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    My Hollywood
    Unavailable
    My Hollywood
    Unavailable
    My Hollywood
    Ebook477 pages7 hours

    My Hollywood

    By Mona Simpson

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    A wonderfully provocative and appealing novel, from the much-loved author of Anywhere But Here and A Regular Guy, her first in ten years. It tells the story of two women whose lives entwine and unfold behind the glittery surface of Hollywood.

    Claire, a composer and a new mother, comes to LA so her husband can follow his passion for writing television comedy. Suddenly the marriage—once a genuine 50/50 arrangement—changes, with Paul working long hours and Claire left at home with a baby, William, whom she adores but has no idea how to care for.

    Lola, a fifty-two-year-old mother of five who is working in America to pay for her own children’s higher education back in the Philippines, becomes their nanny. Lola stabilizes the rocky household and soon other parents try to lure her away. What she sacrifices to stay with Claire and “Williamo” remains her own closely guarded secret.

    In a novel at turns satirical and heartbreaking, where mothers’ modern ideas are given practical overhauls by nannies, we meet Lola’s vast network of fellow caregivers, each with her own story to tell. We see the upstairs competition for the best nanny and the downstairs competition for the best deal, and are forced to ask whether it is possible to buy love for our children and what that transaction costs us all.

    We look into two contemporary marriages—one in America and one in the Philippines—and witness their endangerment, despite the best of intentions.

    My Hollywood     is a tender, witty, and resonant novel that provides the profound pleasures readers have come to expect from Mona Simpson, here writing at the height of her powers.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRandom House Publishing Group
    Release dateAug 3, 2010
    ISBN9780307593771
    Unavailable
    My Hollywood
    Author

    Mona Simpson

    Mona Simpson is the recipient of a Whiting Writer's Award, a Guggenheim Grant and the Hodder Fellowship at Princeton University. She is the author of the acclaimed novels Anywhere But Here, The Lost Father, A Regular Guy, Off Keck Road and My Hollywood. She lives in Santa Monica, California with her husband and their two children.

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    Reviews for My Hollywood

    3.5/5

    57 ratings3 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I was angry and glad when I finished this book: glad that it was over and angry that I stuck with it. It was way too long and rambling. What struck me about both narrators, Lola and Claire, was that both sacrificed their children for either money or career, yet neither reaped the potential benefits and so it seemed everyone lost. I found no character who seemed engaged with life - it just seemed such a struggle and for what. This would be interesting to pair the The Help - what happens when you leave your children to an adult who you treat as disposable.
    • 5/5
      "My Hollywood" started slowly for me but by the end, I was completely hooked. It tells the story of a Filipina nanny called Lola; her real name is Wanda but no one calls her that and late in the book the reader learns why she is called Lola. The other main character is Claire, Lola's first employer, who tells her story alongside Lola. In other venues, reviewers have commented about how difficult it is to understand Lola's sections. It is written as she would have spoken, with imperfect English. I had a little trouble in the beginning, but soon, I found myself enjoying the rhythms of Lola's speech and her voice came through. Although the chapters pretty much alterate between Claire, the mother, and Lola, the nanny, this is Lola's story. I have more in common with Claire, but Lola steals the show. Claire recedes into the background, especially when Lola moves on to a new baby and a new household. I don't want to reveal too much about the plot, but Lola broke my heart. Parents want the nanny to love the children and some nannies become "part of the family," but they are really employees. Even if the nanny loves the child, it is a job. As Lola says, "I'm here for the money." She would rather be in the Philippines with her own children and with her husband. In the end, she plans to go back to them, but lost years can never be regained. This book is haunting me.
    • 3/5
      Claire is a young mother with a workaholic husband. She is a classically trained musician and longs for the freedom to work on her compositions. (It's just not fair that her husband get to spend all his days and nights at his job!) Claire is overwhelmed and feels inadequate so she hires a Filipina nanny, Lola, to help raise her son. The chapters alternate between the narrative of the two women. There is some strong writing here. I especially appreciated the interesting, balanced p.o.v.--Claire does grow as a mother and we the readers come to understand that Lola is not without faults. The book is long, however, and I was frequently bored--I think I really wanted more drama--more story here. (or perhaps 200 pgs. less)