Book Spotlight & Giveaway: The Girls in the Picture by Melanie Benjamin

Earlier this week, Melanie Benjamin’s latest novel, The Girls in the Picture,
was released in paperback with a jazzy new cover, and to help the publishers get the word out, I’m hosting a giveaway! I will be reading this book soon and will be
sure to share my review as soon as I do. You can see what others have
to say and then be sure to enter the giveaway below!!!

Title: The Girls in the Picture

Author: Melanie Benjamin

Published: January 2019, Bantam

Format: Paperback, 480 pages

Summary: 

It is 1914, and
twenty-five-year-old Frances Marion has left her (second) husband and
her Northern California home for the lure of Los Angeles, where she is
determined to live independently as an artist. But the word on
everyone’s lips these days is “flickers”–the silent moving pictures
enthralling theatergoers. Turn any corner in this burgeoning town and
you’ll find made-up actors running around, as a movie camera captures it
all.

In this fledgling industry, Frances finds her true calling:
writing stories for this wondrous new medium. She also makes the
acquaintance of actress Mary Pickford, whose signature golden curls and
lively spirit have earned her the title “America’s Sweetheart.” The two
ambitious young women hit it off instantly, their kinship fomented by
their mutual fever to create, to move audiences to a frenzy, to start a
revolution.

But their ambitions are challenged by both the men
around them and the limitations imposed on their gender–and their
astronomical success could come at a price. As Mary, the world’s highest
paid and most beloved actress, struggles to live her life under the
spotlight, she also wonders if it is possible to find love, even with
the dashing actor Douglas Fairbanks. Frances, too, longs to share her
life with someone. As in any good Hollywood story, dramas will play out,
personalities will clash, and even the deepest friendships might be
shattered.

With cameos from such notables as Charlie Chaplin, Louis B. Mayer, Rudolph Valentino, and Lillian Gish, The Girls in the Picture
is, at its heart, a story of friendship and forgiveness. Melanie
Benjamin brilliantly captures the dawn of a glittering new era–its
myths and icons, its possibilities and potential, and its seduction and
heartbreak.

What readers are saying: 

“Full of Old Hollywood glamour and true details about the pair’s historic careers, The Girls in the Picture is a captivating ode to a legendary bond.”—Real Simple

“In the era of #MeToo, Girls
could not be more timely—or troubling—about the treatment of women in
the workplace. . . . [Melanie] Benjamin portrays the affection and
friction between Pickford and Marion with compassion and insight. . . .
As Hollywood preps for an Oscar season riven with the sexual
mistreatment scandal, the rest of us can settle in with this rich
exploration of two Hollywood friends who shaped the movies.”—USA Today

“A boffo production . . . One of the pleasures of The Girls in the Picture
its no-males-necessary alliance of two determined females—#TimesUp
before its time. . . . Inspiration is a rare and unexpected gift in a
book filled with the fluff of Hollywood, but Benjamin provides it with The Girls in the Picture.”—NPR

“Benjamin immerses readers in the whirlwind excitement of Mary’s and
Frances’ lives while portraying a rarely seen character, an early woman
screenwriter, and deftly exploring the complexities of female
friendship.”—Booklist

“The heady, infectious
energy of the fledgling film industry in Los Angeles is convincingly
conveyed—and the loving but competitive friendship between these two
women on the rise in a man’s world is a powerful source of both tension
and relatability.”—Publishers Weekly

“Profoundly resonant, The Girls in the Picture
is at its core, an empowering and fascinating tale of sisterhood. . . .
Deeply affecting . . . This book isn’t just timely, it’s necessary!”—Bryce Dallas Howard

“Melanie
Benjamin, known for her living, breathing portraits of famous figures,
takes on the Golden Age of Hollywood, and the friendship between icons
Mary Pickford and screenwriter Frances Marion. As riveting as the latest
blockbuster, this is a star-studded story of female friendships,
creative sparks about to ignite, and the power of women. Dazzling.”—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Cruel Beautiful World
“Set at the dawn of Hollywood, The Girls in the Picture explores
the friendship between renowned starlet Mary Pickford and screenwriter
Frances Marion. With the artistry for which she has become renowned,
Melanie Benjamin has simultaneously created an insightful tale of the
relationship between writer and muse and a breathtaking view into
Hollywood’s most glittering era.”—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Orphan’s Tale

“A scintillating
journey back in time to the gritty and glamorous days of old Hollywood .
. . With elegant prose and delicious historical detail, Benjamin
delivers a timely tale of female friendship—and the powerful duo who
dared to dream beyond the narrow roles into which they’d been cast.”—Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of Where the Light Falls and Sisi

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Giveaway Details — (US Only) 

Thanks to the publicist, one reader will win a finished copy of  The Girls in the Picture  by Melanie Benjamin. To enter the giveaway, please fill out the rafflecopter by January 31st. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to US residents only and ends January 31st.

Good Luck!!!