I was absolutely thrilled to see a new novel by Anthony Marra, A Constellation of Vital Phenomenon and the Tsar of Love and Techno are both in my top 10 favorite books that I recommend to everyone. So of course, when I saw his new novel I jumped on it! Mercury Pictures Presents deals with family relationships, the golden age of hollywood and immigrants from World War 2 navigating film careers. This was a slower read for me, but Marra's writing talent really shines through. I'm going to return to it when I am in the right headspace because it truly combines all of my special interests.

Years ago, I read and loved Marra’s A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. So I was excited to see another book of his on Netgalley and requested it straight away. And then took ages to get to, because I don’t love fat books. That said, if there’s anyone worth ignoring personal preferences and braving well over 400 pages for, it’s Marra.
The man is far from prolific, but books he does produce are masterpieces. I do not use the word lightly. This book, like ACoVP, is stunning. Luminous. It took me an inordinate (or me) time to get through in no small way because sometimes I would just pause in awe and the sheer staggering beauty of a sentence or a paragraph. The skill with which Marra can write a tragedy humorously, the casual grace with which the man can break and remake your soul while reading, it nothing short of remarkable.
As a writer and a reader, I admit this was not merely a read but a lesson in how to do it. That such humorous notes can sparkle in such darkness, that such cleverness should string the narrative together while jumping all over the place, geographically and temporarily, is hugely impressive.
And of course, I love books about movies, and this ode to the golden age of cinema juxtaposed against the turbulence of WWII was right up my alley. It follows a diverse, largely immigrant cast in the industry they were instrumental in building and sustaining in a time when and a place where being an immigrant was not only challenging but outright dangerous. (And you can read the news to see how tragically not far the nation has come since in attitudes and prevailing mentality.)
Or don’t read it for politics, read it for the characters and their journeys. Read it for the sheer joy of learning about different times and lives. For fans of historical fiction, literature, and character driven stories, this is about as good as it gets. In fact, it is up there on par with one of my all-time favorites, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, which is about as high of a praise as I can dish out. Recommended. Recommended. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

I was honestly expecting to be wowed and this one just didn’t do it for me. I couldnt stay attentive and that may be a me thing but I had to DNF at 27%.

Maria Lagana, a 28-year-old underpaid and overworked associate producer, navigates the challenges of 1940s Hollywood at Mercury Pictures. The daughter of Giuseppe Lagane, once Rome's esteemed defense attorney, now confined in Italy, she shuttles between Hollywood and Italy. The narrative delves into fascism's impact abroad and at home, addressing racism hierarchies and concealed identities. Anthony Marr's 'Mercury Pictures Presents' unfolds a sweeping tale, centering on Maria's journey from Rome to Hollywood, intertwining with issues of stereotyping and imperfect lives. While encompassing World War II and societal failures, the book draws parallels with contemporary issues, revealing the persistence of history's lessons. Despite the verbose writing, the book offers an intriguing story, though the multitude of characters and broad scope may lead to narrative fatigue. Overall, it's a mixed but engaging experience. Many thanks to Netgalley for an opportunity to read.

I couldn't connect the dots with this book. Perhaps I don't have enough historical background to appreciate it, but I found the writing to be very disjointed and hard to follow. I found the idea of the novel to be great and important, but the execution was hard to follow. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a copy of this book for an honest review.

Thank you so much to Random House and Hogarth for giving me an early copy of this book. I was very interested in this book, as I found the blurb really compelling. Unfortunately, there were too many threads that didn't seem to connect, and I found the many storylines couldn't hold my attention. I'll try again at a later date, when I'm in the right mindspace for this book.

This one is a 'couldn't quite get into it' from me -- so many details at the start, and though one can tell that this is going to be an expansive, sweeping book, it felt bogged down and slow enough in the beginning that I couldn't get through the rest of it.

Well written and researched and a very good read. I enjoyed the whole flow of the story and all of the characters. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!!

Unfortunately, this book is holding no appeal for me. I have enjoyed a previous book from Anthony Marra, but this one is so scattered that I can't seem to follow it. I even got a audio book of this title and still could not fathom where we were going with this. So, I am stopping my reading/listening at 50% and am very sad that this story was not what I had hoped for.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an ARC!
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Unfortunately I DNFed this, it just didn’t catch my attention and maybe I’ll get into it again when Imm in the perfect headspace to give this another try!

An excellent title that was everything I wanted Ryan Murphy's "Hollywood" to be - and more. Highly recommended, as I have been in the months since I first read it.

Outstanding new novel by award winning novelist, Anthony Marra. The ways in which Marra juggles the main plot and subplots are clever and ambitious. His characters are fresh and appealing in this historical context.

This book had so much promise, but the writing turned out to be so wordy and overly descriptive. There were too many characters and too many storylines going on for me.

Set in the 1940's, this story provides an interesting view of moviemaking and refugees from the war.
While I enjoyed it, it was a bit uneven at times. Some characters and storyline were explored in depth (which I liked), other storylines and characters not so much. That is why I gave it 4 instead of 5 stars.

I love books that switch perspectives, include an array of little-known historical facts, are inclusive, and tell a fantastic story with richly developed characters. Marra checks all the boxes with this one book which can be called both a fun read, and an important piece of literature that tells the story of Hollywood during WWII.

Born in Rome, instilled with a love of cinema by her father, Maria immigrates with her mother to Los Angeles as racism takes hold of Italy and her father is arrested.

Fifteen years later, on the eve of America's entry into World War II, Maria is an associate producer at Mercury Pictures, as war descends on Europe, Mercury Pictures becomes a refuge for a fascinating and diverse group of European émigrés. And Maria must finally confront her role in the fate of her father.

They really don’t write them like this anymore. Sweeping/panoramic/sexy /funny/literate/historically accurate/emotional/rich characters/accessible—this novel has it all. I was taken in by this story of Hollywood in the forties/pre war Italy/immigrants/ and so much more. It’s hard to explain what this book is about other than to say it follows the lives of people in Hollywood in the forties-many of whom are immigrants-their experiences and the difficulties of assimilation. But it is so much more. Please read it.

This story brings us to a time in Hollywood just before joining the war when many nationalities were under suspicion. I loved the cast of characters and their connection to each other.
Many thanks to Random House and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

An immersive read with a great plot and characters to root for. This book was incredibly charming and I loved the classic Hollywood setting, the historical mysteries, and the shifting time periods.

This is impressively boring. This has all the ingredients for an interesting tale of 1940s Hollywood and the lesser known participants, but instead it's a snapshot of their dull lives outside of work from Maria's great aunt's scandalous relationship with a snake oil salesman to the studio exec's tense relationship with his brother. This isn't the Hollywood glitz I was expecting.

**Thank you NetGalley and Random House for the eARC**