A detailed, moving portrait of a complex woman in a complex life.
The long affair between William Randolph Hearst and Marion Davies was news fodder for much of the 20th century. In Nack’s novel, Marion tells her side.
That story is very well known. William Randolph Hearst was a legendary publishing baron; Marion Davies (nee Douras) came from a middle-class but aspiring family in Brooklyn. Marion’s mother’s mission in life was to see that all four of her daughters married well. Marion exceeded Mama’s wildest expectations but for one small hitch: The man she partnered with was already married. WR’s wife would never agree to a divorce, but while Marion sometimes cheated on WR, in a deeper sense, she was faithful to him to the end (he died in 1951, she 10 years later). We revisit the highlights: her off and on affair with Charlie Chaplin; the mysterious death of Thomas Ince on the aborted cruise to Catalina; her pregnancy and the coverup; and the bombshell that was Citizen Kane. Nack wisely chooses Marion as the narrator, the voice. And her voice is true. She often sounds ditzy, but she really isn’t. She is ambitious and insightful (and, we learn, a very good comic actress) and really loves WR, as frustrating as that so often is. Hearst was born in 1863, so he is more a product of the 19th century than the 20th, and he views Marion as his creature and he as her protector, which of course infuriates her. And as an undercurrent, there is the truly jaw-dropping wealth—the mansions and retreats, the private train cars, the unending parties, the drinking and drugs (Marion was clearly an alcoholic), and the shopping sprees (WR can express his love only through things, from huge bouquets to diamonds). WR loves Marion deeply, but, a man of the 19th century, he is clueless as he patronizes her again and again and sends goons to spy on her. But the mistress—in both senses—of San Simeon was his comfort to the end.
A detailed, moving portrait of a complex woman in a complex life.Pub Date: May 3, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64742-347-6
Page Count: 248
Publisher: She Writes Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2021
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.
Best friends confront feelings for each other when they take a honeymoon trip together.
Francesca Gardiner and George Saint James have always been best friends—just like Jo and Laurie from Little Women, which they both love. Frankie has a big, complicated family and George was the boy next door who’d moved in with his eccentric grandmother. Their friendship survived childhood, awkward teenage years, and living together as young adults without ever venturing into the romantic—well, except for one kiss, but they don’t talk about that. When Frankie gets engaged to an older professor named Nate, George isn’t happy and a huge fight ensues. Despite his misgivings, George shows up to be her best man, but Nate leaves Frankie right before the wedding with only a cryptic letter. Devastated, Frankie goes to a friend’s house to recuperate, but her honeymoon is already planned and paid for—so she decides to travel to Tofino, a picturesque town on the coast of Vancouver Island, with George taking Nate’s place. Frankie wants to fix her friendship with George, but now that they’re in a romantic suite in a beautiful location, things are more complicated than ever. She’d always thought a relationship would be a bad idea, but she’s slowly beginning to realize they’ll never be able to go back to being kids. Maybe the only way forward involves forging a new kind of relationship. Fortune, the author of romances like This Summer Will Be Different (2024), returns with another love story full of longing and intense angst. The many allusions to Little Women are charming, and Frankie is a delightfully headstrong, feisty character. She and George have explosive chemistry, and Fortune manages to make the “will-they-or-won’t-they” nature of their relationship feel like life-or-death stakes.
A powerfully strong romance for readers who like their love stories full of torment and passion.Pub Date: May 5, 2026
ISBN: 9780593953242
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Berkley
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A cleverly titled, cozy SF romance that marks Thorne as a writer to watch.
After purchasing a dilapidated, century-old starship called the Destitute, Torian Razner discovers that the moss covering it is, in fact, a deeply sarcastic sentient computer with abandonment issues.
Torian’s sister, Celise, is dying. Determined to save her life by getting her to a distant planet with air she can breathe, Torian ignores her former captain Amelia Perrosk’s warning that it’s an impossible task (along with any romantic feelings she might have for Amelia). Using the only ionite bars she has to her name, Torian purchases an ancient, moss-covered alien starship that appears to be on its last legs, so to speak. She hardly expected the moss to be a sentient computer or for it to hold a century-old grudge against its former alien captain. Moss quickly proves itself to be acerbic, intelligent, and rightly angry after being having been left behind for 100 years by its former captain. The two form a reluctant and surprising alliance, Torian proving to Moss that not all captains are “dog-turd fungus,” and they both gradually evolve into the best versions of themselves, human or otherwise. It’s obvious from the early pages that Thorne has crafted a story tailored to fans of Becky Chambers’ Monk & Robot series and Martha Wells’ Murderbot Diaries. Falling somewhere between the two, this is a delightful mashup of romance, found family, and a touch of violence as Moss grapples with its feelings about its former captain and the unexpected kindness that Torian shows. Sweet without being overly saccharine, it’s a book for readers who want the adventure that comes with the vastness of outer space without its harsher realities.
A cleverly titled, cozy SF romance that marks Thorne as a writer to watch.Pub Date: July 7, 2026
ISBN: 9781250414144
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Bramble Books
Review Posted Online: April 20, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2026
BOOK REVIEW
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