Wednesday, March 27, 2024

The Sunset Crowd: A Novel by Karin Tanabe

Publication date: July 4, 2023
NetGalley
St Martin’s Press 
Historical. Fiction, arc, digital, 
ISBN: 9781250280466
352 pages 3/5
10/4/2023-10/19/23

This was a challenging and confusing read and listening to the audiobook while reading the digital book only provided some mild entertainment. This story would be better told in a visual format as there is too much going on that it looses it's "star" appeal. I enjoyed some of this author's previous books but this one felt too busy.

The plot is set in 1970's Los Angeles' where the young and beautiful flocked to parties where drinking and drugs were commonplace. The road to success is rocky even for those from wealthy families. Aside from those who long for a spot on the screen, there is Beatrice DuPont, who makes her living behind a camera. She works for Vogue and Rolling Stone and attends all the society parties recording history in on film. She is a transplant from New York and surprised to find her long ago "crush", Kai de la Faire, living in LA. He's not only rising to fame but is attached to Evra Scott, the fashion diva of Sunset on Sunset, an exclusive boutique for the rich and famous in LA. 

There are strong connections between the characters that build and demolish as the years pass and some rise to stardom while others aren't so fortunate. Scattered among the rich and soon-to-be famous are people who aren't who they claim to be. The writing flows but the plot feels cluttered with many stories and developed characters who all seem to be entwined. It's difficult to really find many likeable characters as they are all pretty flawed some with better intentions than others. I felt there was too much "in the middle" and the story exposed the secrets and lies and wrapped up in the end. It just felt like a longer journey to get there. 

Many thanks to St Martin's Press and NetGalley for providing me access to read this digital book. My review of this book is my honest and unbiased opinion. All comments are expressly my own. 

https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/232537587

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5841932363

https://www.edelweiss.plus/?sku=125028046X&g=4400

https://www.librarything.com/work/28929586&savedbook=1


 

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