It Happened One Fight

As a classic film lover, I was excited about the premise with this one but the execution fell flat. I will agree with other reviewers and say it read like fanfiction. I almost did not finish, which is rare for me, but instead I skimmed a good chunk of the book.

What I really wanted was a screwball comedy like IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934) or, even better, HIS GIRL FRIDAY (1940), or I would have even loved something like THE GAY DIVORCEE (1934), but instead I got a melodrama like TEDDY AT THE THROTTLE (1917) but way too long and without the awesome dog who saves the day in the end.

Unfortunately most of the problems were in the writing. The plot was lackluster and poorly paced. The writing had too much telling and not enough showing, and then everything that was told was repeated over and over again. (Dash believes he's unloveable! Dash believes he's unloveable!) The characters were melodramatic and unlikeable. And despite the author's note at the end, it still felt too modern, not because of content but because of the people within the story's perception of the content. Also, the research really didn't shine and I felt a tad insulted at the comparisons made in the end. (The character Joan Davis did not come off anything like Barbara Stanwyk!) Plus, (spoiler alert) everyone gets an Oscar in the end?

If anyone has better suggestions of novels that invoke Old Hollywood I would love them, because I really love that setting, but this one I would not recommend.