Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures
Emma Straub
Fiction
Another book that I wanted to like
more than I actually did. It’s gotten such rave reviews, too. Oh, well.
Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures is the
story of Elsa Emerson, who grows up in a small town in Wisconsin. Her parents
run the local playhouse and eventually Elsa realizes she’s meant to be an
actress. She marries a fellow actor at the playhouse and they move to Hollywood
to become stars. After snagging a few bit parts, she finally meets the head of
a studio who suggests she change her name and they’ll sign her. Once she becomes
Laura Lamont, she rises to fame, but must also struggle with her romantic life
and staying connected to the family she left behind in Wisconsin.
While Ms. Straub is an excellent
writer, something about this book was off for me. I wish I could put my finger on why I didn’t
love it as much as I thought I would. Maybe because I just felt so
disconnected from Elsa/Laura. Some of her actions didn’t make any sense and the
book skips so many important events that by the time I reached the end, I still
didn’t feel like I really knew her at all.
If you like tales of struggling
starlets, you’ll probably enjoy Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures.
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