When Christine McAllister opens a box of items donated to her vintage clothing shop, her gaze immediately fixes on a green velvet hat that was, without question, the one worn by Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind. Step back nearly eight decades to the Selznick International studio where the famous movie is under production, and two secretaries become friends when necessity --- or fate --- makes them roommates. Violet Mayfield, a southern country girl who aches for a family of her own, is ready to reinvent her life after an operation leaves her unable to bear children. Feisty Audrey Duvall, once a breath away from stardom, harbors painful secrets amidst her shattered dreams.

STARS OVER SUNSET BOULEVARD gives us two women determined to leave their pasts behind. Each plays her part in the studio’s secretarial pool, certain that they will find a way to transform their dreams into reality. Along the way, Miss O’Hara’s famous hat turns up missing, which sparks suspicion and changes the trajectory of three people’s lives. When the hat turns up in Christine’s shop, it will again play a mystical role in altering the courses of those who encounter it.

"...a pleasant read that will be enjoyed particularly by aficionados of old movies. The plot plays out at a slow and steady pace, always moving forward as the main characters maneuver the hills and valleys of life, love and friendship."

The setting is Los Angeles, 1938. Audrey longs for another shot at stardom, but with each passing year, her goal seems to drift farther away. She knows all the right people, parties hard with all the players, and desperately tries to force the hand of fate back to that shining moment when she almost had it all. Violet wants nothing of the Hollywood life. For her, it’s all about family: a loving husband, children playing in a yard surrounded by a white picket fence. It’s the kind of future easily attained by most girls her age, but for Violet, it is little more than a fantasy.

Enter Bert, a wardrobe assistant at the studio who harbors a long-held desire to study and photograph birds. His real passion, however, is of the human variety. Bert can hardly remember a time when he wasn’t completely infatuated with Audrey. She has made it clear, though, that she wants only friendship from Bert, though her new friend and roommate sees Bert in quite a different light. When Violet stumbles upon an opportunity to swing Bert’s attention her way, she seizes it, despite the consequences it may have for Audrey.

Violet’s plan works, and it isn’t long before she and Bert say “I do.” But three years into their marriage, Violet still hasn’t mustered up the courage to tell Bert she can’t bear children. When Audrey unexpectedly knocks at her door while Bert is returning from serving in World War II, she has news for Violet that once again will change the course of all three lives. Whether or not Audrey and Violet’s friendship and dreams will survive storms and twists of fate will depend on the outcome of tough decisions each must make.   

STARS OVER SUNSET BOULEVARD drifts the reader easily into yesteryear’s Hollywood scene and the dramas that play out behind the glittering sets. I can’t say I was as enraptured with this novel as I was with some of Susan Meissner’s other books, but it was a pleasant read that will be enjoyed particularly by aficionados of old movies. The plot plays out at a slow and steady pace, always moving forward as the main characters maneuver the hills and valleys of life, love and friendship.