#Review: Strangers in the Night: A Novel of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner by Heather Webb @msheatherwebb @Harper360UK @RandomTTours #StrangersInTheNight

I’m really delighted today to be joining the blog tour for Strangers in the Night: A Novel of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner by Heather Webb. First published on 21st March by Harper360/William Morrow as an ebook, in hardcover and as an audiobook, the paperback is now also available. My thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for the invitation and support, and to the publishers for my advance reading e-copy – although the watermarked proof did prove a challenge for my kindle, so I was happy to buy my own copy.

No, I know this book might not look like my usual choice of reading – but the golden age of Hollywood and the love affair between Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner is a subject that’s always fascinated me, and the whole concept of making their extraordinary love story a novel made it entirely irresistible. One personal story that I won’t include in my review… Sinatra died in 1998, when my parents were on holiday in Las Vegas, and they were spellbound when, for a short time, all the lights on the Strip were extinguished in his memory – with his fervent wish to be make his mark and to be remembered, often mentioned in this wonderful book, I think it’s a tribute he might well have appreciated.

It was the tumultuous romance that scandalized the world: Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner fought, loved, and lived life to the hilt. Now their unbridled story is brought vividly to life by Heather Webb, the bestselling author of Meet Me in Monaco and The Next Ship Home.

 

In the golden age of Hollywood, two of the brightest stars would define—and defy—an era…

 

She was the small-town southern beauty transformed into a Hollywood love goddess. He was the legendary crooner whose voice transfixed the world. They were Ava Gardner and Frank Sinatra. Separately they were irresistible; together they were an explosive combination.

 

Ava’s star is rising just as Frank’s career – and public image as a family man – is taking a hit. Gone are the days of the screaming bobbysoxers and chart-topping hits. Ava, however, finds herself gracing the front page of every tabloid in America. Jealousy and cheating abound, and when the two succumb to their temperaments and their vices, their happiness is threatened at every turn.

 

As the pair ride the rollercoaster of success and failure, passion and anger, they both wonder if the next turn will be the end of their careers, and most devastating of all – the end of all they’ve shared.

 

A captivating novel with a star-studded cast spanning continents and decades, Strangers in the Night brings to life the most riveting love story of the twentieth century.

Strangers in the Night is a work of fiction – and that’s something it was quite easy to forget as I was swept away into the world of Hollywood glamour and entirely caught up in the tempestuous and passionate relationship between Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner. Extending from their initial meeting in the 1940s to Ava’s death in the 1990s, the author uses her research – selecting those key moments, imagining others – to take you inside their lives, and I found it an intoxicating experience. And what makes this story something particularly special is that the voices of the story are those of Frank and Ava – entirely real and distinctive, sharing their thoughts and intimate moments, and the insights that lends the story were quite exceptional.

With two previous failed marriages, and the frustration that her career – controlled by the industry – seems to have stalled, Ava really isn’t looking to become entangled with a married man. But Frank’s persistence and charm wins her over, and they embark on a tempestuous affair, alcohol fuelled and marked by vicious fights, bad behaviour and passionate reunions, culminating in the moment when he needs to make the difficult choice between his marriage and their life together. And through it all, we follow the progress of their careers – Frank’s in severe decline, exacerbated by his problems in extricating himself from his marriage, while Ava’s profile steadily increases when MGM finally begin to find her the right films. Once together, their lives certainly don’t settle down – forced to spend time apart, their reunions are marked by jealous fights and arguments, infidelity and bad choices, a number of mental health crises, but also so many moments of real joy and tenderness with a deep love for each other that often feels more like an obsession.

The world the author creates in this book becomes entirely real – there are real insights into the way the studios controlled the lives of their stars, and fascinating glimpses of a number of other famous individuals as they pass through their lives. And Frank’s own star begins to rise again – his own movie career and Oscar nomination (perhaps with a little help from Ava), his music finally bringing him to public attention (again, perhaps with a little help, this time from the Mob – but that’s gently handled), followed by his partnership with Dean Martin in Vegas and the stellar success of the Rat Pack.

But the author always keeps the perfect balance between the personal story and the historical fact, the writing always emotionally engaging, the deep love underpinning their often toxic relationship something you can really feel. The blending of fact and fiction is impeccably done – the research involved must have been tremendous, but it’s quite wonderfully utilised to bring the story and its characters vividly to life. And I can’t speak highly enough about the way the author engages the reader in the story she tells – I felt every moment, entirely caught up in their lives and the passionate relationship at the story’s core. This really was an exceptional read – and one I’d unreservedly recommend to others.

About the author

Heather Webb is the award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of The Last Ship Home, The Phantom’s Apprentice, Rodin’s Lover, and Becoming Josephine. Heather is also a freelance editor, and teaches craft courses at a local college. Her novels have been translated into more than a dozen languages, worldwide. She lives in Connecticut with her family and one feisty rabbit.

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