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Missing Reels
New York in the late 1980s. Ceinwen Reilly has just moved from Yazoo City, Mississippi, and she’s never going back, minimum wage job (vintage store salesgirl) and shabby apartment (Avenue C walkup) be damned. Who cares about earthly matters when Ceinwen can spend her days and her nights at fading movie houses—and most of the time that’s left trying to look like Jean Harlow?
One day, Ceinwen discovers that her downstairs neighbor may have—just possibly—starred in a forgotten silent film that hasn’t been seen for ages. So naturally, it’s time for a quest. She will track down the missing reels, she will impress her neighbor, and she will become a part of movie history: the archivist as ingénue.
As she embarks on her grand mission, Ceinwen meets a somewhat bumbling, very charming, 100 percent English math professor named Matthew, who is as rational as she is dreamy. Together, they will or will not discover the reels, will or will not fall in love, and will or will not encounter the obsessives that make up the New York silent film nut underworld.
A novel as winning and energetic as the grand Hollywood films that inspired it, Missing Reels is an irresistible, alchemical mix of Nora Ephron and David Nicholls that will charm and delight.
One day, Ceinwen discovers that her downstairs neighbor may have—just possibly—starred in a forgotten silent film that hasn’t been seen for ages. So naturally, it’s time for a quest. She will track down the missing reels, she will impress her neighbor, and she will become a part of movie history: the archivist as ingénue.
As she embarks on her grand mission, Ceinwen meets a somewhat bumbling, very charming, 100 percent English math professor named Matthew, who is as rational as she is dreamy. Together, they will or will not discover the reels, will or will not fall in love, and will or will not encounter the obsessives that make up the New York silent film nut underworld.
A novel as winning and energetic as the grand Hollywood films that inspired it, Missing Reels is an irresistible, alchemical mix of Nora Ephron and David Nicholls that will charm and delight.
341 pages, Hardcover
First published November 12, 2014
21 people are currently reading
1934 people want to read
About the author
Farran Smith Nehme
2 books26 followersFarran Smith Nehme has been writing about classic film at her blog, Self-Styled Siren, since 2005. She also is currently a freelance movie reviewer for the New York Post, and her film writing has appeared in The New York Times, Barron's Magazine, Cineaste Magazine, The Baffler, and many other publications. In 2008 she was named Film Blogger of the Year by GQ’s Tom Carson. She lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
June 6, 2014
Advance Reading Copy review, due for publication November 2014
Missing Reels is a "where-is-it?" mystery with a light rom-com touch and a lot of 1980s New York City atmosphere. In movie terms, it is a mix of "Desperately Seeking Susan" and "Dreamchild" (both films from the 80's)with more than a touch of "Hugo". This makes sense since the author, Farran Smith Nehme, is a classic film blogger and movie reviewer who went to NYU.
The plot is simple, an obsessive young woman leading a somewhat bohemian existence on the Lower East Side tries to find a lost silent film while attempting to figure out her relationship with an English math professor(you almost have to picture a 30-ish Hugh Grant)whose girlfriend is living in Italy . The search leads to a variety of characters, comical and tragic, and many real NY dive bars, cinemas and restaurants are name-dropped. Having worked in the East Village in the 1980's, part of the fun for me was remembering those places and picking out the fictitious ones.
I had a hard time getting a grip on this book at the start, too much exposition and setting with only fleeting character and plot development. However, once I got my bearings, this was very entertaining and not quite as predictable as I thought. Being a film buff who spent much of the 80's working in a video store certainly increased my enjoyment. Recommended for fans of TCM, NYC and those who think Miss Havisham is the most interesting character in "Great Expectations".
Missing Reels is a "where-is-it?" mystery with a light rom-com touch and a lot of 1980s New York City atmosphere. In movie terms, it is a mix of "Desperately Seeking Susan" and "Dreamchild" (both films from the 80's)with more than a touch of "Hugo". This makes sense since the author, Farran Smith Nehme, is a classic film blogger and movie reviewer who went to NYU.
The plot is simple, an obsessive young woman leading a somewhat bohemian existence on the Lower East Side tries to find a lost silent film while attempting to figure out her relationship with an English math professor(you almost have to picture a 30-ish Hugh Grant)whose girlfriend is living in Italy . The search leads to a variety of characters, comical and tragic, and many real NY dive bars, cinemas and restaurants are name-dropped. Having worked in the East Village in the 1980's, part of the fun for me was remembering those places and picking out the fictitious ones.
I had a hard time getting a grip on this book at the start, too much exposition and setting with only fleeting character and plot development. However, once I got my bearings, this was very entertaining and not quite as predictable as I thought. Being a film buff who spent much of the 80's working in a video store certainly increased my enjoyment. Recommended for fans of TCM, NYC and those who think Miss Havisham is the most interesting character in "Great Expectations".
October 10, 2014
I was very excited to win this book from Goodreads because, like the heroine, I too am a huge fan of old movies. I recognized many of the names and film titles discussed in this book, but was slightly disappointed that there wasn't more conversation about old Hollywood. I could have gone without the endless babble by the characters about who only knows what for more discussions about the famous classic icons! I just cannot stand when a book's description doesn't match up with the actual story. Here, I was waiting and waiting for the main character to start her Odyssey to find the missing silent film that her neighbor starred in. Halfway through the book, this still hadn't happened! The main character, whose name I still can't pronounce even though the author gave a phonetic enunciation of it, never grew on me. She was bland and one dimensional. This book was also immensely difficult to read due to the clunky writing, over use of commas, and odd word choice. The author lost me at "mustn't". Really? This was such a disappointment for me because I was so sure I would love this!
dnf
December 7, 2014DNF - no rating.
This book was all over the place with choppy storylines. The writing was odd and I can't for the life of me get a handle on the characters or setting.
I guess I would best describe it as a Woody Allen movie. Quirky and meandering. So if you like that sort of thing this might be the book for you. Unfortunately I don't.
This book was all over the place with choppy storylines. The writing was odd and I can't for the life of me get a handle on the characters or setting.
I guess I would best describe it as a Woody Allen movie. Quirky and meandering. So if you like that sort of thing this might be the book for you. Unfortunately I don't.
October 24, 2014
My full review can be found here: http://www.outofthepastblog.com/2014/...
October 27, 2019
When I was a teenager, I began to love films. The timing of my first trip to New York was based on the schedule at the Thalia Theater, a famous center for classic films. That is also one of the places the movie-mad characters of Missing Reels go in pursuit of elusive films.
The central character in Missing Reels is a twenty-one year old woman living in New York City in the mid-1980s. Ceinwen (pronounced kine-wen) Reilly has moved from Yazoo City, Mississippi and is living in a sixth-floor walk-up with two gay male roommates. Ceinwen was raised by a grandmother who loved watching old films on television and Ceinwen has kept that interest. She works as a sales clerk in a vintage apparel store. That is where she meets the man who is to become her lover, Matthew, a British professor of mathematics at New York University, when he comes in to shop with his girlfriend.
Matthew's girlfriend is spending some time in Italy, and Matthew and Ceinwen soon become lovers. One of Matthew's close friends is also a fan of classic cinema, and he encourages Ceinwen's growing interest, and Matthew becomes interested as well.
Ceinwen has a rather reserved neighbor, an older woman who fascinates Ceinwen. She finds out that the woman had been a seamstress in the film industry. And then Ceinwen discovers that the woman had also been an actress, starring in one silent film. That film had been a financial failure and is now lost. The director, from Germany, had been the woman's lover; he had died in a car crash without ever making a subsequent film. Ceinwen becomes obsessed with finding a copy of the missing film.
Ceinwen has always hated her sales job and is willing to put that in jeopardy in order to concentrate on finding the film. (I don't find Ceinwen's boss anywhere near as satanic as Ceinwen - and Farran Smith Nehme - seem to.) Ceinwen meets other people in the world of film scholarship, including the meek but helpful Fred and the obsessive Andy. (Andy's apartment is described as being "in the same style as his office, Late Compulsive.")
Her relationship with Matthew is always somewhat rocky. He makes no secret that he considers the girlfriend he was with when he met Ceinwen still an important part of his life. Matthew seems to consider himself honest. Ceinwen tells him, "You don't have to use words to lie, you know."
As for why she cares so much for Matthew, he is bright, good-looking, usually nice to her, and willing to enter the film madness that is so central to her life. She fully believes throughout the story that Matthew will forsake his old girlfriend entirely and love Ceinwen. At one point when the two have reunited after a separation, Ceinwen thinks, "You're mine. I know it. You just don't know it yet."
It is never made explicit why Ceinwen becomes obsessed with the lost film or why she wants so much to be friends with her much older neighbor. My feeling is that the one great relationship Ceinwen had had in her life when she came to New York was with her grandmother. Her grandmother was also the source of Ceinwen's interest in old films. Readers do not discover until rather late in the book just how much cinema means to her.
And readers who are not similarly interested in and knowledgeable about cinema may not be the ideal audience for this book. Missing Reels is not only about but also largely intended for people obsessed with film. There are constantly explicit references to movies and many that are more subtle. I am almost certain, for example, that the director from Germany who was working in the United States and died in an automobile accident was inspired by the similar death of the great director F. W. Murnau (whose life was otherwise not much like that of the director in the book).
Much of the book is quite funny. Frequently dialogue borders on comedy routines, especially between Ceinwen and her roommates. In one sequence, a movie-mad man turns out to be obsessed also with Topo Gigio, the Italian mouse puppet who used to appear on the old Ed Sullivan Show, and assumes that everyone will share his love for the puppet rodent.
Farran Smith Nehme has been writing about films for years. Her blog, "Self-Styled Siren" http://selfstyledsiren.blogspot.com/?m=1, used to have frequent entries and seemed to have been followed by pretty much every other film blogger as well as other folks from the world of cinema. She posts much less frequently on the blog now, which is a true loss to her many readers. Missing Reels is not as excellent as her blog at its best, but it is a fine novel for people who love classic film.
The central character in Missing Reels is a twenty-one year old woman living in New York City in the mid-1980s. Ceinwen (pronounced kine-wen) Reilly has moved from Yazoo City, Mississippi and is living in a sixth-floor walk-up with two gay male roommates. Ceinwen was raised by a grandmother who loved watching old films on television and Ceinwen has kept that interest. She works as a sales clerk in a vintage apparel store. That is where she meets the man who is to become her lover, Matthew, a British professor of mathematics at New York University, when he comes in to shop with his girlfriend.
Matthew's girlfriend is spending some time in Italy, and Matthew and Ceinwen soon become lovers. One of Matthew's close friends is also a fan of classic cinema, and he encourages Ceinwen's growing interest, and Matthew becomes interested as well.
Ceinwen has a rather reserved neighbor, an older woman who fascinates Ceinwen. She finds out that the woman had been a seamstress in the film industry. And then Ceinwen discovers that the woman had also been an actress, starring in one silent film. That film had been a financial failure and is now lost. The director, from Germany, had been the woman's lover; he had died in a car crash without ever making a subsequent film. Ceinwen becomes obsessed with finding a copy of the missing film.
Ceinwen has always hated her sales job and is willing to put that in jeopardy in order to concentrate on finding the film. (I don't find Ceinwen's boss anywhere near as satanic as Ceinwen - and Farran Smith Nehme - seem to.) Ceinwen meets other people in the world of film scholarship, including the meek but helpful Fred and the obsessive Andy. (Andy's apartment is described as being "in the same style as his office, Late Compulsive.")
Her relationship with Matthew is always somewhat rocky. He makes no secret that he considers the girlfriend he was with when he met Ceinwen still an important part of his life. Matthew seems to consider himself honest. Ceinwen tells him, "You don't have to use words to lie, you know."
As for why she cares so much for Matthew, he is bright, good-looking, usually nice to her, and willing to enter the film madness that is so central to her life. She fully believes throughout the story that Matthew will forsake his old girlfriend entirely and love Ceinwen. At one point when the two have reunited after a separation, Ceinwen thinks, "You're mine. I know it. You just don't know it yet."
It is never made explicit why Ceinwen becomes obsessed with the lost film or why she wants so much to be friends with her much older neighbor. My feeling is that the one great relationship Ceinwen had had in her life when she came to New York was with her grandmother. Her grandmother was also the source of Ceinwen's interest in old films. Readers do not discover until rather late in the book just how much cinema means to her.
And readers who are not similarly interested in and knowledgeable about cinema may not be the ideal audience for this book. Missing Reels is not only about but also largely intended for people obsessed with film. There are constantly explicit references to movies and many that are more subtle. I am almost certain, for example, that the director from Germany who was working in the United States and died in an automobile accident was inspired by the similar death of the great director F. W. Murnau (whose life was otherwise not much like that of the director in the book).
Much of the book is quite funny. Frequently dialogue borders on comedy routines, especially between Ceinwen and her roommates. In one sequence, a movie-mad man turns out to be obsessed also with Topo Gigio, the Italian mouse puppet who used to appear on the old Ed Sullivan Show, and assumes that everyone will share his love for the puppet rodent.
Farran Smith Nehme has been writing about films for years. Her blog, "Self-Styled Siren" http://selfstyledsiren.blogspot.com/?m=1, used to have frequent entries and seemed to have been followed by pretty much every other film blogger as well as other folks from the world of cinema. She posts much less frequently on the blog now, which is a true loss to her many readers. Missing Reels is not as excellent as her blog at its best, but it is a fine novel for people who love classic film.
January 15, 2015
When I bought this book new and in hardback I did something unusual for me: I bought it after only reading the back and flyleaf and some pages inside. (To be fair, the cover first caught my eye; the copy I have looks like a few frames of old film.) I’d read and heard no reviews or recommendations of this book before buying it.
I bought it because it is about a 21 year old girl living in New York City who is mad for the classic films of the ‘20’s ‘30’s and ‘40’s. She works at a vintage clothing store and often dresses like a flapper, or a girl on a breadline and is just barely making it. It’s the early ‘80’s, she shares her apartment with two gay men and downstairs lives a beautiful old woman who, she eventually finds out, made a silent movie in Hollywood that is considered lost.
Did I mention the dialogue and plot feel like they lifted from an unreleased screwball comedy made by Preston Sturges, Barbara Stanwyck and Cary Grant? Not surprisingly, I loved this. It’s like it was written for me.
“Professor Andrew Evans was a man so strange he stood out amongst mathematicians. He was dressed soberly in chinos and a v-neck sweater over a shirt, and he wasn’t scratching or talking to himself, but this was clearly a weird dude. His hair was down to just above his shoulders, a wiry mix of brown and gray, and his hairline crawled patchily back on his skull. His ears were so big they stood out through the frizz.
“He also appeared to be slightly pop-eyed, but it was hard to tell. Because Andy was staring at her. From time to time a man his age stared at her in the store, but not quite like this. She realized he had moved to shake hands. His hand was cold and damp. She had it. The Gold Rush.” (80- 81) Bought B & N 12.26.14 $24.25
I bought it because it is about a 21 year old girl living in New York City who is mad for the classic films of the ‘20’s ‘30’s and ‘40’s. She works at a vintage clothing store and often dresses like a flapper, or a girl on a breadline and is just barely making it. It’s the early ‘80’s, she shares her apartment with two gay men and downstairs lives a beautiful old woman who, she eventually finds out, made a silent movie in Hollywood that is considered lost.
Did I mention the dialogue and plot feel like they lifted from an unreleased screwball comedy made by Preston Sturges, Barbara Stanwyck and Cary Grant? Not surprisingly, I loved this. It’s like it was written for me.
“Professor Andrew Evans was a man so strange he stood out amongst mathematicians. He was dressed soberly in chinos and a v-neck sweater over a shirt, and he wasn’t scratching or talking to himself, but this was clearly a weird dude. His hair was down to just above his shoulders, a wiry mix of brown and gray, and his hairline crawled patchily back on his skull. His ears were so big they stood out through the frizz.
“He also appeared to be slightly pop-eyed, but it was hard to tell. Because Andy was staring at her. From time to time a man his age stared at her in the store, but not quite like this. She realized he had moved to shake hands. His hand was cold and damp. She had it. The Gold Rush.” (80- 81) Bought B & N 12.26.14 $24.25
January 11, 2016
Ceinwein is a film enthusiast who works at a vintage clothing store. While there she meets Matthew, a British mathematician with a girlfriend, but that doesn't seem to matter to either of them. They begin a relationship which fuels Ceinwein on a quest to find a lost silent film which her neighbor, a standoffish but intriguing woman, had direct involvement in.
I found this book to be an exciting read because I am also a film enthusiast. While I found Ceinwein to sometimes be off-putting, that didn't stop me from getting involved in her search. One of the standout aspects of this novel is the author's astute characterizations of entrenched film fanatics. I know people like Andy, socially awkward troves of knowledge with quirks that one must endure to get to the gold. I also know a Fred, a wonderful man whose insecurities sometimes and unfortunately abhor him to potential friends.
This book also inspired me to seek out more instances to associate with other classic film fans, as they are not terribly plentiful. The section about the Bangville Police Society, a Mack Sennett appreciation club reminded me of the Sons of the Desert, the Laurel and Hardy fan club. I only wish more niche clubs were still around, but because of the internet, people are able to gather virtually and are less likely to seek each other out in person aside from film conventions. (The author mentions one such convention in Syracuse without naming it. Cinefest ended last year.)
I found this book to be an exciting read because I am also a film enthusiast. While I found Ceinwein to sometimes be off-putting, that didn't stop me from getting involved in her search. One of the standout aspects of this novel is the author's astute characterizations of entrenched film fanatics. I know people like Andy, socially awkward troves of knowledge with quirks that one must endure to get to the gold. I also know a Fred, a wonderful man whose insecurities sometimes and unfortunately abhor him to potential friends.
This book also inspired me to seek out more instances to associate with other classic film fans, as they are not terribly plentiful. The section about the Bangville Police Society, a Mack Sennett appreciation club reminded me of the Sons of the Desert, the Laurel and Hardy fan club. I only wish more niche clubs were still around, but because of the internet, people are able to gather virtually and are less likely to seek each other out in person aside from film conventions. (The author mentions one such convention in Syracuse without naming it. Cinefest ended last year.)
January 2, 2015
After some good reviews, this was a big disappointment. A heroine who doesn't make a lick of sense romantically nor plotwise, very labored movie references ("he looked like A looking at B in movie C") and a blah ending. Some of the dialogue was amusing, but the main problem is book isn't missing reels, but a plot.
Read
January 8, 2015YIKES. Another book I don't feel I can fairly rate. That's 3 for 3 so far in 2015! Missing Reels is well written with some well-drawn, engaging characters especially the main character, Cainwen's roommates, Jim and Talmadge, and her neighbor, Miriam. Didn't feel the same engagement with Cainwen or her love interest Matthew. Unfortunately, didn't understand the attraction to him at all. I suspect movie buffs will love this book with it's history (some true, some fiction) of old and silent movies. Unfortunately, that info, critical to a central theme of the story, bogged it down for me.
January 2, 2015
2.5 Loved the plot initially, loved the 80's era and the NYC setting. Cienwen loves vintage clothes and old movies. When she finds out that an older woman in her apt building starred in one of these oldies, she becomes obsessed with tracking down missing reels of this movie. Honestly- this went on too long, and ran too thin- The old movie references were fun, but I didn't care what happened by the end.
November 26, 2024
Loved so much of this book: of course the Manhattan setting, the relationship of Ceinwen and her two male roommates, the descriptions of the Vintage clothing store and the many recommendations for early films.
December 22, 2014
The story was engaging--smart and breezy and romantic. The book is a bit flawed; some of the writing is a little clunky, and the characterizations are slightly bland. The romantic hero doesn't quite entirely recover his likability after the inevitable mid-plot bust-up (I was kind of rooting for a different character, actually). But it was pretty much EXACTLY what I was in the mood for right now...a frothy concoction, much like (the comparison is inevitable, I'm sure all the reviewers will make it) a decent B-movie from the 1940s. I enjoyed it, and it's not a bad first novel. I'll definitely be be looking into the author's online film writing.
Also, one of the things that edged the book up a star for me was that I liked the fact that the book was set in New York in the 1980s. The author is obviously very fond of that place and time, and she gives a nice sense of what things were like. Also the setting was a wise choice because many plot points just wouldn't work if the novel were set in today's environment. I majored in film in college, and this story reminded me of how much more work it was back then to see and study older films: going to obscure little theaters and university halls for showings, using the (expensive at the time) VCR to tape late-night films from TV, buying and swapping used tapes. There was a small-community feeling to film-fandom back then that the Internet has diminished. Not that I'm not glad things are easier to find! But now everyone can know or see just about everything...so obscure film knowledge is less of a social currency than it was back then.
Also, one of the things that edged the book up a star for me was that I liked the fact that the book was set in New York in the 1980s. The author is obviously very fond of that place and time, and she gives a nice sense of what things were like. Also the setting was a wise choice because many plot points just wouldn't work if the novel were set in today's environment. I majored in film in college, and this story reminded me of how much more work it was back then to see and study older films: going to obscure little theaters and university halls for showings, using the (expensive at the time) VCR to tape late-night films from TV, buying and swapping used tapes. There was a small-community feeling to film-fandom back then that the Internet has diminished. Not that I'm not glad things are easier to find! But now everyone can know or see just about everything...so obscure film knowledge is less of a social currency than it was back then.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 22, 2014
I am a huge fan of old hollywood trivia - having read both of the Hollywood Babylon books-you must-not-mention to the Bangville Police Society before I was a teenager. The words "movie star" still mean to me a star of the 20s or 30s. So this book was a natural draw for me. It reminded me a bit of "A Cast of Killers" the fictionalized account of the murder of William Desmond Taylor. Miriam's pushy stage mom, and the parade of film execs, actors and stage hands tramping through Arnheim's house after his death are similar elements.
Add to that the Desperately Seeking Susanish late 80s New York City backdrop and I was hooked. Someone commented that the ain character, Ceinwen, was one-dimensional, but she and her room mates Jim and Tallmadge reminded me vividly of people I knew in the late 80s and early 90s. I also remember going to NYC and trying to get into CBGBs and other places in the book.
For me, this book brought back two time periods that are gone forever and portrayed the people who lived in them realistically. I loved it.
Add to that the Desperately Seeking Susanish late 80s New York City backdrop and I was hooked. Someone commented that the ain character, Ceinwen, was one-dimensional, but she and her room mates Jim and Tallmadge reminded me vividly of people I knew in the late 80s and early 90s. I also remember going to NYC and trying to get into CBGBs and other places in the book.
For me, this book brought back two time periods that are gone forever and portrayed the people who lived in them realistically. I loved it.
February 13, 2015
I liked the premise of this book and the idea of it. I liked some of the characters enough to care what happened to them, but I had a little trouble with some of their motivations. I didn't understand why Matthew continued to stay engaged to a woman with apparently no redeeming qualities whatsoever, except, of course, that it served to keep him and Ceinwen apart. And I didn't understand Ceinwen's total obsession with finding the movie. Maybe if she and Miriam had developed a real friendship it might have made more sense. There were interesting details about old Hollywood and the film industry and about vintage clothing that gave the book its "flavor". The relationship between Ceinwen and her roommates was very well written and provided some of the most genuine scenes in the book. I kept thinking there was going to be more of a mystery to the movie and, when there wasn't, it was a bit of a disappointment.
December 5, 2015
My God, I loved this book. Just loved it. I suspect that the timing of my reading it helped: I was with my family on a vacation to New York City, our first-ever trip to that town, and I started MISSING REELS on the train ride to NYC. I read it on my phone each day while on the subway, traveling to our various touristy destinations, and I finished it on the train on the way home from NYC. So perhaps my non-reading experiences were coloring the book, but I also think the book -- which is, in addition to a novel about some quirky people in 1980s NYC and their various degrees of obsession with old movies -- colored my experiences. If you're looking for a story set in the kind of NYC where odd, off-kilter people have magical experiences, this is for you. I loved the characters, I loved the meandering nature of the story, I loved the quest for the story of the silent film lost decades before, and most of all, I loved the setting.
January 3, 2015
This was a lot of fun.
It really captured the joy of being a movie enthusiast and the irritation of having people think you were odd for liking old movies. While I have never been to New York, it reminded me of some movie buff gatherings I've encountered elsewhere and the type of jobs one has when one is young.
The author has a terrific sense of humor, and the novel speeds along. The characters are sharply drawn. I might like Fred, who works at restoring silent films, the most of the characters.
The emphasis of the novel is humorous romance. This isn't what I normally read for fiction, but "Missing Reels" charmed me and made me want to see how it all came out. (And I was delighted by the ending.)
It really captured the joy of being a movie enthusiast and the irritation of having people think you were odd for liking old movies. While I have never been to New York, it reminded me of some movie buff gatherings I've encountered elsewhere and the type of jobs one has when one is young.
The author has a terrific sense of humor, and the novel speeds along. The characters are sharply drawn. I might like Fred, who works at restoring silent films, the most of the characters.
The emphasis of the novel is humorous romance. This isn't what I normally read for fiction, but "Missing Reels" charmed me and made me want to see how it all came out. (And I was delighted by the ending.)
December 24, 2015
On the advice of Entertainment Weekly, I was really excited to pick this book up and relive the golden age of Hollywood. Ceinwen Reilly is shop girl living in 1980's New York and she is obsessed with old movies. She finds out her downstairs neighbor Miriam may have starred in the lost classic The Mysteries of Udolpho. I enjoyed reading more about Miriam's past and the lost movie than the relationship between Ceinwen and her unlikable love interest Matthew. The lost movie is supposed to be based on the real book The Mysteries of Udolpho which actually sounded more interesting than this one turned out to be. I am not a classic movie buff, although I do enjoy them, so a lot of references went over my head. It was a fairly enjoyable story but it felt like it could have been more.
December 6, 2014
Dear Missing Reels,
Don't be sad...I wanted to give a full 5 stars completely based on the premise alone. Old film, silent films, a bit of mystery, wonderful characters, even mentioning a ton of films and posters I personally own. But, there was a bit of a turn in the 3rd act where the action, words, and collective direction went slow and lost momentum. That is not to say your not worthy of all the praise and accolades you've built up. I expect you to be enjoyed by many but this was a first try and not everybody hits it out of the park 1st go round. Definitely by this, your well on your way!
Don't be sad...I wanted to give a full 5 stars completely based on the premise alone. Old film, silent films, a bit of mystery, wonderful characters, even mentioning a ton of films and posters I personally own. But, there was a bit of a turn in the 3rd act where the action, words, and collective direction went slow and lost momentum. That is not to say your not worthy of all the praise and accolades you've built up. I expect you to be enjoyed by many but this was a first try and not everybody hits it out of the park 1st go round. Definitely by this, your well on your way!
October 21, 2014
This is a Goodreads First Reads review.
This story is ostensibly about a young transplanted New Yorker, who has the attitude down pat; that is interested in old movies and meets a woman who acted in a long lost film and then begins a quest to find the movie. The only problem is that the main focus of the story is her job at a vintage clothing store and her love life; the actual quest doesn’t begin until ¾ of the story has finished. The atmosphere is well done, but the characters are too self-centered.
This story is ostensibly about a young transplanted New Yorker, who has the attitude down pat; that is interested in old movies and meets a woman who acted in a long lost film and then begins a quest to find the movie. The only problem is that the main focus of the story is her job at a vintage clothing store and her love life; the actual quest doesn’t begin until ¾ of the story has finished. The atmosphere is well done, but the characters are too self-centered.
April 2, 2015
This book was right up my alley. I, too, am a fan of old movies and enjoy learning about all the craziness and interesting facets of the movie industry especially from 1940s and back. However, I gave this three stars because I did not enjoy the love story. I was not rooting for them and just did not want to read about their interactions. I found Matthew to be rather condescending. I would have totally be on board for this book especially with all the silent movie information and old movie facets if their love story had been charming.
July 18, 2015
MISSING REELS, set in Manhattan in the late 1980s, is a paean to early filmdom. I enjoyed the way the author wove an abundance of early cinematic references into the narrative. Sure, she includes megastars, such as Cary Grant, and Garbo, but also on hand are nods to lesser-knowns, a la director Leo McCarey and leading lady Vilma Banky. (As a former cinema studies instructor, I can tell you they're all correct, too!)
But the cinemania is just the backdrop. KISSING REELS is also a tale of friendship and romance, as well as a detective story. While it's in no way literature, it's a fun read.
But the cinemania is just the backdrop. KISSING REELS is also a tale of friendship and romance, as well as a detective story. While it's in no way literature, it's a fun read.
May 4, 2015
Did not finish. This book inspired a new dating rule for self, though: Never date a man who thinks all Mississippians are homophobic Klan members. Life is too short to spend with people who are that closed-minded, even in fiction.
July 4, 2015
So funny and clever.. caught myself laughing out loud many times.
December 23, 2020
Lively, light, and transportive, Farran Smith Nehme's Missing Reels is a bubbly distraction, even though the characters are rather thinly sketched.
This has been on my To-Read list for ages; while I don't recall where I first heard about it, the story of hunting down lost films seemed to be right up my alley. The plot skips along very quickly at a speed that belies the 300+ page count, and Nehme paints a clear and vibrant picture of New York City in the 1980s. The story is almost too fizzy and poppy for the era; there are hints and whispers of the AIDS crisis through the relationships of Ceinwein's gay roommates, but all of that is merely set dressing to bring the reader into the scene.
This use of the characters points to the biggest weakness of the book: the underdeveloped characters. While I could have read this in less than two weeks, I was not inclined to keep reading night after night since the characters never quite grabbed me. At times, I felt like they were stick puppets being pushed around a stage (granted, that is true of all stories, but good ones never let you see the puppetmaster's hands). The point of view did not help either; it was most third-person except for times when it wasn't, and those changes threw me off. I especially wasn't sold on the romantic storyline; I didn't like Ceinwein and Matthew as a romantic couple, and I think the story would have been better if they did not get together so early in the story.
All's that to say, this is a light beach or bedtime read. The chapters are relatively short and the story is fun. Pick it up if you are looking for something light and distracting.
This has been on my To-Read list for ages; while I don't recall where I first heard about it, the story of hunting down lost films seemed to be right up my alley. The plot skips along very quickly at a speed that belies the 300+ page count, and Nehme paints a clear and vibrant picture of New York City in the 1980s. The story is almost too fizzy and poppy for the era; there are hints and whispers of the AIDS crisis through the relationships of Ceinwein's gay roommates, but all of that is merely set dressing to bring the reader into the scene.
This use of the characters points to the biggest weakness of the book: the underdeveloped characters. While I could have read this in less than two weeks, I was not inclined to keep reading night after night since the characters never quite grabbed me. At times, I felt like they were stick puppets being pushed around a stage (granted, that is true of all stories, but good ones never let you see the puppetmaster's hands). The point of view did not help either; it was most third-person except for times when it wasn't, and those changes threw me off. I especially wasn't sold on the romantic storyline; I didn't like Ceinwein and Matthew as a romantic couple, and I think the story would have been better if they did not get together so early in the story.
All's that to say, this is a light beach or bedtime read. The chapters are relatively short and the story is fun. Pick it up if you are looking for something light and distracting.
May 7, 2023
A delightful, well-written book. The author does a lovely job of incorporating the setting late 1980s Greenwich Village, as part of the plot. I really did enjoy all the constant film and vintage clothing references. Our protagonist, Ceinwin (pronounced Kine-win) is likable, vulnerable, and believable. I was utterly fascinated by the life of the elegant and elderly silent film actress Miriam Gibson.
The author has a perfect ear for dialogue and a good sense of how to create characters. I loved her catty roommates Jim and Talmadge.
It was fascinating to remember how film research was done before the advent of Google and IMDB. Details that took our heroine weeks to find, would be available in 5 seconds.
The plot, admittedly a little thin, about a lost silent film, was engaging. I would definitely recommend this book to any TCM fans.
Although I do think that if this book were coming out now it would be marketed as a contemporary chick-lit romance with a cartoon flapper on the cover.
I first heard about this book when I read the liner notes written by Farran Smith Nehme to a very strange Jazz movie starring Paul Whiteman.
I'm glad that those notes led me to this book.
The author has a perfect ear for dialogue and a good sense of how to create characters. I loved her catty roommates Jim and Talmadge.
It was fascinating to remember how film research was done before the advent of Google and IMDB. Details that took our heroine weeks to find, would be available in 5 seconds.
The plot, admittedly a little thin, about a lost silent film, was engaging. I would definitely recommend this book to any TCM fans.
Although I do think that if this book were coming out now it would be marketed as a contemporary chick-lit romance with a cartoon flapper on the cover.
I first heard about this book when I read the liner notes written by Farran Smith Nehme to a very strange Jazz movie starring Paul Whiteman.
I'm glad that those notes led me to this book.
June 8, 2017
Missing Reels is supposed to be a romance mystery set in the 1980a about a search for a lost film. There is a romance in the book, but I think the real story is about Ceinwen Reilly who leaves her native Mississippi in search of a better life and a purpose. In other words, it's a Bildungsroman about a young woman coming to age in New York city in the 80s, when rep movie theaters ruled the film world, film critics still had pop culture significance, and cell phones and the Internet were still science fiction -- in other words, this novel is about the last gasp of kind of non-virtual life style where you were and what you did and where you sat and who you sat with really mattered. The book is very good at giving you a feel for the sense of that time and place, and if you are interested film history, and in how film becomes a cultural glue that connects the past to the present, I recommend this book highly.
October 3, 2021
What a huge disappointment! My husband suggested I read this book, knowing of my interest in the topic, he even bought me a copy for my birthday. So unfortunately I proceeded. But ultimately found it to be a waste of time and money. Such a poorly written novel, with Mary Sue-ish characters and a dull plot, full of overused gimmicks & clichés. Definitely won't recommend.
July 7, 2017
I expected a lot more from this book. The mystery was almost non-existent and most of the movie references were beyond my knowledge (and I didn't even care). It was more of a romantic comedy with a little mystery in it.
September 23, 2017
Even though this story did not have all that many twists and turns, and still had quite a number of words in it, it was an enjoyable read. I liked it that it was set in the 1980's! The best decade ever.
March 1, 2018
Had reel (ha) trouble getting through the first third of the book, but it picked up considerably once the hunt for the missing film begins in earnest. A nice mash letter to the weird underground culture I so love.
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