Author: Alli Sinclair
ISBN: 9781489256614
RRP: $29.99
Publication Date: 20 May 2019
Publisher: Harlequin Mira
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
I have been reading Alli Sinclair for a few years now, and I still plan to get back to Luna Tango one of these days.
Alli Sinclair manages to weave dual timelines into two compelling love stories featuring strong women who aren’t afraid to stand up for themselves and fight for their place in their chosen industry.
The Cinema at Starlight Creek features two strong female leads, decades apart and at opposite ends of the world. This one almost classifies for two historical time periods with the latter day timeline taking place in 1994, already a lifetime ago.
Sinclair opens her story with Claire Montgomery in small town Queensland in 1994. Claire is the location manager for Wattle Films, currently working on a TV mini-series about the life of 1930s architect Amelia Elliott. Part of what cemented her promotion was gaining approval to shoot in one of Elliott’s Art Deco cinemas, and shooting is going well until one of the actors is caught behaving inappropriately and the company are run out of town by an understandably irate cinema owner.
Claire is left in the terrible position of having to find a new location at the eleventh hour with no room for failure, but hey no pressure. It doesn’t help that she is overwhelmingly outnumbered on the gender scale and fighting to prove herself when there are those within the production that don’t believe she should be in the job, mainly due to gender.
Luck would have it that there is another Amelia Elliott cinema in a nearby town and Claire heads off to check it out with hope in her heart and everything crossed that it’s suitable, and she can secure the use of it for the series.
1994 doesn’t seem that long ago to me, but it was a time before social media and before widespread mobile phone access. It was a time when the world seemed a little bigger and it was possible to be uncontactable for periods of time.
Starlight Creek is a small town and it has that small town feel but it doesn’t have that strong sense of community and it isn’t always welcoming of strangers. Claire has a tough task ahead of her trying to convince the owners to allow them access but she builds a rapport with cinema owner Hattie Fitzpatrick rather quickly.
Lena Lee is our Hollywood heroine, working in an industry that loves a looker leading lady but doesn’t respect the women in the industry. She struggles to get a break because she started on a Hollywood career path a little older, and leading ladies have to be young and stunning.
This timeline gives us insight into what went on behind the scenes in Hollywood at a time when censorship was rife and studios had a lot of control over the off screen lives of their A-listers.
Lena Lee came to her career path late and then when she finally got her big break she found that it didn’t fulfill her the way she expected, she wanted to be able to use the influence of her celebrity to make changes in the industry so it was a safer and fairer industry for women.
The Cinema at Starlight Creek isn’t all strong women fighting for their place in a male dominated career arena; it’s also romance with bad timing and learning to follow your dreams. Sometimes it all seems too hard but if you can find that first small step to set you in the right direction you can make big things happen.
If that’s not enough there’s also a mystery to unravel, classic movies to ponder and locations to fall in love with.
Alli Sinclair you have done it again. A beautiful story that I finished with tears in my eyes, and the desire to go out and do some research on Art Deco cinemas and their architects.
The Cinema at Starlight Creek is available now through Harlequin Mira and where all good books are sold.
Alli Sinclair can be contacted on Alli Sinclair.com and Facebook.
Thanks to Harlequin Mira 15 of our Beauty and Lace Club Members will be reading The Cinema at Starlight Creek so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
Thanks you Harlequin Australia and Beauty and Lace for the chance to read The Cinema at Starlight Creek by Alli Sinclair.
This is a charming novel – interesting and engaging for any reader. Covering two time frames – the 1990’s in the Australia town of Starlight Creek and the 1950’s Hollywood it tells the story of Claire and Lena and the challenges they face in the face of discrimination and inequality in the male dominated film industry. The similarities between the characters – and their challenges – given the 40 year time difference are amazing and a bit sad. Their quest for love also engages.
The story grabbed me from the beginning and the development of the characters was believable and interesting. The twist, although sad is handled well and adds to the story.
A great book for those winter afternoons – or by the pool somewhere warm! Recommended*****
Thanks again!
Alli Sinclair has once again held me captivated in her most recent book ‘The Cinema at Starlight Creek’. It portrays the stories of two strong female characters in parallels, swapping between stories every couple chapters. First we are introduced to Claire Montgomery in 1994, who is a young woman trying to make her way in the movie industry. Claire is on set in rural Queensland to create a mini series. This is when she encounters the community of Starlight Creek and the old cinema that will change her. Claire builds a relationship with Hattie the owner of the cinema and there is a bit of romance with her nephew Luke.
The second storyline is of Lena Lee, a Hollywood movie star in the 1950’s. Lena has had to work hard to build her name in Hollywood, however her past is filled with secrets that could ruin her in an instant. Lena develops a strong relationship with her male lead and fights for the equal rights of actresses in the 1950’s.
I was quite unsure of how the two stories would combine but when they did, I could not put the book down and just needed to finish it to find out more.
I would highly recommend Alli Sinclair’s ‘The Cinema at Starlight Creek’ and am sure that it will keep you captivated until the very end.
I really enjoyed The Cinema at Starlight Creek the second Alli Sinclair novel I have read. Enjoyed the 2 stories of Claire Montgomery in 1994 and Lena Lee in 1950, and their struggles being working women in their respective eras. A great weekend read that had me hooked from the beginning.
Fantastic read! How Hollywood and a little Australian town meet, how far women have come from the 1950s to the 1990s. Really interesting great story! Loved every minute of it
The Cinema at Starlight Creek by Alli Sinclair, was an excellent read. This book brings together two main characters who are very strong minded powerful women. Even though these women are from different eras its interesting to see that back in the 1950s the struggles women went through to be recognised in society. The two love stories are played out and I thoroughly enjoyed the story line.
Well done Alli