The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin
This novel took me a long time to read. I was a bit disappointed in it, and reading reviews online has me in the minority. Of course I knew who Mary Pickford was going into this novel, and I was excited to read about early Hollywood. It had to have been such an exciting place--when Los Angeles was still a small outpost, and silent films were all the rage. Bungalows, tiled fountains, and orange groves, along with the warm weather, made it a paradise and a place to start new. Frances Marion, whom I knew nothing about, was just an amazing woman. This is the type of historical novel that will have you pausing to do internet research, look at photos, and read up. Did you know Frances Marion was the first woman screenwriter to win an Oscar? And that she won two in the 1930's? With movie star good looks, she could have easily become famous onscreen; but her talents and heart were all about creating stories. She successfully wrote for silent film...