The Garden on Sunset: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood - Martin Turnbull

The Garden on Sunset: A Novel of Golden-Era Hollywood

By Martin Turnbull

  • Release Date: 2011-12-17
  • Genre: Historical Fiction
Score: 4
4
From 257 Ratings

Description

Have you ever wanted to climb into a time machine and visit Hollywood during its heyday?

Right before talking pictures slug Tinsel Town in the jaw, a luminous silent screen star converts her private estate into the Garden of Allah Hotel. The lush grounds soon become a haven for Hollywood hopefuls to meet, drink, and revel through the night. George Cukor is in the pool, Tallulah Bankhead is at the bar, and Scott Fitzgerald is sneaking off to a bungalow with Sheilah Graham while Madame Alla Nazimova keeps watch behind her lace curtains.

But the real story of the Garden of Allah begins with its first few residents, three kids on the brink of something big.

Marcus Adler has a lot to prove after his father catches him and the police chief's son with their pants down. He flees Pennsylvania for Hollywood with his mouth shut and his eyes open, and begins to write the lines all those starlets will say out loud. Can a smart, sensitive guy find his own voice in a town that's just learning to talk?

Kathryn Massey's childhood was a grinding routine of auditions, but she couldn't care less about being a movie star. When she takes off with her typewriter, determined to become a newspaper reporter, she finds that breaking into the boys' club is tougher than breaking free of her bossy mother. To make it in this town, she'll need some serious moxie.

Gwendolyn Brick is a sweet Southern beauty who's come a long way to try her luck on the big screen. She's hoping the same succulent lips the guys want to kiss will land her more than a bit part on a casting couch. She's going to need some help keeping everyone in line.

Nobody gets a free pass in Hollywood, but a room at the Garden on Sunset can get your foot in the door.

"The Garden on Sunset" is the first in installment in the Hollywood's Garden of Allah saga, a series of historical novels set in Hollywood's heyday. If you like authentic and richly-detailed history, compelling and memorable characters, and seeing fiction and history seamlessly woven together, then you'll love Martin Turnbull's authentic portrayal of the City of Angels.
Flip through the pages to see Hollywood's history come to life before your eyes.

Martin Turnbull's Garden of Allah novels have been optioned for the screen by film & television producer, Tabrez Noorani.

INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

Your Garden of Allah novels are rich in the history and lore of classic era Hollywood. What was your original inspiration?

I came across an online article about the Garden of Allah Hotel, which opened on Sunset Boulevard in 1927, just before “The Jazz Singer” ushered in the talkies, and closed in 1959, the year that “Ben Hur” announced the last hurrah of the studio system. The Garden’s residents witnessed the unfolding evolution of Hollywood, and actively participated in it.

How has writing these novels changed your view of this golden age that we perceive as the greatest era of film production?

L.A. was a much less densely populated city. Consequently, all movie industry workers were far more likely to know each other. People moved from MGM to Paramount to Twentieth Century-Fox to RKO to Warner Bros. Two or three degrees of separation were usually enough!

Why did you not go the safe route and change the names of the major players to suit your story?

The whole point of recounting the history of Hollywood through the eyes of the Garden’s residents was because so many celebrities lived there. Harpo Marx and Sergei Rachmaninoff were neighbors, F. Scott Fitzgerald played charades with Dorothy Parker, Errol Flynn got drunk, Ginger Rogers was always looking for a tennis partner, and Bogart courted Bacall. I figured: Why tell it if I’m going to change the names?

Do you think stories set in old Hollywood are becoming more popular because of Turner Classic Movies?

Yes! TCM has produced a whole new audience for them. Consequently there is a greater interest in the time and place from which these movies sprung.

Reviews

  • Entertaining

    5
    By Suzi Moon
    Fun, believable, and accurate Old Hollywood fiction. I really enjoyed the character development and interwoven storylines. Just bought book number 2 in this series… I’m hooked!
  • Could be a great book with some improvements

    3
    By Puter Bleu
    I liked the book quite a bit, but I can’t help but feel that it needs some editing. The characters were well developed and the storyline was mostly appealing. There were times where I had to read the same page over and over because I could not understand the digression from the scene. For example, the earthquake. In a matter of a paragraph one of the characters is buried in rubble and then having sex in the rubble. It took a lot for me to transition to that, and that is just one example. I felt the gaps in the storyline were also too substantial and left a lot to be understood.
  • Great novel

    5
    By Snowberry00
    I took a chance and tried reading something way out of the norm for myself but I’m so glad I did! This book is great, the characters are lovable and relatable. Can’t wait to read the rest of the series!
  • The Garden on Sunset

    5
    By par sea
    Very fun read. PatC
  • Entertaining

    5
    By Ksbriz
    Reads very well, enjoyed the rotating character chapters. Captured my attention and read just like watching a movie.
  • A Much Needed Story Now

    5
    By jrjulian
    If you are a fan of old Hollywood and want to see the stars come to life in the stage, read this book. Trumbull is amazing!!!
  • Well, it was free

    2
    By nolongerteaching
    The book, the characters, and the setting all had possibilities but that was all. The lack of a cohesive, well thought out plot made this story hard to follow. The plot was sprinkled with gossip concerning old Hollywood but it takes more than old gossip of fading Hollywood stars to make a novel worth reading.
  • The Garden on Sunset

    5
    By Mike Gada
    If you enjoy old Hollywood this is a great read. It’s compelling and allows you to travel back in time. It was a very enjoyable read and I highly suggest it if you’re looking for something fun!
  • The Garden on Sunset

    3
    By nyedog
    An enjoyable read that interweaves the trials and successes of three new friends and the glitterati of early Hollywood.
  • Not what I'd hoped.

    1
    By Guest46
    Having lived in Hollywood long ago I was looking forward to a good story. I was not looking for a graphic LGBT love story. I did not finish this book and have lost any interest in this author.