Author: Camille Di Maio
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Year: 2019
Genre(s): historical fiction, romance
Part of a Series: No
Rating:
Why I read it: Once Upon a Book Club selection
Summary: In 1958, Kate Morgan’s life looks pretty mundane—destined to work in her family’s San Francisco restaurant until she’s old or marries a longtime friend. She dreams of a life like the one she sees in the movies and longs to do more with her life.
Then her grandfather, who suffers from dementia, charges her to go to the Hotel del Coronado and find “the beautiful stranger.” Kate does so and manages to secure a job working on the set of the new Billy Wilder movie, Some Like It Hot. Kate finds herself surrounded by faces she’s only seen on a movie screen—Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon and Marilyn Monroe herself. But she doesn’t have time to be starstruck—she has to find the beautiful stranger and fast.
Her first clue comes when she finds out she shares the name of the hotel’s ghost. Is there a connection between her family and the ghost? And is she the beautiful stranger? As Kate digs deeper into the mystery, she learns more about her family’s history—and herself.
Review: Who isn’t fascinated by Marilyn Monroe? I may not watch her movies but I still am intrigued by her. She is an enigma, a candle who burned too bright and so went out too fast. I’m sure people for decades to come will be fascinated by the blonde bombshell.
Marilyn, though, is a bit player in Kate Morgan’ story. She is nothing more than a plot device, someone who manages to push the story forward and prove to Kate that things aren’t as glamorous as the movies make them seem. But in many ways, Marilyn is also one of the beautiful strangers who pass through the Coronado. Neither Kate nor the readers really get to know her and she remains an enigma as the movie wraps filming at the Coronado.
The parts written from ghost Kate Morgan’s viewpoint are beautifully done and really pulled me into the story at the beginning. I felt for the poor woman who was in a lot of pain and trying to escape a bastard of a husband. And I wanted to see how her journey continued even after death. It’s not often someone writes from the viewpoint of a ghost so it was interesting as she watched those around her and how she reacted to certain people and things in the hotel. I am glad Camille Di Maio did not go the expected route with a ghostly character and that’s all I say on that so as not to spoil anything.
Our heroine is also named Kate Morgan, who sees nothing but a bleak life working in her family’s struggling restaurant and marrying some neighborhood guy. She wants a life like the ones she sees in movies—full of adventure, love and beautiful locations. It’s something we all can relate to—wanting to have a better life but fearing we’ll never get it. People can connect with her that way and she feels more like a real person—someone with understandable dreams, fears, wants, etc. It’s easy to root for her, especially because of how much she loves her family and just wants to do what’s best.
There’s some romance, though it’s not a driving force for the story. Kate is helped on her quest by Sean, who works at the Hotel del Coronado. They bond and she starts to fall for him. Unfortunately, he’s engaged. Still, they continue to work together and have a great relationship. They bond over the beauty of the Coronado and having to follow your dream, even if it means going against the plans of your family. It was very easy to fall in love with both of them and root for them. I’ll leave it to you to find out if they end up together or not.
My only criticism is that the author didn’t really let the Hotel del Coronado really be its own character. We were often told that it had a draw and character of its own, but I never felt like the Di Maio really explored that or used it to her full advantage in the story. Honestly, it sometimes melted away and it was easy to forget that they were supposed to be in this beautiful and legendary hotel.
Bottom line: A wonderful read that invokes Hollywood’s Golden Age and California’s beauty.
Sex: Implied and mentioned
Moonlight Musing
Who is your favorite “Golden Age” Hollywood star?
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