Rating: 
Summary: Bravo!
Review: I would like to add my voice to those who reviewed and praised this book. Dori Carter knows whereof she speaks, and her keen eye for observation along with her talent for finding just the right combination of incisive commentary and trenchant humor are unparalleled. I found it hard to believe that this is, indeed, a first novel. The subject could have provided just one more dreary harrangue about the perils of the film industry and the miserable people who work in it, but this mature and thoughtful work kept me entertained, made me think and inspired my admiration for an author who is clearly not afraid to tell it like it is. I can't wait for her next book.
Rating:
Summary: Bravo!
Review: I would like to add my voice to those who reviewed and praised this book. Dori Carter knows whereof she speaks, and her keen eye for observation along with her talent for finding just the right combination of incisive commentary and trenchant humor are unparalleled. I found it hard to believe that this is, indeed, a first novel. The subject could have provided just one more dreary harrangue about the perils of the film industry and the miserable people who work in it, but this mature and thoughtful work kept me entertained, made me think and inspired my admiration for an author who is clearly not afraid to tell it like it is. I can't wait for her next book.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful wasps making beautiful reading
Review: it's rare to read a book that is both an insiders guide to an interesting subject matter, ie. hollywood movie scene, and at that same time provide such great entertainment to the on going relationship between the jewish world and that of the wasp. Sad, funny, entertaining, informative, etc. - all in one. A rarity and hopefully this writer has another one in the oven.
Rating: 
Summary: Sad and Dreary
Review: It's too bad that a writer of such obvious talent chose to waste it on such trivial subject matter. Dori Carter is clearly writing about the entertainment industry from personal experience however, one can't help but wonder why she would choose to relive such a sordid and uninspiring tale of unmitigated woe. The thinly veiled, autobiographical character, Frankie Jordan, lurches from one heartbreaking rejection to another, whining all the way. Carter is quite adept at one-liners which, this reader suspects, are a mask for the pain she is feeling. The novel would have touched us much more deeply if she had allowed us into her head and into her heart rather than keeping us at an emotional distance with deadpan humour and an almost journalistic retelling of each fact and detail.The character Frankie Jordan retells a story of hiking in Pacific Palisades with her friend, Miriam, also Jewish. The day is perfectly beautiful but Miriam can only think of what it would be like if the Nazi's were chasing them. Though she decries this kind of Jewish thinking, Carter herself cannot seem to escape it. As the former and current wife of two of Hollywood's most successful screenwriters, how else could one explain the impetus for this self-indulgent drivel? Wanting to get back at those who have hurt you is simply not a good enough reason to write something like this and call it a novel.Let's hope that Carter chooses to set her sights higher on her next foray into literature.
Rating: 
Summary: A modern day: What Makes Sammy Run?
Review: Like Bud Shulberg's, WHAT MAKES SAMMY RUN?, Dori Carter has used her protagonist to narrate the cunning rise of a ruthless young man willing to do almost anything to climb to the top of the Hollywood heap. The two books are so close, that I wondered if Dori Carter modeled her story after Shulberg's -- a way Hollywood often develops "new" ideas. I found the cover and title misleading. The book is not particularly sexy and there are very few WASPS. Carter's use of Jewish stereotypes is often humorous, but the story is over-all a sad if acurate depiction of how Hollywood thrives on mediocrity and the almight deal. The novel is still an excellent read. And I look forward to more works by Dori Carter.
Rating:
Summary: A modern day: What Makes Sammy Run?
Review: Like Bud Shulberg's, WHAT MAKES SAMMY RUN?, Dori Carter has used her protagonist to narrate the cunning rise of a ruthless young man willing to do almost anything to climb to the top of the Hollywood heap. The two books are so close, that I wondered if Dori Carter modeled her story after Shulberg's -- a way Hollywood often develops "new" ideas. I found the cover and title misleading. The book is not particularly sexy and there are very few WASPS. Carter's use of Jewish stereotypes is often humorous, but the story is over-all a sad if acurate depiction of how Hollywood thrives on mediocrity and the almight deal. The novel is still an excellent read. And I look forward to more works by Dori Carter.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Read
Review: Loved reading this book and couldn't put it down. Author has a crackerjack sense of humor, is wise in her observations and merciless when describing certain Hollywood types. It's a fine sequel to that other legendary Hollywood book, "What Makes Sammy Run".
Rating: 
Summary: If you like FUN, skip this one
Review: Maybe I would have given this book an extra star if I hadn't read it during a time when I was receiving plenty of my own rejections! Anyone else suffer from occasional bouts of literary pica? Back to the book, I found her characters were fabulously three dimensional, and the story itself, though not earth shattering, was interesting to say the least. The subtext of Jews versus Jews in Hollywood, was very thought provoking. It wouldn't make it with me to that mythical desert island, but I am glad I read it.
Rating: 
Summary: An interesting read
Review: Maybe I would have given this book an extra star if I hadn't read it during a time when I was receiving plenty of my own rejections! Anyone else suffer from occasional bouts of literary pica? Back to the book, I found her characters were fabulously three dimensional, and the story itself, though not earth shattering, was interesting to say the least. The subtext of Jews versus Jews in Hollywood, was very thought provoking. It wouldn't make it with me to that mythical desert island, but I am glad I read it.
Rating:
Summary: Don't waste your time or your money! It's just dreadful.
Review: The rave ratings on this book enticed me. However, I found this sad little volume about the dreariest books I've ever read about so called Hollywood Insiders. The additudes and values expressed in this book amazed me in that I had no idea that people could be so base, superficial and vulgar. Status seeking, clawing for power that is just always out of reach, surely there must be more to life than the drivel provided by this author. BTW: She whines too much, and doesn't have a winning attitude.
The book totally lacks charm, and even the "wit" was so self-depricating and fillled with obvious self-hatred that I found the whole thing embarassing and pathetic. A very, very sad look into what makes Hollywood tick.
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