a world of its own.

One quote that sets the tune of the story is

“Elly, if your friend Alexendria has asked for your help, you should give it. She’s not one who asks lightly.”

All eyes at the table, including Elly’s fixed on Mr. Carmichael.

Alex the protagonist of the story plans to move to LA to work in movies and convinces her friend Elly who wants to be a model to join her in her endeavour.

One more quote that I loved about the attitude of our protagonist when they arrive to LA and the owner of a hotel asks them as to how long the plan on staying there.

“Well” Alex replied simply, “I guess that depends on how ever long it takes for us to buy one of those beach houses down the road”

The best part of the story was that it has showcased how is the world of dreams is like. It won’t be a roller coaster ride. You have to face the failures of life and cherish the small achievements that you get.

But to make it big into Hollywood, there has to be days where to make a living you have to work as a waitress as our protagonist does. And at the same moment you need to continuously grow your network to make it to the movies.

Will it so easy to just grow your contacts and make it big into the movies. There will be times where your body craves for love and you find it more pleasurable than the destination.

There will be drugs to reel your head and to loosen you a bit. People will be there to make you a super model and then there will be some to bring you down.

But these are just theories, but who knows what happens in a real life

The novel will take you deep into the Hollywood dream world and will make you come face to face with the sex, drugs, men, late night parties. How our protagonist makes it big in life along with her friend Elly.

The emotional aspect of the story is what I like a lot; the author has a different taste of her own to describe the emotions and it can be because she is a girl and knows how one feels had she been in the particular scenario. I was unable to differentiate between the real world and the one in the novel. It was as if I was living their life.

I don’t want to be a spoiler and I can assure you, it is a book like no other, written on the life in Hollywood.

Incredible piece of work and it showcases Liza’s master over her craft.

About the author

               

Liza Treviño hails from Texas, spending many of her formative years on the I-35 corridor of San Antonio, Austin and Dallas. In pursuit of adventure and a Ph.D., Liza moved to Los Angeles where she compiled a collection of short-term, low-level Hollywood jobs like script girl, producer assistant and production assistant. Her time as a Hollywood Jane-of- all-trades gave her an insider’s view to a world most only see from the outside, providing the inspiration for creating a new breed of Latina heroine.