A Roman Tale

by Carroll Baker

Hollywood sex kitten Madeline Mendell comes to Italy to compete with three European stars for a leading role in a movie based on four separate stories by Boccaccio.

Genres: Fiction

349 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1986

Reviews

[Nick Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carroll Baker was an attractive blonde actress and, briefly, a somewhat less-than-iconic sex symbol; she documented her rise to critical success as an actress ('Giant' & 'Baby Doll') then a publicity generating sex symbol ('The Carpetbaggers' & 'Harlow') in her autobiography 'Baby Doll.' Through the classic movie star combination of bad management, bad decisions and a bad marriage, Carroll's career floundered, so in the late 60s she moved to Rome and began anew by appearing in many European films. The last bit of 'Baby Doll' glosses over these years, but hints at the sexual liberation she discovered when in Rome...
In 'A Roman Tale', heroine Madeline Mandell is a stunningly beautiful platinum blonde movie goddess whose career is floundering due to the classic movie star combination of (all together now) bad management, bad decisions and a bad marriage. So, what does Madeline do? Why she heads for Rome to begin anew in European films and to liberate herself sexually. A few of the book's details are lifted straight from the latter half of 'Baby Doll leaving me to wonder how much of the book was fact, how much was fiction and how much was pure fantasy.