Book Summary:
In the tradition of Marie Benedict's The Only Woman in the Room and Adriana Trigiani's All The Stars in the Heavens, a stunning biographical historical novel set over five decades about Mexican actress Dolores del Río—the first major Latina star in Hollywood, member of Tinseltown's glamorous inner circle with notables such as Orson Welles and Marlene Dietrich, and proud Mexican woman who helped pioneer Mexican cinema's Golden Age.She was known as the most beautiful woman in the world, but Dolores del Río was more than a pretty face.
1910, Mexico: As the country’s revolution spreads, Dolores, the daughter of a wealthy banker, must flee her comfortable life in Durango or risk death. Her family settles in Mexico City, where, at 16, she marries the worldly Jaime del Río. But in a twist of fate, at a party she meets an influential American director who recognizes in her a natural performer. He invites her to Hollywood, and practically overnight, the famous Miss del Río is born.
In California, Dolores’s star quickly rises, and her days become a whirlwind of movie-making and glamorous events. Swept up in Tinseltown’s glitzy inner circle, she takes her place among film royalty such as Marlene Dietrich and Orson Welles. But as her career soars to new heights, her personal life becomes increasingly complicated, with family tragedy, painful divorce, and real heartache. And when she’s labeled box office poison amid growing prejudice before WWII, Dolores must decide what price she’s willing to pay to achieve her dreams, and if her heart and future instead lie where it all began... in Mexico.
Spanning half a century and narrated by Dolores’s fictional hairdresser and longtime friend, Miss del Río traces the life of a trailblazing woman whose legacy in Hollywood and in Mexico still shines bright today.
My Take:
What a charming story! I had to pace myself because I found that I was racing through the book to see what would happen next. This fictionalized account of the life of Delores del Rio tells the story of del Rio's life and career in both Mexico and Hollywood. It is really full of glamorous detail, historical fiction readers and fashion history folks will love that part. I wasn't aware that del Rio was Mexico's first real movie star, and the book tells all about her career and turbulent life, all through the eyes of the fictional narrator, del Rio's hairdresser! Thank you NetGalley for furnishing the book for me to read, and please note, all opinions are my own. I highly recommend this book. It would make a wonderful Christmas gift to women who love old glamour Hollywood!
About the Author:
Barbara Mujica is the bestselling author of four novels, including Frida, which was translated into 17 languages. She is also an award-winning short story writer and essayist whose work has been published in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Miami Herald, among others. A professor emerita of Spanish at Georgetown University, she grew up in Los Angeles and now lives in Bethesda, Maryland.
Buy Links:
Harlequin: https://www.harlequin.com/shop/books/9781525899935_miss-del-ro.html
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/miss%20del%20rio
Books-A-Million: https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Miss-Ro/Brbara-Mujica/9781525899935?id=8292090795540
Powell’s: https://www.powells.com/book/miss-del-ro-9781525899935
Author Website: http://www.barbaramujica.com/contact-1.html
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Barbara-Mujica-Author-340343149394891/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/284429.B_rbara_Mujica
