Mercury Pictures Presents
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- Create Date：2022-08-20 06:53:26
- Update Date：2025-09-07
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- Author：Anthony Marra
- ISBN：0593583779
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Summary
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The epic tale of a brilliant woman who must reinvent herself to survive， moving from Mussolini's Italy to 1940s Los Angeles--a timeless story of love， deceit， and sacrifice from the award-winning author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena
"A genuinely moving and life-affirming novel that's a true joy to read。"--Celeste Ng， author of Little Fires Everywhere
"A great literary read。"--Ann Patchett， author of The Dutch House
Like many before her， Maria Lagana has come to Hollywood to outrun her past。 Born in Rome， where every Sunday her father took her to the cinema instead of church， Maria immigrates with her mother to Los Angeles after a childhood transgression leads to her father's arrest。
Fifteen years later， on the eve of America's entry into World War II， Maria is an associate producer at Mercury Pictures， trying to keep her personal and professional lives from falling apart。 Her mother won't speak to her。 Her boss， a man of many toupees， has been summoned to Washington by congressional investigators。 Her boyfriend， a virtuoso Chinese American actor， can't escape the studio's narrow typecasting。 And the studio itself， Maria's only home in exile， teeters on the verge of bankruptcy。
Over the coming months， as the bright lights go dark across Los Angeles， Mercury Pictures becomes a nexus of European �migr�s: modernist poets trying their luck as B-movie screenwriters， once-celebrated architects becoming scale-model miniaturists， and refugee actors finding work playing the very villains they fled。 While the world descends into war， Maria rises through a maze of conflicting politics， divided loyalties， and jockeying ambitions。 But when the arrival of a stranger from her father's past threatens Maria's carefully constructed facade， she must finally confront her father's fate--and her own。
Written with intelligence， wit， and an exhilarating sense of possibility， Mercury Pictures Presents spans many moods and tones， from the heartbreaking to the ecstatic。 It is a love letter to life's bit players， a panorama of an era that casts a long shadow over our own， and a tour de force by a novelist whose work The Washington Post calls "a flash in the heavens that makes you look up and believe in miracles。"
"A genuinely moving and life-affirming novel that's a true joy to read。"--Celeste Ng， author of Little Fires Everywhere
"A great literary read。"--Ann Patchett， author of The Dutch House
Like many before her， Maria Lagana has come to Hollywood to outrun her past。 Born in Rome， where every Sunday her father took her to the cinema instead of church， Maria immigrates with her mother to Los Angeles after a childhood transgression leads to her father's arrest。
Fifteen years later， on the eve of America's entry into World War II， Maria is an associate producer at Mercury Pictures， trying to keep her personal and professional lives from falling apart。 Her mother won't speak to her。 Her boss， a man of many toupees， has been summoned to Washington by congressional investigators。 Her boyfriend， a virtuoso Chinese American actor， can't escape the studio's narrow typecasting。 And the studio itself， Maria's only home in exile， teeters on the verge of bankruptcy。
Over the coming months， as the bright lights go dark across Los Angeles， Mercury Pictures becomes a nexus of European �migr�s: modernist poets trying their luck as B-movie screenwriters， once-celebrated architects becoming scale-model miniaturists， and refugee actors finding work playing the very villains they fled。 While the world descends into war， Maria rises through a maze of conflicting politics， divided loyalties， and jockeying ambitions。 But when the arrival of a stranger from her father's past threatens Maria's carefully constructed facade， she must finally confront her father's fate--and her own。
Written with intelligence， wit， and an exhilarating sense of possibility， Mercury Pictures Presents spans many moods and tones， from the heartbreaking to the ecstatic。 It is a love letter to life's bit players， a panorama of an era that casts a long shadow over our own， and a tour de force by a novelist whose work The Washington Post calls "a flash in the heavens that makes you look up and believe in miracles。"
Reviews
BookBully
，
A solid 4。5 for Marra’s latest。 If you’re new to this fabulous author， probably best to start with his short story collection， THE TSAR OF LOVE AND TECHNO。
Betsy
，
DNF at 25%。 First of all， this is some of the best writing I have ever read。 It is dense and beautiful and I really pushed to like it。 Second of all， this book is about WWII not the movie business。 Third of all， I did not like any of the characters and they didn't seem to like each other。 I loved the writing， but could not spend any further time with them。 I may come back later and reattempt， but for now a pass。 DNF at 25%。 First of all， this is some of the best writing I have ever read。 It is dense and beautiful and I really pushed to like it。 Second of all， this book is about WWII not the movie business。 Third of all， I did not like any of the characters and they didn't seem to like each other。 I loved the writing， but could not spend any further time with them。 I may come back later and reattempt， but for now a pass。 。。。more
Dana
，
DNF @40%
Kristine Payant
，
I wanted to like this book， I really did。 I struggled to get into it then hit my stride about 75 pages in。 Then - just hit a wall of nope。It is beautifully written。 Some times quite lyrical。 And I think that was part of the problem。 Too many words to take in。 And the # of characters and their details were just too much。 So many details and yet I didn't find any of the characters relatable or even interesting。Just too many words on the page。 I wanted to like this book， I really did。 I struggled to get into it then hit my stride about 75 pages in。 Then - just hit a wall of nope。It is beautifully written。 Some times quite lyrical。 And I think that was part of the problem。 Too many words to take in。 And the # of characters and their details were just too much。 So many details and yet I didn't find any of the characters relatable or even interesting。Just too many words on the page。 。。。more
Cathy
，
I did not finish reading this。 It was a special pick by Barnes & Noble。 They had podcast of an interview with the author。 Being a movie buff， as well as an avid reader， I thought a story about Hollywood would hit both my passions。 Marra’s interview was interesting。 I was really looking forward to reading this book。 After reading 3 chapters， I decided to not to finish it。 I could not stand Marra’s writing style。 I still think the storyline is interesting but the way it was presented was horrible。 I did not finish reading this。 It was a special pick by Barnes & Noble。 They had podcast of an interview with the author。 Being a movie buff， as well as an avid reader， I thought a story about Hollywood would hit both my passions。 Marra’s interview was interesting。 I was really looking forward to reading this book。 After reading 3 chapters， I decided to not to finish it。 I could not stand Marra’s writing style。 I still think the storyline is interesting but the way it was presented was horrible。 Everyone likes different types of writing。 Just because I did not care for this， doesn’t necessarily mean you will not like it either。 Sorry Marra！ 。。。more
Pat Fenton
，
Mercury Pictures Presents a long， dull flop！ This saga had a complete lack of energy。 It is very hard for me to dislike any book written about the WWII time period but this one never drew me in or convinced me to care about these characters。 I wanted more depth but at the same time felt like 1/2 of this book could have been edited away and I wouldn’t have missed it。 I wanted to care about Maria but just didn’t。 I wanted to care about the studio， maybe more info about the McCarthy investigation， Mercury Pictures Presents a long， dull flop！ This saga had a complete lack of energy。 It is very hard for me to dislike any book written about the WWII time period but this one never drew me in or convinced me to care about these characters。 I wanted more depth but at the same time felt like 1/2 of this book could have been edited away and I wouldn’t have missed it。 I wanted to care about Maria but just didn’t。 I wanted to care about the studio， maybe more info about the McCarthy investigation， but again a missed opportunity for depth。 I kept waiting and wanting it to draw me in but it was such a disappointment。 I probably wouldn’t have finished it if I wasn’t reading this for book club。 I recommend a hard pass on this one。 There are too many good books out there waiting to be read。 。。。more
Carla
，
2。5 starsMercury Pictures is a second rate Hollywood production company that produces B movies in the late 1930's and early 1940's。 But when World War II begins raging in Europe， Mercury becomes a gathering place for Europeans escaping the horrors of the war。 Using the knowledge and skills of these immigrants， Mercury becomes the studio that produces war propaganda for public consumption。This is a difficult review for me to write; I so badly wanted to love this book。 Many of the characters were 2。5 starsMercury Pictures is a second rate Hollywood production company that produces B movies in the late 1930's and early 1940's。 But when World War II begins raging in Europe， Mercury becomes a gathering place for Europeans escaping the horrors of the war。 Using the knowledge and skills of these immigrants， Mercury becomes the studio that produces war propaganda for public consumption。This is a difficult review for me to write; I so badly wanted to love this book。 Many of the characters were quite engaging， and their histories were far more interesting than the actual story itself。 I liked these parts。 As for the story， I found myself skimming page after page -- probably due to the fact that I have very little interest in Hollywood and movie production。I chose to read this book based on Anthony Marra's "A Constellation of Viral Phenomena" which I really liked。 Gladly， much of the author's dry wit， sarcasm and observations of life also presented in this book; however， much of the writing was rather verbose。All in all， a disappointment。 。。。more
Debbie
，
The focus of this book is on the effect of WWII and U。S。 government policies on a large cast of characters set in Hollywood in the 1930s-1940s。 Most of the characters were immigrants who fled fascist regimes only to find themselves "enemy aliens" here in their new country。 Marra addresses some big issues that we still deal with today such as racism， xenophobia， antisemitism， and sexism。 I liked his use of wit and humor to balance the pain and sadness that is a part of this story。 He used humor i The focus of this book is on the effect of WWII and U。S。 government policies on a large cast of characters set in Hollywood in the 1930s-1940s。 Most of the characters were immigrants who fled fascist regimes only to find themselves "enemy aliens" here in their new country。 Marra addresses some big issues that we still deal with today such as racism， xenophobia， antisemitism， and sexism。 I liked his use of wit and humor to balance the pain and sadness that is a part of this story。 He used humor is a way that didn't diminish the pain， but gave insight and a sense of hope。 I enjoyed reading this book and learning about U。S。 propaganda and policies during the war years and how some of those policies still impact us today。 。。。more
Mary Jo
，
DNF。 Could not get invested despite several attempts。
Gabriel Frieberg
，
Mostly loved this book。 It’s a grand， sweeping saga and it’s certainly a story in the right hands。 Marra is so talented。 His writing has a bouncy lightness and every moment is approached with humor， thoughtfulness and humanity。 He writes Mercury Pictures Presents holistically and has a beautiful sense of the characters and an incredibly well-researched knowledge of the era。 It’s easy to love this book because Marra’s care for everything is so transparent and earnest。
Allie
，
This was a DNF for me 160 pages in。 It felt like every time something was about to happen that might be interesting， it digressed into a completely different plot point。 I had a hard time focusing and following along and ultimately gave up。
Tommie Whitener
，
Brilliant！
Alli
，
Shelving this until I hear more from other readers。
Garry Walton
，
Having recently read a trio of works （memoirs and exposes） of stage/screen stars， and having been moved by Doerr's WW2 novel All the Light We Cannot See， I thought I was ready for this one as an interesting diversion from the powerful black voices to which I've been listening over the past few months。 But while I never thought of abandoning this one， it was not as compelling or as easy to love as I had hoped。Marra has targeted very precisely an interesting， timely， and important historical plac Having recently read a trio of works （memoirs and exposes） of stage/screen stars， and having been moved by Doerr's WW2 novel All the Light We Cannot See， I thought I was ready for this one as an interesting diversion from the powerful black voices to which I've been listening over the past few months。 But while I never thought of abandoning this one， it was not as compelling or as easy to love as I had hoped。Marra has targeted very precisely an interesting， timely， and important historical place and time: Hollywood during the rise of Hitler and Mussolini。 Recent immigration crises and xenophobic "America First" crusades invite us to reflect on earlier eruptions of the same。 And Marra brings many notable assets to this work。 His "Acknowledgements" details his personal family connections to the southern Italy featured so prominently in his story。 His extensive， scholarly research into the time and places of his story -- from the toe of the boot to Tinseltown -- is evident in every chapter。 His crackling dialogue reveals a wit honed from hours of reading LA anecdotes， listening to octogenarian aunts， learning and teaching in outstanding creative writing programs， and living abroad。 His work teems with vivid sketches of memorable characters。 And perhaps therein lies the problem。There are so many characters -- presented in a narrative that flits quickly back and forth in time and travels to and fro between the West Coast （California and Utah） and Europe -- that I found myself often flipping back and forth within the work to trace the identity or family connections of the multiple characters。 I longed for that sometimes off-putting device of the family tree or genealogical map that opens some such jam-packed works。 A dozen characters merit significant screen time， but in the book's 400 pages many are reduced to bit players: hard to place when they appear， sure to be missed when they exit。Here's what I will remember of this work: his endlessly deft turns of phrase， his homage to an historical moment when Europe's intelligentsia converged in Hollywood， his admiration and affection for such displaced persons， and his repeated reflections on the untrustworthiness and insubstantiality of "reality" （even in allegedly documentary arts like photography）。 When Bela Lugosi can make more money impersonating himself than being himself， when an American-born Chinese actor is forced to take diction lessons to speak like a Chinaman should， when actual combat footage looks unrealistic and must be faked to convince movie audiences， when a perfect facsimile of Berlin must be built in Utah （complete with furnishings supplied from Europe） so US bombers can perfect their destructive firebombing tactics， then （as Barry Levinson argued in his 1997 film） the tail really does Wag the Dog。 。。。more
Jaimirsky
，
I am giving this book a 4 rather than a 5， but I'm not sure I can articulate why。 I really did enjoy reading it， but there were some points at which it lagged a bit。 It is not as good as his two prior books， but his writing is marvelous as is his ability to convey the complex humanity of his characters。 I am giving this book a 4 rather than a 5， but I'm not sure I can articulate why。 I really did enjoy reading it， but there were some points at which it lagged a bit。 It is not as good as his two prior books， but his writing is marvelous as is his ability to convey the complex humanity of his characters。 。。。more
Marc Nash
，
Video review to follow
Kate
，
Stunning， gorgeous， sad， luminous。 There aren’t enough words to describe this phenomenal book。 Highly recommend。
Bonnie G。
，
Well that was freaking stupendous。 I laughed， I cried， I marveled at the illustration of man's inhumanity to man。 No really， no shade， all those things happened as I read this gorgeous book。 And speaking of gorgeous， the prose！ Brilliant line after brilliant line。 Pretty sure we have book of the year locked down。I don't want to say too much about the plot， come at it blind and delight in its sharp humor and bracing wisdom。 It is not all fun and games though， this is a story that perhaps most imp Well that was freaking stupendous。 I laughed， I cried， I marveled at the illustration of man's inhumanity to man。 No really， no shade， all those things happened as I read this gorgeous book。 And speaking of gorgeous， the prose！ Brilliant line after brilliant line。 Pretty sure we have book of the year locked down。I don't want to say too much about the plot， come at it blind and delight in its sharp humor and bracing wisdom。 It is not all fun and games though， this is a story that perhaps most importantly shines a light on propaganda and on art （which are not diametrically opposing forces。） There is a scene where Maria is watching Triumph of the Will， dissecting Riefenstahl's methods， that is both insightful as hell and also funny。 （The image of Maria speeding up the movie ， turning off the sound and playing polka music behind it is so evocative。） There are similar scenes that focus on the battle footage， and why reenactments are realer than actual footage that were broadening and meaningful。 The book showed me that I have a lot of blind spots about America because I bought into the propaganda perpetuated by educational materials and films and television。 You think Germany was the only country that was ruled by a master race philosophy？ Uh， no。 That it taught me this lesson while making me literally laugh out loud， a lot， is the icing on the cake。 There is also a beautiful love story that illustrates how master race theory breaks people down， even people who come from an attitude of joy and how love most certainly does not conquer that force。 I should mention that this in not all grand ideas。 These are wonderful characters。 Marra loves these people， that is clear in every sentence， and as I reader I understood why he loved them。 People are ultimately pretty darn lovable， even the not so great ones。Marra's love of these characters leads me to my one complaint （it did not cost a full star but it is not nothing either。） This book sprawls a bit too much。 The action in Hollywood and the action in Italy did not fully come together。 There were so many characters that it got confusing。 If I were Mara I would have cut a couple of minor digressions。 The storyline about a miniaturist/architect named Anna seemed a bit tacked on to me and I thought her story would have been more impactful if it had been shaved down a good deal。 There is a story about a detective in Italy who is guided by his love of Sherlock Holmes and of his cat that was funny and independently delightful but not essential and its inclusion made the Italy scenes more convoluted and less effective。 I would not have minded the digressions， as mentioned they are well-written and entertaining， but they did not merit all the space and detail they got and their inclusion made the story a little too circuitous。 Again though， its a minor quibble。 I truly enjoyed this book。 。。。more
Jen
，
I adore Marra and his masterfully skilled writing。It’s the 1940’s。 Immigrants have arrived to LA from pre war Europe。 Movies become the propaganda for the war。At the centre， the story of Maria。 An immigrant herself from Italy。 Her reflection on a disastrous mistake haunting her through life。The characters are brilliant。 A miniaturist; a man of toupees; a photographer who takes the persona of another。 The story is humorous and sobering as the European war begins to rage。 The racism and sexism sur I adore Marra and his masterfully skilled writing。It’s the 1940’s。 Immigrants have arrived to LA from pre war Europe。 Movies become the propaganda for the war。At the centre， the story of Maria。 An immigrant herself from Italy。 Her reflection on a disastrous mistake haunting her through life。The characters are brilliant。 A miniaturist; a man of toupees; a photographer who takes the persona of another。 The story is humorous and sobering as the European war begins to rage。 The racism and sexism surrounding these emigrants and the ridicule they faced。 Shameful。A bit long and the stories were a bit messy but did upright themselves。 My favourite will remain A Constellation of Vital Phenomena4⭐️ 。。。more
Bruce Katz
，
I'm torn about what to say about the book。 It had two big things working against it when I read it。 First， I expected to love it as much as I did "Constellation。" Never a good idea with literature or life: anything that feels less than love is perceived as a flaw。 Second， and more significantly: as I was reading this book I was also reading "The Pope at War。" I hadn't planned to read them at the same time but a library copy of "Pope" suddenly became available and I grabbed it。 Both books are set I'm torn about what to say about the book。 It had two big things working against it when I read it。 First， I expected to love it as much as I did "Constellation。" Never a good idea with literature or life: anything that feels less than love is perceived as a flaw。 Second， and more significantly: as I was reading this book I was also reading "The Pope at War。" I hadn't planned to read them at the same time but a library copy of "Pope" suddenly became available and I grabbed it。 Both books are set during WW2。 Both take place -- almost entirely for "Pope，" only somewhat less so for "Mercury" -- in Italy。 So it was inevitable that the two books， though different in almost every way， would bleed into one another。 （Come to think of it， the book I'm reading now -- "The Only Daughter" -- is also set in Italy。 Odd coincidence。）That said， let me be clear that I liked the “Mercury Pictures Presents” a lot， and I find myself liking it even more as time passes。 It’s one of those rare novels that can be enjoyed simply as an exciting story， but also for the weightier matters it presents as the plot unfoldsThe book opens in 1941 in the office of a small， not terribly successful， movie production company。 Readers of a certain age or inclination may recognize in these early pages the witty， rapid fire back and forth that marked the dialogue of so-called "madcap" comedies （I'm thinking of "Bringing Up Baby，" "Adam's Rib，" "His Girl Friday，" and such。） This is from an exchange between studio founder Artie Feldman （a twin in the manner of， say， Jacob and Esau; a movie mogul in the manner of Goldwyn， Mayer， et al。; a man who has many toupees and has named them all） and his， yes， girl Friday， a capable and haunted young Italian emigre named Maria Lagana。 For example: when Artie asks Maria how he looks: “I pay them to lie，” Artie said， nodding in the direction of the accounting department。 “I pay you to be honest。” “Honestly， you look like Elmer Fudd’s dad。” Artie winced。 “I don’t pay you to be that honest。” “Then you should pay me more。”Or this — Artie: “You really want to watch me get fed to the lions？” Maria: “I’m from Rome。 My people invented the sport。”Funny stuff and there is lots of humor in the pages of this book。 But it's a bit of a feint because through the humor the reader catches glimpses of something darker。 They’re only shadows in these first pages — a word， phrase， name， allusion — but before long the sun-filled skies of California will give way， as if in a movie fade， to other realities of that time: the cruel devastation of war， the countless people forced from their homes -- Italians fleeing Mussolini’s Fascists and their Nazi allies， Jews fleeing Germany — the unanswered letters sent to Europe， politics， racism and anti-Semitism， war hysteria （“I hear Jap farmers are lacing the lima beans with arsenic，” a character says）， the mistreatment of Japanese Americans， the registration of “Enemy Aliens，” the nativists and self-serving populists who want to keep America out of the war。 All these things are brought to vivid life in the camera-eye of “Mercury Pictures Presents。”There’s a marvelous passage that exemplifies not only Marra’s evocative language but also the psychology of a character， the gestalt of the novel。 “So much of a movie’s meaning，” we read， “came down to who it deemed worthy of a close-up， a perspective， a face。" The same principle is at work in the pages of the book。” Maria is walking through the back lots of the studio， her thoughts weighed down by many troubles。 The metaphorical camera pans out and we are inside her head， seeing a bit of her childhood in Italy， sensing the awful guilt she feels because it was because of it was her fault that her father was arrested by the Fascists and sent into exile。 Maria had modeled the set on the little piazza in Rome where every Sunday her father had taken her to the cinema。 It was a small square encircled by clay-roofed buildings， cafés， and shops， all false fronts。 The marble and travertine were painted plaster and plywood。 Standing there， Maria repopulated the empty piazza with the evening passeggiata: pigeons bolt from footfall， sleek signorinas glower from the imperious heights of their heels， an old man’s part wilts over his forehead as he scoops steaming balls of horse manure into a fertilizer bag。 In the alleyways， loaded laundry lines lift imperceptibly with each droplet of evaporated weight。 Everyone watches one another， yet no one sees Maria。 She’s twelve years old， walking beside her father。 Their footsteps rise and fall， rise and fall， like sewing needles stitching them to the city， and it seems impossible that this is about to end， that it’s all about to disappear， that outside the confines of a Hollywood set， she will never see Rome again。The book has a large and diverse cast， many of whom the reader will care deeply about， even fall in a kind of love with （the great aunts， for example， one of whom is an absolute master of soaring insults）。 There’s action， a murder， desperate escapes， secret love， stolen identity， cameo appearances by stars of the period （Judy Garland， Clark Gable， and most notably， Bela Lugosi — who， out of work， walks the streets pretending to be a Bela Lugosi look-alike named Bruce）， plots and conspiracy。 And Frankenstein — student papers will one day be written about the meaning and symbolism of the movie in "Mercury Pictures Presents。" The course of Marra's novel is filled with numerous pleasures， both subtle and obvious。 There are offhand barbs that slyly resonate。 For example， at a demonstration， Artie sees a man getting into a car。 “The man was a failed gubernatorial candidate and America First apologist， and like most California Republicans， his politics were prejudices in search of policies。”And: “One starlet wore a quivering dress sewn from one-dollar bills; to judge by its scant coverage， she was nearly broke。”There are images that jump off the page: “A sidewinder autographs the sand。” “Moonlight scallops damp cobbles。” （I’ll use this moment of sincere praise for Marra’s language to complain a little about his distracting propensity for alliteration。 Usually it works， but at times it will birth clunkers like this: “The proscenium arch lay panther pelts of shadow across the stage。” Oy。）There are inside jokes （"Easter eggs，" were they in a movie） that say a great deal: A character develops bombing plans while listening to the music of Adrian Leverkuhn。 Leverkuhn was at the center of Thomas Mann’s novel， “Dr。 Faustus，” a book written during the war and shaped by Germany’s embrace of Nazism。There are numerous passages and throw-away clauses that reflect the book back on itself， that cause the mind to ponder what is real and what only appears to be real。 It's a question that comes up time and again in the novel， and speaks powerfully to our own time， where truth， facts， and reality are all under attack。 （“Every totalitarian knows you cannot change the future， only the past。”）But most of all， for all its playfulness， the book poses serious questions — and it poses them seriously。 A character ponders “how to act morally when moral action incites egregious immorality in response。” And: “To prove his loyalty to his adoptive country， Ned regularly aligned himself with politicians who would deny his place in it。” Though set during World War 2， "Mercury Pictures Presents" is firmly grounded in our world， in the dark currents and fissures that flow through America today。 In the words on the page， as in the images on a screen， we see ourselves。 。。。more
Jean
，
I was thrilled when I heard Anthony Marra was coming out with a new novel。 Honestly， I really didn't care what it was going to be about。 His first novel， A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA was so brilliant that I could barely believe it was his first novel。 And he was only 28 years old。 Expectations were high for this new novel。 MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS is nothing like CONSTELLATION。 This new novel begins in the 1940's in Los Angeles。 It's set in Hollywood。 And it's set in Italy and Germany dur I was thrilled when I heard Anthony Marra was coming out with a new novel。 Honestly， I really didn't care what it was going to be about。 His first novel， A CONSTELLATION OF VITAL PHENOMENA was so brilliant that I could barely believe it was his first novel。 And he was only 28 years old。 Expectations were high for this new novel。 MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS is nothing like CONSTELLATION。 This new novel begins in the 1940's in Los Angeles。 It's set in Hollywood。 And it's set in Italy and Germany during WW11。 Maria Lagana escapes Rome with her mother。 Maria's activist father is left behind and condemned to a life of confino （internal exile） after some of his writing is found by the government。 We discover that it was Maria， at the age of twelve， who was the one who brought attention to these writings， and she will live with this guilt the rest of her life。 Mother and daughter flee to Los Angeles where they are taken in by three of her mother's sisters。 Talk about characters。 And this is where Marra shows his ability to inject amazing wit into his stories。 By the way; the aunts are named after Marra's own aunts。 Now we're in Hollywood and Maria is hired by Art Feldman to be a producer at his studio， Mercury Pictures。 Art and his twin brother are running the show。 The brothers are like oil and water。 And they only grow farther apart as the story unfolds。 With a vast cast of unique characters， Marra is able to address a myriad of issues that actually echo some of the same issues we are dealing with right now。 Issues of race， politics， war， women's rights， and even immigration。 Some things change， yet seem to stay the same。 I'm going to be honest and say that this is not an easy novel to read。 But the writing is brilliant。 Marra's sense of wit and cast of characters is so bright that you will keep thinking of them long after you've turned the last page。 This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is anthony-marra。webpAnthony MarraMarra traveled to Calabria where so much of the novel is set。 He spent time in Germany。 And he's able to portray L。A。 so well because he lived there at one time。 Sense of place is tantamount to plot for me and Marra has done a super job of it。 He always does。I read MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS digitally through NetGalley and Hogarth publishing in exchange for an honest review。 Honestly， this novel should be on every book club's line up for this season！ And now I'm already anticipating Marra's next novel。 。。。more
Rebecca
，
Gave up after 65 pages。 SUCH a shame， as I adored Marra's two previous works （A Constellation of Vital Phenomena and The Tsar of Love and Techno， but I wasn't connecting to the characters or setting at all。 Something about it felt too familiar， also; I kept trying to think what it was reminding me of。 （Maybe Mr Wilder & Me by Jonathan Coe？） I felt vindicated when I later read this Kirkus review。 Gave up after 65 pages。 SUCH a shame， as I adored Marra's two previous works （A Constellation of Vital Phenomena and The Tsar of Love and Techno， but I wasn't connecting to the characters or setting at all。 Something about it felt too familiar， also; I kept trying to think what it was reminding me of。 （Maybe Mr Wilder & Me by Jonathan Coe？） I felt vindicated when I later read this Kirkus review。 。。。more
Leslie
，
One of my favorite things about this novel is its language。 The writing is vivid and descriptive and at times， I needed my phone to look up words I didn't know （about 1 or 2 on every page）。 Having to look up so many words did pull me out of what could have been a seamless story。 I did enjoy it though and liked learning about Hollywood's Golden Age。 One of my favorite things about this novel is its language。 The writing is vivid and descriptive and at times， I needed my phone to look up words I didn't know （about 1 or 2 on every page）。 Having to look up so many words did pull me out of what could have been a seamless story。 I did enjoy it though and liked learning about Hollywood's Golden Age。 。。。more
Diane
，
3 1/2 stars。 Unique look at how WWII affected Italian and German immigrants in the US。
Izzie Driftwood
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4。5/5This one was recommended by a coworker （and has the mustard stains to show for it 。。。） and it was definitely an engaging read。 It got a little tedious at times looping over and again on themes and events ie "we're all just bit players！" but engaging bit players to be sure。 A definite read for fans of sprawling epics a la Follett or Michener with the added bonus that it's all wrapped up in one book。 The time jumps were a little jarring， maybe the introduction of a footnote would've helped， b 4。5/5This one was recommended by a coworker （and has the mustard stains to show for it 。。。） and it was definitely an engaging read。 It got a little tedious at times looping over and again on themes and events ie "we're all just bit players！" but engaging bit players to be sure。 A definite read for fans of sprawling epics a la Follett or Michener with the added bonus that it's all wrapped up in one book。 The time jumps were a little jarring， maybe the introduction of a footnote would've helped， but the peek into the people just living life in recognizable settings was lovely。 Very much enjoyed this one。 。。。more
Lisa
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Ahh， this is hard to rate - my experience ranged from 2 to 5 stars。 It is a fine mess of a novel， beautifully written with memorable characters。 If only Marra hadn't felt the need to spend pages on every minor character。 I wonder if he started this as linked short stories and then decided to combine it into one big overflowing stew。 I resented it when he left Maria to present yet another sidekick's story。 On the other hand， I loved parts of this book！ And many strands did come together。 Marra sa Ahh， this is hard to rate - my experience ranged from 2 to 5 stars。 It is a fine mess of a novel， beautifully written with memorable characters。 If only Marra hadn't felt the need to spend pages on every minor character。 I wonder if he started this as linked short stories and then decided to combine it into one big overflowing stew。 I resented it when he left Maria to present yet another sidekick's story。 On the other hand， I loved parts of this book！ And many strands did come together。 Marra says so much about the impact of the war on a family， being a woman in the movie business， about being an Italian immigrant， about being Asian in Hollywood in the 1940s。 It is studded with brilliance。 。。。more
Aqeela
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3。85 stars， rounded up
Samuel Berin
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Closer to a 4。5- if I hadn't read his other books it would be 5 stars。 You should definitely read this book though Closer to a 4。5- if I hadn't read his other books it would be 5 stars。 You should definitely read this book though 。。。more
Terry Tessar
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I really wanted to like this book， but there were just too many characters to keep up with。 I did enjoy their backstories， but had difficulty figuring out how they fit into the “story。” However， I did listen to this one and may have missed something。
Cathy Farrell
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