Strangers in the Night- A Novel of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner by Heather Webb
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Web ID: 1677796711 reviews
Engrossing love story behind fame
With a story that begins before Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner hit the heights of their careers, this wonderful historical biography on their lifelong love affair is captivating. Author Heather Webb admirably immerses us behind the curtain of both of these larger-than-life Hollywood legends with a play-by-play structure in which the chapters switch back and forth to give us Ava and Frank’s thoughts of each other. As readers, we ride alongside their intimate budding attraction and relationship. We see the solace they seek in each other. Behind Sinatra’s natural singing talent is insecurity and a rough upbringing; beyond Gardner’s beauty is a longing to be acknowledged for her acting skills. We see how their deep love affair is both painful and fulfilling, escaping from, and then returning to each other again and again. The Hollywood backdrop of scalding scrutiny, tabloid ruthlessness, threat of being blackballed and power of the movie houses, sets up an environment of ego-debilitating survival for these two beautiful people. Throughout it all, Webb gives us an engrossing story of the ups and downs of a real love affair’s attempts to survive behind the marquee lights of stardom. Repost of review on Goodreads.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Excellent
I am a huge Ava Gardner fan and Heather hit this one out of the park... fantastic read!
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
That's Life (with Frank and Ava)
I'll admit that I didn't see "novel" on the front page and started reading this as a biography. It becomes clear soon that it's not a biography. However, the book is based on true events throughout their intertwined lives (I was Googling the whole way through the book!). The book is an easy read and you feel like you're in the room with Frank and Ava as they battle it out. I recommend this book for a nice quick read.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
great read of golden age of hollywood
Most everyone knows the name of Frank Sinatra, but many may not be familiar with Ava Gardner, a small town NC beauty who took Hollywood by storm, bewitching men in her wake. The novel is told from alternating points of view of Frank and Ava. It's based on facts, and the author describes in her notes where she took creative liberties with the narrative. From Frank's first meeting with Ava, sparks flew and they knew they had to be together. One little snag - Frank was a married man, despite having numerous affairs. Ava had been married briefly to Mickey Rooney, and even more briefly to Artie Shaw. She was vilified in the press as "the other woman", and she pressured Frank to divorce his wife so they could be together. Her star was on the rise, when they met and continued to rise, while Frank's was on the downward trend. This alone created friction in their relationship, as Ava wouldn't put her career on hold to stay home with him. They lived a life of excess - the descriptions of the Hollywood partying and carousing was mind-boggling. Despite their chemistry together and their affection for each other, they both created a toxic relationship together that just couldn't survive. This novel reads like a tabloid - only with better writing - and will have you flipping the pages to see what happens next. A perfect summer read - not too heavy, but with lots of juicy stories within the book. You'll recognize plenty of golden-era actors and actresses making appearances! If you love Hollywood and the golden era, this book is for you!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Engrossing!
Full confession: Before reading this, I knew very little about Frank Sinatra’s early years, or a whole lot about Ava Gardner. Since their big Hollywood years were before my time, I wasn’t as familiar with them and my Dad watched some of the movies, but not usually with me around. That being said, this book sucked me in. Heather Webb did a wonderful job with research and exploring their relationship. I was so invested in the story, I needed to know more and started looking up more. There is so much out there, I am impressed with Webb’s ability to stick with the parts that relate to the focus on Frank and Ava together and not add information that would detract from her telling of their intense love story. Webb’s writing style and character development will keep you engrossed in this fictionalized, but extremely realistic, story about Frank and Ava. I loved the behind the scenes look at Hollywood and the movie business. If you love Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, 1950’s Hollywood, or a well-written historical, this one is for you. STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT will be on the top of many best of lists for the year, including mine! Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the novel. All opinions are my own and freely given. #StrangersInTheNight #heatherwebb #frankandava #williammorrow #historicalfiction #tallpoppywriter #tallpoppywriters #tallpoppyblogger #bloomreads
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Good Book
Strangers in the Night by Heather Webb is a great historical fiction that takes a look at the complex and infamous relationship between Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. I must have bern living under a rock because I did not know their relationship was that dramatic, entwined, and long-standing. It was fascinating, volatile, emotional, and sometimes even tragic. Reading the points of view from Ava’s character as well as from Frank, really added to the story. Very entertaining and quite enjoyable. 5/5 stars
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Brilliantly written historical fiction
A brilliantly written, well researched, historical fiction centered on the tumultuous, intense love between Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. Heather Webb alternates the narration between Frank and Ava, exploring not only their relationship, but the triumphs and tragedies each experienced during the "Golden Age of Hollywood" and beyond. I was completely enthralled with the story of Frank and Ava, their lives together and apart, and the historic time in which they lived, when the Hollywood and Vegas as we know them today were just beginning. Both Frank and Ava were larger than life, extremely talented, flawed individuals who became icons within their lifetimes. Heather Webb has brought them vividly to life in this amazing book that was so hard to put down! The author's notes at the end are a must-read part of the book. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The opinions in this review are completely my own. Thank you to the author, the publisher, and Netgalley for my complimentary copy of this book.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A Love Affair for the Ages
Wow! I admittedly knew very little about Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner's passionate, turbulent relationship before I picked up this book. And this was only a little slice of both their lives! I was so drawn into this wild tale of two star-crossed lovers that I finished it in just two days. Heather Webb gives readers an absolutely phenomenal recreation of Frank and Ava's head-over-heels, fight-and-reconcile, decades-long love affair. If you are a fan of great love stories, glitz and glamour, the thrill of the stage, and the drama of old movies, this novel needs to go right to the top of your to-read-pile.
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