Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Book Review: Last Night at Chateau Marmont.


Enter: Brooke Alter. A young spunky redhead working 2 jobs as a nutritionist to support to her talented but so far undiscovered musician husband. She's head over heels in love with her cute, charming, attentive husband. The teacher's pet of her hospital job, the one that she hopes will pave the way for the private practice she plans to open a few short years later. The overly caring and concerned nutritional advisor at an all girl's private school who treats each girl as if they were her baby sister. In short, she's living on love and surviving just fine. Until...
After 5 years of marriage Brooke Alter is thrown into a whirlwind by her husband’s sudden, overnight fame. When Brooke’s husband Julian gets discovered and his debut album starts off at number 4 on the billboard charts, her life is turned upside down. From paparazzi to reading about the demise of their marriage in tabloids across the country, to Julian-hungry-crazy-fans nothing in Brooke’s life will be the same again. The question is, can she adjust?

If fame is the test of a person’s true character then Julian’s may be in question. His ego grows faster than Pinocchio’s nose. While he travels the world promoting, well, himself – he seems to forget the sacrifices his wife made to get him there. Asking her to quit her jobs to be at his beckon call and constantly belittling her role as a nutritionist at an all girls school, the same job that paid the bills while he was a starving artist a mere month before. Their relationship is certainly on the rocks.

The tests of true friendship, what really matters in life, and how your relationship can survive sudden success will keep you interested throughout Lauren Weisberger’s latest novel, Last Night at Chateau Marmont. It’s a funny, easy chic-lit read and as always, I enjoy Weisberger's style of writing. I found myself taking Brooke’s side and wanting Julian to realize what he was putting her through. Her way of showing the rumor hungry reporters was an added bonus, as I’ve witnessed some of that myself over the years. A good reminder we should be slow to believe anything we read....people love a good story.
A worthwhile read that kept my attention and endeared me to the characters - even Brooke and Julian's dog, Walter Alter. The drama of their tale may just leaving you thankful for being off the radar and out of the limelight.

Love,
B

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