Why a Booktrail?
In Dirty Thirties London, Ontario, Mary Mabel McTavish resurrects a dead boy, becomes famous as “The Miracle Maid,” and gets involved with William Randolph Hearst and the movie business in Hollywood.
The Resurrection of Mary Mabel McTavish
What you need to know before your trail
Mary Mabel McTavish is trying to make her mark in the big wide world
She is suicidal and down on her luck but something happens and she finds out that she somehow can resurrect the dead.
This miracle takes her on quite a journey through 1930s Canada and America where she meets and sometimes interacts with characters from history such as J. Edgar Hoover and the Rockettes as she moves through the years.Finally when she reaches Hollywood, she meets people who all want a piece of the miracle. And the world of Hollywood is quite the charmer at times. Religious zealots all want to share in the miracle and accompany Mary on her journey
Travel Guide
This is a booktrail through time and across two countries into the world of Hollywood and all the trappings of what can be found there. From behind the facade, there are dark shadows, social criticism and dark dark thoughts. Which makes for quite a journey.
Hollywood
The 1930s were the heyday of Hollywood – film and TV were becoming more and more popular. Radio was a new and exciting format and the ways people communicated with each other and enjoyed art and the social scene were being changed in Hollywood.
The Great Depression
Hollywood was therefore the place to be. Especially since these were the years immediately following the Great Depression so people wanted more than anything to get out there and enjoy themselves. Some would go further than others so the range of activities and behaviours were sometimes illegal or not far from it.
It’s in this culture of fear that the story is set, where people feared everything and took nothing for chance. The media can manipulate quicker than most and Hollywood was one large mirror where you could see whatever you wanted to.
This is a world of slapstick mixed with darkness and hypocrisy and the ever seeing eye..
Booktrailer Review
Susan: @thebooktrailer
Ths book was a shock in that it was a lot of fun and a bit naughty. It was hilarious, close to the edge, weird and a catch you off guard kind of read and the journey throughout the history of Canada and America was a particularly nice theme to the whole story.
I guess the best description I can give to this book is like a sideshow in a circus where you open the curtains and take a peak and don’t know whether to laugh, cry or cry out in shock. Some of the early chapters were difficult to read since there were lots of characters introduced that I had trouble identifying in my mind but like in a circus, you may never get to know everyone but you know that they help to build up the scene and make it what it is.
Roll up roll up for the Resurrection of Mary Mabel McTavish.
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