When Clara Bishop, a struggling
screenwriter-turned-tabloid journalist in Hollywood, is jilted by her
philandering husband, she follows him to London, determined to win him back.
Armed with only a glamorous wardrobe of vintage clothing inherited from her
grandmother, a former film noir actress, Clara discovers that the clothes
really do make the woman. Dressed to kill, she adopts a new femme fatale
persona: confident, sexy and set on revenge. But on the road to retaliation,
Clara discovers an unfinished film script that sheds light on her grandmother’s
mysterious death years before. Then it happens: somehow, magically, her whole
life is transported back in time, into a living, breathing film noir that
reveals to Clara the potential to write her own ending.
I had already
seen the cover of Kim Izzo’s latest novel ‘My Life in Black and White’ appearing
on my Twitter timeline several times, but hadn’t really felt the instant desire
to check out the novel. Fortunately, I ended up receiving a copy of the novel
via @WishListBooks (thanks so much!), and after reading the blurb on the back
of the novel I was really curious to read it. ‘My Life in Black and White’
appeared to be slightly different from anything I’ve read before, and I figured
it would either turn out to be a pleasant surprise or a novel that wasn’t for me.
‘My Life
in Black and White’ tells the story of Clara Bishop, a tabloid journalist from
Hollywood who originally had a dream of becoming a famous screenwriter.
Unexpectedly, Clara discovers her husband Dean is having an affair with a
young, blonde waitress named Amber and their marriage is over. She can’t let it
go and follows him to London in order to win him back, with only an old trunk
filled with her grandmother’s vintage dresses. As Clara starts wearing these
glamorous clothes, she slowly starts to change into a true femme fatale
herself, and before she knows it, she suddenly finds herself in the city of
London in the year 1952, starring in a film noir about her own life, with the
opportunity to change not only her own destiny, but also her beloved grandmother’s.
When I
turned to the first page of this novel, I honestly had no idea what to expect,
especially since I haven’t seen a film noir in my life. However, as soon as I
had finished Chapter 1, I was completely hooked. I loved the protagonist of the
story, Clara. I really felt for her; her husband cheating on her, still missing
the child she never had, not being happy with her career choices, the strained
relationship between her mother and her... Yet, Clara manages to find the
strength within her to take all of this on board and deal with it. I loved the
relationship between the three generations (Clara, her mother, and her
grandmother) and the whole atmosphere of the novel was just fabulous: from the
glamorous vintage dresses and the shadowy film noir elements to the parts of
film script included and the font of the chapter headings... Everything about this
novel has been thought through and I loved the feeling of going back to London
in the 1950’s and joining Clara on her journey.
‘My Life
in Black and White’ is incredibly well-written and I felt myself not wanting to
put it down. It’s really original and I can honestly say I have never read anything
quite like this. The novel is described as a time-travel romantic comedy, which
is a perfect description, and is something I think different kinds of readers
will enjoy, not just lovers of chick lit. As a big fan of anything Jane Austen,
I immediately ordered a copy of Kim Izzo’s novel ‘The Jane Austen Marriage
Manual’ after finishing this one and her name has been added to my ‘must-read’
list, because I am already looking forward to her next release!
And once again loving your review! The book its cover would not attract me to read it, however, after your review I think I should definitely give it a try! X
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