It's the 1940s, World War II is raging, and young Jessica Molloy (Jesse) is growing up in Hollywood - where her father Gabriel is a publicist for Selznick International Studios.
One of Gabriel's clients is the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman, who becomes a household name after she stars in the Oscar-winning film Casablanca. Bergman becomes a superstar and Gabriel's career climbs.
Ingrid Bergman
Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca
At the same time, Jesse herself becomes enchanted with Bergman. The actress's daughter Pia goes to Jesse's private elementary school - and uses the same transportation - and Jesse is captivated by Ingrid's grace and beauty as she sends Pia off to school every morning.
Ingrid Bergman and her daughter Pia
Jesse's mother Vanessa, a devout Catholic, fears glitzy Hollywood will adversely influence her daughter. Thus Vanessa insists that Jesse be transferred to St. Ann's Catholic School for girls, which goes from primary school through high school
Before Jesse switches schools, however, Gabriel arranges for a few supportive words from Ingrid Bergman, which Jesse deeply treasures. Afterwards, young Jesse has several more brief encounters with Bergman, all of which are encouraging and uplifting.
At St. Ann's, Jesse meets fellow student Kathleen - a mildly rebellious free spirit - and the two girls become best friends forever. When they're not in class, Jesse and Kathleen swim, play tennis, and secretly devour movie magazines forbidden by the school. The girls obsessively follow Hollywood news and gossip, and keep up with Bergman's personal life, career, and movies - which they're generally not allowed to see.
Movie magazine from the 1940s
In fact movies are controversial throughout the country. This is the era of the 'Catholic Legion of Decency', an organization determined to wipe out objectionable material in films. If a movie contains sexual content (including long kisses) or excessive violence, the League bans the film and Catholics are forbidden to see it. This puts a damper on the movie industry, since a denunciation strongly affects box office revenues.
The studio makes sure Bergman's films pass muster with the League, and the actress's star continues to rise. She makes a string of successful films, including For Whom the Bell Tolls, Gaslight, The Bells of St. Mary's, and Joan of Arc.
As it happens, The Bells of St. Mary's - about a nun who runs a convent school - is filmed at St. Ann's, and Jesse is thrilled to see Bergman on the premises. Between scenes, Jesse hears Ingrid recite a monologue from Shakespeare, and this becomes important years later, on graduation day.
Bergman's roles as a nun in The Bells of St. Mary's, and then a saint in Joan of Arc, endear her to the Catholic Church and its devotees.
When the war ends, repression by the Catholic League is joined by the oppression of McCarthyism. Senator Joseph McCarthy thinks American institutions have been infiltrated by Communists, and makes it his mission to root them out. Hollywood, which is supposedly filled with 'reds', is hit hard.....and myriad people lose their livelihoods over the next few years.
Ingrid Bergman now does something unthinkable. She leaves her husband, Dr. Petter Lindstrom, runs off to Italy with director Roberto Rossellini, and gets pregnant with his child. AMERICA GOES CRAZY.
Ingrid Bergman and Roberto Rosselini
Bergman is denounced by the Catholic Church; condemned by the Senate; decried by newspapers; and severely criticized by people across the country. In fact, the actress is forbidden to return to the United States, where her daughter Pia still lives with Lindstrom.
Jesse, who's a teenager by now, is stunned and mystified by the furor - and confused by the suppression and hypocrisy she sees around her. Subsequent events strongly affect Jesse, her family, and her future.
The book is narrated as a long flashback by twentysomething Jesse. Adult Jesse lives in New York, is a copy editor for Newsweek, and sends stories to national magazines - hoping to be published. Jesse receives a surprise invitation to attend the 1959 Academy Awards, and while she's debating whether to go, recalls her life in Los Angeles.
In modern times it's hard to fathom the tyranny of the McCarthy/Catholic League years. This book paints a vivid picture of those days, and their effect on a coming-of-age Catholic girl who's fearful of 'sinning', but doesn't always agree with her Church.
Actually, as I was reading the book, I couldn't help thinking about the horrific child abuse scandals plaguing the very church that made itself the arbiter of 'morality' in past years.
This is a well-written, engaging story, recommended to fans of literary fiction and coming-of-age novels.
Rating: 3.5 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment