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Customer Reviews for Random House, Inc Limelight
Random House, Inc Limelight
A film star in Hollywood's golden age, Claudette Fiore is used to living with glitz, glitter, and glamour. But now the tables have turned. The victim of embezzlement, the 80-year-old has lost everything and moves back to her shabby childhood home in northern California. Can she face the ghosts of her past and find new purpose? 384 pages, softcover from Multnomah.
Average Customer Rating:
(19 Reviews) 19
Rating Snapshot (19 reviews)
5 stars
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4 stars
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1 out of 250%customers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for Limelight
Review 1 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Disappointing
Date:June 3, 2013
Dory
Location:AB, Canada
Age:45-54
Gender:female
I must say I was disappointed in this book. I usually enjoy Melody's books, this one I was not able to finish. It is a very slow moving story,just alot of dialogue. I also objected to the inclusion of Claudette's friend who is gay. It was treated as though it was nothing to be concerned about. I believe that is not a lifestyle that is pleasing to God. There is little to no spiritual content at all.
Very disappointed.
Very disappointed.
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Review 2 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Refreshingly funny
Date:February 16, 2012
Cindee
Location:Mt. Sterling, IL
Age:45-54
Gender:female
Quality:
5
out of
5
Value:
5
out of
5
Meets Expectations:
5
out of
5
This was a very easy read and was very refreshing. It was very humorous throughout and kept you wanting to read more. The main character was intriguing and everything that she went through was heart warming at the same time. I would definitely read this author again. Loved it!
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Review 3 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 28, 2009
Patty
Claudette was once living the high life in Hollywood with her famous husband. Now she is a widow and circumstances have completely changed in her life. She finds herself not knowing how to cope with these changes. What she does find along the way are a few lessons in life she would never have dreamed of learning. I found the beginning of the book a little slow, but I kept on reading. This is not the usual genre that I read, but it was enjoyable enough. There are many hilarious parts that are worth the read, but I cant say its my favorite. Claudette is quite the character, and it makes you wonder if there are really people out there who are as difficult in the same manner as she is.
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Review 4 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 18, 2009
Mike
In this book, we learn about Claudette Fior, who used to turn heads and break hearts. She relished the glamorous Hollywood lifestyle because she had what it takes: money, youth, fame, and above all, beauty. But age has withered that beauty, and a crooked accountant has taken her wealth, leaving the proud widow penniless and alone.Armed with stubbornness and sarcasm, Claudette returns to her shabby little hometown and her estranged sister. Slowly, she makes friends. She begins to see her old life in a new light. For the first time, Claudette Fior questions her own values and finds herself wondering if its too late to change.A wonderful book talking about values and change. It's one most people can identify with.
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Review 5 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 9, 2009
Angela
I have to preface this review by saying I absolutely love Melody Carlson's books. I've been an avid fan of hers for a long time, so I jumped at the chance to review this book. Limelight was no disappointment. Melody Carlson has a way with weaving a story together that pulls you in and never lets you go until you have read the last letter, on the last page. With a character like Claudette Fiore, an aging actress used to having meals at Spago, staying at the Beverly Hills Hilton, and living on an unlimited budget of designer clothing and shoes, trips to the spa and vacations spent on sandy white beachs.... life as she knows it has come to a sudden halt. Finding her self homeless and broke, Claudette is forced to return to the tiny town she grew up in, the sister she hasn't spoken to in years, and a life she thought she had left far behind
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Review 6 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 7, 2009
Bern
When I initially opened the book, I was not immediately pulled in to the story. The main character, Claudette Fiore, is a Hollywood star of old that has lost her fortune, her home, and all the trappings that money can buy - but initially still very full of herself. With no where to go, she grudgingly returns to her hometown. Claudette was very difficult for me to appreciate at first, since she was such a blatantly shallow character.Surprising, as I kept reading, I began to root for Claudette and cheering her on, as she slowly comes to see her life and the town she came from in a different way. Toward the end of the book, I was smiling proudly, when she finally admitted to herself that it felt "slightly amazing to do something for someone else for a change." And it is in the most unexpected people that Claudette begins to make friends with and who remind her that "even if something looks all useless and wasted and soiled and ruined...there's still hope."This was an entertaining book, it took me a while to get drawn in - but once I was, I was anxious to see the how Claudette would grow and change.
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Review 7 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 6, 2009
CeeCee, booksplurge.blogspot.com
Melody Carlson breathes new life into the big-city-girl- goes-back-home- to-a-small town story. Frankly, Im getting tired of the plot, but Carlson spins it into something fresh, entertaining, and inspiring. First, she introduces an elderly celebrity as the main character that makes the book interesting right from the start. Then she uses not only the characters unfortunate situation, but also a gay man, and forgotten letters to show that God uses unusual means to get our attention.We cant put God in a box, and Melody Carlson certainly thought outside the box to write Limelight.I knew this book was worth keeping once I stopped hearing myself reading the words in my head and begin to hear Claudette speaking. You would have thought Claudette pulled up a chair next to you. You avid readers know what I mean.
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Review 8 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 6, 2009
Pamela Darbonne
Great book. I wasn't all that interested in it at first, but once I actually started reading it the pages started speeding by! I will definitely pass this one on to all my friends! I love Melody Carlson's writing style, and this was no exception.
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Review 9 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 6, 2009
Pamela Darbonne
Great book. I wasn't all that interested in it at first, but once I actually started reading it the pages started speeding by! I will definitely pass this one on to all my friends! I love Melody Carlson's writing style, and this was no exception.
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Review 10 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 6, 2009
What a unique book. This book is about a Hollywood has-been in her 80's that is suffering from a case of... if I can't have what I want, then I'd rather die! So she tries to... die that is. After a failed suicide attempt we meet Claudette Fiore in a mental hospital trying to figure out how she is going to leave when she has no where to go after a recent visit from the IRS, which is what led to attempt in the first place. She calls upon her step-son Michael for help and he comes to her rescue. Only one problem, with the Beverly Hills mansion sold for back taxes that leaves her with her mother's old house back home in a town that she swore she'd never go back to. Could death be worse than this? Claudette doesn't think so. Can Michael change her mind and help her see that her life isn't over yet?What does she do to take care of herself and her new little bungalow without the staff that has waited on her hand and foot for the last 60 years? Heavens, Claudette doesn't know how to do the dishes, wash clothes or make a bed - how is she ever going to stay alive let alone clean? When people from her past start popping into her life how will she ever survive the humiliation?Can you really teach an old dog new tricks? Come take a journey with Claudette and see.I really enjoyed this book and seeing how the other half lives, and I don't mean the rich and famous, I mean the elderly! Good book coming from an author who writes a lot of young adult books, it was kind of nice seeing a different side.
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Review 11 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 5, 2009
GOOD, GOOD book. I wasnt that intrigued by it at first, but once i actually started reading it the pages started wizzing by! I am definitely passing this one on to all my friends!
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Review 12 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 5, 2009
Jennifer Guyer
This book had me hooked from the first page. Claudette's situation and how she was going to deal with it had me hooked. Given that the book didn't really have that "Christian Fiction" feel to it, though it did definitely have a Christian message, I think that this book would appeal to a wide audience. Claudette being a "Hollywood figure" there is a lot of name dropping in the book, from silent film times to the present. The writing style and the plot held my attention. And I found myself laughing out loud at points, always a good thing! I love a book that gives me a good dose of Vitamin L. Though I could predict what was going to happen on the worst night of Claudette's life, I was still laughing hard (you have to read it to see what I mean.)The book has a good story of redemption and forgiveness and the illustration of using the soiled towels made useful again was a good one.I definitely recommend this book and I plan to suggest it for our next book club book.
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Review 13 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 4, 2009
Well, ok, I can officially say that I am a fan of Melody Carlsons books. I have read a few now and I have not been disappointed, especially after reading Limelight. This book was different in story and in characters. There are not many, actually I cannot think of any other book about an elderly woman who has lost it all and must start over again. The originality of the story makes it very appealing from the start, but the writing and the characters keep the story going. Melody took some risks with this book, especially with the character Michael, who happened to be my favorite character. I admire an author who takes risks, but still manages to maintain a Christian standard.Claudette Fiore is a woman who is not easy to like, but I found myself pulling for her all along. She has many lessons to learn about real life, and she finds learning these lessons difficult at her age after living most of her adult life as a pampered Hollywood actress and wife. This book really made me appreciate what I have. It may not be much, but Im thankful for Gods blessings. This book shows us that earthly possessions can vanish in the blink of an eye, but the things that truly matter are eternal.Overall, Limelight is a wonderful story that reads quickly and has plenty of humor and quirky characters. I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful story.
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Review 14 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 4, 2009
Joan Nienhuis
The story line is somewhat familiar. The older woman has had a pampered life with cooks and maids and plenty of money. But now her famous husband has died and the Beverly Hills home has been sold for unpaid taxes. All she has left is a few household possessions and a bungalow she inherited from her mother. And the bungalow is in the hometown she was so anxious to leave.Claudettes gay stepson flies in to help her move. He arranges a great deal with movers and painters but then returns to Hawaii and his partner. Can Claudette survive? She doesnt know how to shop, how to clean house, or how to do laundry. She has never had to live on a budget. She doesnt even know how to be a decent neighbor. She certainly doesnt want to accept help from anyone, especially her sister. Nonetheless, kind and helpful people, many of whom are Christians, intrude in her life with humorous results. As Claudette faces her own needs she must also face secrets from her childhood. Carlsons book gets off to a slow start. The real action does not get going until Claudette is left to herself and tries to make a go of it, about page 200. But from then on, the action is quick and the laughs frequent. If you persevere through the slow beginning the story is well worth reading. I would recommend it to elderly female readers. There is a readers guide at the end of the book which would make it suitable for reading group.This book was provided for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.
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Review 15 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 4, 2009
Emily Cox
This book is both hilarious and full of heartache. Throughout the book there are stories that give you a glimpse into the highs and lows of the characters pasts. There are also plenty of opportunities to observe the ups and downs of their lives in the present and snapshots of what their future might hold.The main character Claudette is absolutely entertaining and mesmerizing. As the characters begin to unfold in the story you begin to attach to them, to root for their success and to feel their emotions. There are both successes and failures throughout the book that you begin to feel a part of as you begin to know and understand the characters. There is much to learn from Claudette in this story no matter what your age. Her questions, the things she must learn about, and the preconceived notions that she must find a way to put aside are lessons that all people can relate to no matter what stage of life you are in.
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Review 16 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 3, 2009
There were definitely some good moments in this book. I didn't really care for the main character though so that made it difficult at times to really get in to the book. However, Melody Carlson is an excellent writer. I would definitely read more from her!
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Review 17 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 2, 2009
Limelight by Melody Carlson is an unusual and humorous book about a starting life all over again at 82. Claudette Fiore's life was one anyone would envy: wealth, fame, handsome movie director husband, beauty; the epitome of Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, until her accountant paid himself instead of the IRS leaving her without a home or the kind of life she's lived for the last sixty years. At first, the news causes her to attempt suicide, but two weeks in a psychiatric facility has left her determined to live on her own again. With the help of her stepson, she returns to her hometown of Silverton, California to a house left to Claudette in her mother's will. Returning to the town she couldn't leave fast enough and the sister she hasn't spoken to in years will test her self-confidence, and she will have to find her new place in the world. Claudette's trials while trying to learn how to care for a home: washing clothes with dish detergent, starting a fire in the fireplace with a closed flue, and using her Crock-Pot as emergency bathroom facilities makes this book at times a laugh out loud riot. But there is also a powerful message about friendship and finding self worth outside of your gross income. Carlson is an outstanding author, her books for teens resonate strongly with the YA audience, but her voice in this book rings just as true. Claudette is a character I wouldn't mind visiting again!
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Review 18 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 2, 2009
Many times in life we look at what is on the outside, what one has, and where one lives along with who one knows, and what one wears to define who we are and our success in life. In this book Claudette Fiore' finds out what really defines success and what real beauty is. Claudette came from a quiet, little town off the beaten path, but as you read this story you will see how her life changed when she feel in love and married moving away from Silverton to have a life of luxury, finding herself young and beautiful in all the appearances on the outside. As she leaves her little town as finds life in Hollywood. Claudette is almost full of herself, but life changes as her husband dies and she quickly finds out she is out of money. What must she do, but call upon her lifelong gay friend for help. He is all she has left at the moment, for she sees once her money was gone so was her life as she knew in Hollywood. Her only choice is to move back to Silverton, live in the house her mother left her and rebuild a life. During this change in her life Claudette finds beauty is the inside of person, and its not about material things. She hasn't spoken to her sister in years, but finds peace between them through stories shared of their past. She finds friendship from those she wouldn't have given the time of day in Hollywood. Silverton shows her what family, friends and love really is. This a book about aging, about looking at yourself at a young age and thinking your a beauty, but then time takes over and you no longer look twenty. Claudette struggles with this, and she finds real beauty in herself as she changes when Silverton becomes not just a place she left, but one she now calls home. This book was given to me as a gift from Multnoma for the reading and review of its contents.
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Review 19 for Limelight
Overall Rating:
Date:November 2, 2009
Deborah
I swear, there is no one that can write like Melody Carlson. Each of her books have been totally distinct and unique and just simply written wonderfully. This book is no exception. We're taken this time to the story of a former It Girl from the Golden Age of Hollywood who's suddenly found herself to be old, lonely and not knowing how to live life for herself. Claudette has to adapt from living a life with servants and staff doing everything for her to having to figure out even the simplest life skill on her own. It's a moving journey for both Claudette and the reader as she has to move back to her childhood home and rediscover life. There are parts of the book that are just hilarious yet at the same time I felt bad for laughing at Claudette's expense. I really liked how she was willing to do all these things albeit grudgingly and didn't use her age as an excuse. It really makes one think how we take all these things for granted, such as knowing how to use a washing machine or knowing that towels can be washed. To see her change throughout the book was a real eye opener that I totally enjoyed. This book REALLY makes you think, not only about about how you view life, but how your life changes when you get older and when you need to learn to stop being so prideful and accept help. Claudette's story is a wonderful read, full of humor, happiness, tears and hurt. This book is one of the best I've read this year and one that everyone should read. VERY HIGHLY recommended.
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