The truth behind Kitty's ascent to stardom from her beginnings in the segregated South threatens to expose a web of unexpected family ties, debts owed, and debatable crimes that could, with one pull, unravel the all-American fabric of the St. That’s the crux of the story, told through different timelines and perspectives —mainly Kitty in the past and the eldest St. The world danced around the one question burning holes of curiosity in everyone’s minds: Why had the White Hollywood icon given her fortune to the Black (“Black” being the key word) daughters of her costar in a sitcom that first aired almost fifty years ago?

An impressive debut that covers a wide range of topics from racism, family, fame, motherhood and more. Elise had Golden Popcorn trophies and Viewer’s Choice awards, but an Oscar win would be pivotal to her career. In the process, Elise discovers something about Kitty that she did not know and in so doing, discovers something about herself, as well.The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets The Vanishing Half in this debut novel about the life of a Hollywood starlet and the mystery she leaves behind for the three St. Though Paul crowds the narrative with far too many underdeveloped characters and makes a few too many implausible plot leaps, she ably describes Kitty’s transformation and unflinchingly details the racism, misogyny, and exploitation Kitty faced as a young woman. Feeling a rush of tears, Elise turned from the kitchen entry and walked farther down the driveway to the backyard. In the process, Elise discovers something about Kitty that she didn't know and finds herself as well. Overall these chapters just dragged as again we're introduced to more unhappy, unmemorable characters.

When she passes away, the world is shocked to find Kitty left her multi-million dollar estate to her next door neighbors, the St. It is forbidden to copy anything for publication elsewhere without written permission from the copyright holder. It pained her to acquiesce, but with ten years of acting and five hundred million dollars in box office sales under her belt, Elise’s life hadn’t belonged to her in years.The book is primed to open up a lot of really nuanced conversations, not only publicly but within Black and white families. The historical fiction portions, which followed Kitty in her childhood, her move to California, and her eventual rise to stardom, were completely captivating. This is a wonderfully told tale of what it means to be a light-skinned black and pass as being white. The audiobook has separate voices for each character, and Ariel Blake, Kineta Kunutu and Lynnette Nicholas did a great job of telling such an emotional story! John sisters are hard to relate to, and having them already millionaires who weren't truly affected by Kitty's gift made me want to care less about them.

John—three black sisters who have been famous since birth thanks to the accomplishments of their actress mother and musician father—the inheritance opens up a barrage of questions from the press and public. What’s interesting is a character says to Elise in the present that he doesn’t believe that—there’s always a choice to be made. Some characters were introduced, and yet we spent no time understanding who they were or why they were important to Kitty. During difficult times of segregation in the deep south, this made the quality of life a whole lot better. This debut novel is about fictional actress Kitty Karr and her rise to fame and her beneficiaries who will uncover Kitty’s secrets.

A multigenerational saga that traverses the glamour of old Hollywood and the seductive draw of modern-day showbiz. She starts to break after she has her too dark skinned baby who she allows her midwife to adopt so she isn’t outed by her husband. Historical fiction isn't my go-to but I found this novel about Black women passing in Hollywood riveting.