“Robert Matzen’s novel about the film’s chaotic production is like the movie in that it’s both entertaining and a moving love story about a lost paradise: Hollywood."—Scott Eyman, Author, Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise; John Wayne: The Life and Legend
"Matzen’s thorough, revealing treatment of the process of studio creation will grip lovers of classic movies. Especially exciting is his treatment of some of the barriers that they dared break, like presenting a Black man as the equal and best friend of the white lead. Matzen’s crisp storytelling will send readers back to the film with fresh eyes. Marvelous novel of the creation of classic Hollywood’s most beloved film." —Publishers Weekly
"Matzen has crafted an impressive dramatization of its birth, centering the work of the real-life Irene Lee (nee Levine). Readers will marvel at how much filmmaking has changed in the last 80 years—and how much it hasn’t. An epic industry novel about the making of a Hollywood classic." —Kirkus Reviews
