Overall, what did you think of Mercury Pictures Presents? (no spoilers)

Overall, what did you think of Mercury Pictures Presents? (no spoilers in this topic, please)

Hmmm. No spoilers...got it. I really need to learn not to be surprised when I like a novel that BookBrowse recommends, lol. This is not typically a book that I would add to my impossibly huge TBR list (historical novels are not my favorite genre.) However, it was so good! Marra writes well and I found myself engaged with each and every one of his characters(even the ones torn between good and evil!) Even minor details, such as a haircut or a specific drink of whiskey are compelling and relevant.

This is my second reading of this book and third Marra book. I think he is terrific. I love his sentence structure, vocabulary and character development. The scope of the portrayals ranging from the international tensions of the pre-war period to the intimate betrayals are all set out in moving and poignant ways.

For those reading this thread who have not read the book (and actually, for all of us who have), we have a great conversation posted on BookBrowse between Anthony Marra and Amor Towles about Mercury Pictures Presents:

https://www.bookbrowse.com/author_interviews/full/index.cfm/author_number/2305

Anthony Marra writes an engaging and thought provoking narrative about Hollywood during World War II, What impressed me most that the author focus was not only on the major players and directors of the film industry but brings to life the minor actors and their importance and life stories. the novel centers around Maria and her contributions and fight to be recognized plus the story of her family. A multi-dimensional novel that will hard for the reader to put down.

I enjoyed this book about the immigrant experience in Hollywood during World War II. It captures the dislocation of the refugee immigrants beautifully and the hardships of living in a land not your own. I loved how the story took place both in Hollywood and Italy. It gave a wonderful contrast to the character's lives. It was a beautiful book of loneliness and loss.

I first read this some time ago, and I read it again for this discussion. My initial impression was that I *loved* this book, and I was pleased to find that I enjoyed it every bit as much the second time around (maybe more!). I love Marra's writing overall, but in addition I love how he makes every character interesting.

At first I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this novel. The writing and the story seemed a bit glib and campy. Then the stories started to solidify and I realized I was becoming so enthralled by these intriguing characters and impressed with the poetic writing. I was learning about things in history I had not known, and also stopping to highlight remarkable sentences.
I did have some trouble keeping all the characters straight, there were a LOT of them. I couldn't tell you which I would have cut, but I also think some of them deserved there own novel!

The book is very well-written. It exposed me to so many layers of the movie industry and the lives of the immigrants of that time. It was also a book that made me "think" about the characters and scenarios presented. That's always a good thing.

Historical fiction is at its best when the story is told from the perspective of ordinary people. Mr. Marra does an amazing job of telling these stories with his beautiful writing. Every sentence is a work if art.

This is an exceptional and, for me, hard to define book. The author's turn of phrase, insightful alliteration and grasp of natural human emotions that ring true regardless of age or ethnicity was all delightful throughout. I was continually amazed at the weaving of the lives of the characters - how seemingly unrelated moments would return to be intertwined and important - was exceptional and unique. What I originally thought would be a quick and easy read turned into a thought provoking time of learning another piece of the history of our world from a perspective I had never seen, and I savored every word and phrase until the book ended.

Historical fiction is at its best when the story is told from the perspective of ordinary people. Mr. Marra does an amazing job of telling these stories with his beautiful writing. Every sentence is a work of art.

I really liked it. Gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. I found it funny, clever and interesting. The setting in 1940s Hollywood with a cast of immigrant characters featuring as the main characters was certainly an interesting twist for a plot line. And the writing was beautiful. First time reading this author but I definitely will look for more books by him.

I usually like historical fiction, but this was a book that was difficult for me to engage with. Perhaps it is just that I do not enjoy this style of writing. I found the language crass and offensive at times. And at other times, the language was appropriate but so involved that I found it distracting to the story line. This is not a book I will recommend to friends.

I am probably in the minority here but I did not enjoy the book. I found it far too long and rambling at times. It needed a good editor and often lost focus. I like historical fiction but this book did not engage me and I struggled to finish it

Historical fiction is my favorite genre, however, I found it difficult to stay engaged with this book. I think the diversions into the stories of so many minor characters was distracting and prevented me from visualizing a cohesive storyline.

This is a period that is of particular interest to me and then throw in the earthquake, Sicily and movies-Marra grabs the threads and knits them into a wonderful, if sometimes rueful, read.

What a great book club! It is always interesting to read all the different and insightful perspectives on a chosen book! Too bad we cannot do this in person with snacks!

I think this is a wonderful historical novel. The author's writing style is beautiful and he brings his characters and plot into vivid life. Highly recommended.

I really enjoyed this book and am glad I read it. I will absolutely recommend it to my friends.

The author certainly has a unique style of writing, and for the most part I really enjoyed it. This is not a good book to read in short sessions;it is easy to forget characters, where you are in the story and how everything and everyone is connected.
That being said, the way he phrases, and describes things is pure brilliance. I think it would make a good bookclub choice to see how different people related to the different characters and movies.

I am a strong fan of historical fiction, and enjoyed this book. Although the story line was different than I expected, I will recommend the book to other friends who are strong readers and can read a piece of history that many (including myself) are not readily familiar with. Thanks for a good read. Anytime the subject is about historical Hollywood, I'm in. My great grandfather was one of of the major realtors who developed and sold property in early Hollywood, so more facts to know are greatly rewarding. Thank you Book Browse.

This novel was a challenging read for me. I love World War II novels, but the setting and issues in this novel were so different from any that I have read. Anthony Marra is a very talented writer with obvious extensive research. I found that once I read the book like it was a movie script, it flowed more smoothly. I think this could have been two books, there were so many characters and subplots going on.

This book was a 5 star read for me. I like unique stories and depth of characters done with quality writing; Anthony Marra delivered on all three. Was every single page so compelling that I couldn't put the book down? Not always, but every day of everyone's life is not star-studded adventure and excitement. Once again, thank you BookBrowse for bringing some outstanding books to my attention!

When I started the book, I was engaged a but the further along the book went, the less and less I became interested in anyone.. I was beginning to have to focus way too hard on the characters and became less and less enthralled and sadly, closed the book halfway and never reopened it. I am, however, thrilled that others enjoyed it far more than I .

I had great hopes for this book because it covers a time period and themes I enjoy reading about. But I simply could not engage with the characters or the rambling storyline. Halfway through the book, I realized I didn't care about a single character. I'm clearly in the minority, but this one was a dud.

Being a big fan of the author I did find the story interesting,but I didn’t think it was as good as the other,really didn’t hold my attention

I absolutely loved this book! I was unfamiliar with this author, but definitely want to read more. I love his writing style and character development, and the fact that I learned so much about this time period while reading was an added bonus. It is so detailed, and I feel like I should really go back and re read much of it so that I can fully understand all of the stories that are intertwined.

My feelings about this book changed as I read it. I was not able to read in my preferred way for large chunks of time so I had to read it in several sittings. I enjoyed it and was engaged in the story while I was actually reading it. But I did not have the motivation to keep going back to it. Each time I picked the book up to continue reading it was more pushing myself to keep going than the thought of "I can't wait to see what happens next!" Perhaps I would feel differently if I had the opportunity to read it in large chunks of time instead of in smaller bits the way I had to. The story seemed disjointed to me and I am sure that is due to having limited amounts of reading time.

I really enjoyed the book and read it quickly. I'm a huge historical fiction fan and it is set in a fascinating era. Although I read a lot of historical fiction set during World War II, this book tells the story of characters whose lives are impacted by the war from a unique vantage point. Hollywood is written about often, but I found this story to be unique . . . and uniquely intriguing. I highly recommend the book.