Laura Cassidy's Walk of Fame

Alan McMonagle

18 March 2021
9781509829903
320 pages

Synopsis

‘A cracker’ Patrick McCabe

‘An irresistible comedy’ Luke Kennard


Laura Cassidy is going all the way. Hollywood. Starry lights. The Walk of Fame. It’s her destiny. At least, that’s what her movie-obsessed father used to tell her. That was always the plan.

Sure, it’s been a bit slow-going, but the stars have finally aligned. The long-awaited new theatre is about to open, and their first production calls for a particularly fiery female lead. This part has Laura’s name on it.

There’s her meddlesome older sister to get past – freshly returned from saving the world. Her occasional lover and stand-in leading man seems to think it’s all a waste of time. And probably best not to mention the audition to her mother, especially after what happened last time . . . Laura just has to stay one step ahead of them all.

Channelling the era of Hollywood’s silver screen and told in a voice that blends devil humour, quiet mayhem, and a singled-minded optimism that might just lead to disaster, Laura Cassidy’s Walk of Fame tells the story of a troubled soul desperate to find her place in life.

A witty and engaging heroine with a Holden Caulfield sensitivity to both phoniness and vulnerability . . . We can’t help but admire her heroic imperviousness to reality. After all, few people in this story aren’t deluded to some extent. But then, who isn’t?
An irreverent comedy, this is an infectious portrayal of brazen optimism which depicts the restorative power of ambition in times of overwhelming emotional turmoil.
With cinematic zip and dazzling noir panache, McMonagle is back with a magical cracker, a new novel glistening as its historic sobriquet, ghosting the threadbare auditoria of the world.