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Typewriter Beach
Set in Carmel-by-the-Sea and Hollywood, Typewriter Beach is an unforgettable story of the unlikely friendship between an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and a young actress hoping to be Alfred Hitchcock's new star.
1957. Isabella Giori is ten months into a standard seven-year studio contract when she auditions with Hitchcock. Just weeks later, she is sequestered by the studio’s “fixer” in a tiny Carmel cottage, waiting and dreading.
Meanwhile, next door, Léon Chazan is annoyed as hell when Iz interrupts his work on yet another screenplay he won’t be able to sell, because he’s been blacklisted. Soon, they’re together in his roadster, speeding down the fog-shrouded Big Sur coast.
2018. Twenty-six-year-old screenwriter Gemma Chazan, in Carmel to sell her grandfather’s cottage, finds a hidden safe full of secrets—raising questions about who the screenwriter known simply as Chazan really was, and whether she can live up to his name.
In graceful prose and with an intimate understanding of human nature, Meg Waite Clayton captures the joys and frustrations of being a writer, being a woman, being a star, and being in love. Typewriter Beach is the story of two women separated by generations—a tale of ideas and ideals, passion and persistence, creativity, politics, and family.
1957. Isabella Giori is ten months into a standard seven-year studio contract when she auditions with Hitchcock. Just weeks later, she is sequestered by the studio’s “fixer” in a tiny Carmel cottage, waiting and dreading.
Meanwhile, next door, Léon Chazan is annoyed as hell when Iz interrupts his work on yet another screenplay he won’t be able to sell, because he’s been blacklisted. Soon, they’re together in his roadster, speeding down the fog-shrouded Big Sur coast.
2018. Twenty-six-year-old screenwriter Gemma Chazan, in Carmel to sell her grandfather’s cottage, finds a hidden safe full of secrets—raising questions about who the screenwriter known simply as Chazan really was, and whether she can live up to his name.
In graceful prose and with an intimate understanding of human nature, Meg Waite Clayton captures the joys and frustrations of being a writer, being a woman, being a star, and being in love. Typewriter Beach is the story of two women separated by generations—a tale of ideas and ideals, passion and persistence, creativity, politics, and family.
318 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 1, 2025
About the author
Meg Waite Clayton
12 books1,621 followersMeg Waite Clayton is a New York Times and internationally bestselling author of 9 novels, including the forthcoming TYPEWRITER BEACH (Harper, July 1) — on Publishers Weekly’s list of 12 fiction “Hot Books of Summer,” which they call, in a starred review, “irresistible… Readers will be riveted.”
Her THE POSTMISTRESS OF PARIS was a Good Morning America Buzz pick, New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, Costco Book Club pick, People Magazine, IndieNext booksellers, LoanStars librarians, USA Today, Book of the Month Club and Amazon Editors’ pick and Publishers Weekly notable book the San Francisco Chronicle calls "gripping … an evocative love story layered with heroism and intrigue — the film ‘Casablanca’ if Rick had an artsy bent … powerful.”
Her National Jewish Book Award finalist THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON was praised by Kristin Hannah as “An absolutely fascinating, beautifully rendered story of love, loss, and heroism … A glowing portrait of women rising up against impossible odds.”
Prior novels include the #1 Amazon fiction bestseller BEAUTIFUL EXILES, the Langum-Prize honored national bestseller THE RACE FOR PARIS- and THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS, one of Entertainment Weekly's "25 Essential Best Friend Novels" of all time. Her THE LANGUAGE OF LIGHT was a finalist for the Bellwether Prize (now PEN/Bellwether Prize).
Her novels have been published in 24 languages throughout the world.
She has also written more than 100 pieces for major newspapers, magazines, and public radio. She has participated in the Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman sponsored The Writers Lab for screenwriting, mentors in the OpEd Project, and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the California bar. megwaiteclayton.com
Her THE POSTMISTRESS OF PARIS was a Good Morning America Buzz pick, New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice, Costco Book Club pick, People Magazine, IndieNext booksellers, LoanStars librarians, USA Today, Book of the Month Club and Amazon Editors’ pick and Publishers Weekly notable book the San Francisco Chronicle calls "gripping … an evocative love story layered with heroism and intrigue — the film ‘Casablanca’ if Rick had an artsy bent … powerful.”
Her National Jewish Book Award finalist THE LAST TRAIN TO LONDON was praised by Kristin Hannah as “An absolutely fascinating, beautifully rendered story of love, loss, and heroism … A glowing portrait of women rising up against impossible odds.”
Prior novels include the #1 Amazon fiction bestseller BEAUTIFUL EXILES, the Langum-Prize honored national bestseller THE RACE FOR PARIS- and THE WEDNESDAY SISTERS, one of Entertainment Weekly's "25 Essential Best Friend Novels" of all time. Her THE LANGUAGE OF LIGHT was a finalist for the Bellwether Prize (now PEN/Bellwether Prize).
Her novels have been published in 24 languages throughout the world.
She has also written more than 100 pieces for major newspapers, magazines, and public radio. She has participated in the Meryl Streep and Nicole Kidman sponsored The Writers Lab for screenwriting, mentors in the OpEd Project, and is a member of the National Book Critics Circle and the California bar. megwaiteclayton.com
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April 13, 2026
Some stories don’t just revisit history—they quietly hold a mirror to it. This novel does exactly that, drawing readers into the glitter of 1950s Hollywood while steadily revealing the shadows just beneath its surface.
We first meet Isabella Giori—Iz—poised to become the next Grace Kelly, or so she’s been promised. Instead of a red-carpet debut, she’s sent away to a quiet cottage in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Disoriented and disappointed, her world shifts the moment she hears the persistent tapping of a typewriter next door. That sound belongs to Leo Chazen—a man whose presence, and past, will alter the course of her life.
Leo is the emotional and moral center of the story. A screenwriter blacklisted during the era of Senator Joe McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee, he represents the countless creatives whose careers were derailed by suspicion, fear, and silence. Refusing to name names, Leo exists in that uneasy space between heroism and consequence—raising questions that ripple throughout the novel. Who gets to define integrity in a time of fear? And what does it cost to hold onto it?
This historical fiction novel unfolds at a measured, almost contemplative pace, allowing the weight of that era to settle in. Through Leo and Iz, we see the devastating reach of blacklisting—how it fractured lives, stifled creativity, and forced artists into the shadows, often writing under assumed names just to survive. The culture of fear, censorship, and forced conformity is rendered with clarity and restraint, never overwhelming the story but always present beneath it.
Decades later, the narrative shifts to 2018, where Leo’s granddaughter, Gemma—herself a writer—arrives in Carmel to settle his estate. What begins as a practical task becomes something far more personal. Through Iz’s recollections and the remnants Leo left behind, Gemma begins to piece together not only her grandfather’s hidden past, but also her own sense of identity and purpose.
The novel also gently, but effectively, highlights the limited and often troubling roles available to women during that time—long before the conversations sparked by the ‘Me Too’ movement. Their journey, reflects both the allure and the cost of ambition in an industry that rarely offered women agency without strings attached.
There are moments of Hollywood gossip woven throughout, adding texture and intrigue. While they may feel rooted in truth, the author wisely leaves them in that gray area—reminding us that much of history remains obscured, tucked away in forgotten files and unanswered questions.
And then there is Carmel itself—beautifully rendered, atmospheric, and deeply felt. The setting becomes more than a backdrop; it’s a place of refuge, reckoning, and quiet transformation. For those familiar with its charm, the descriptions will feel especially vivid.
Through the intertwined lives of Leo, Iz, and Gemma, this novel doesn’t just tell a story—it illuminates a dark and complicated chapter in American history, one that still echoes today. It’s a reminder of how fear can shape a culture, and how courage—quiet or otherwise—can endure.
A thoughtful, immersive read that balances personal stories with historical weight, leaving you not only moved by the characters, but reflective as well.
We first meet Isabella Giori—Iz—poised to become the next Grace Kelly, or so she’s been promised. Instead of a red-carpet debut, she’s sent away to a quiet cottage in Carmel-by-the-Sea. Disoriented and disappointed, her world shifts the moment she hears the persistent tapping of a typewriter next door. That sound belongs to Leo Chazen—a man whose presence, and past, will alter the course of her life.
Leo is the emotional and moral center of the story. A screenwriter blacklisted during the era of Senator Joe McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee, he represents the countless creatives whose careers were derailed by suspicion, fear, and silence. Refusing to name names, Leo exists in that uneasy space between heroism and consequence—raising questions that ripple throughout the novel. Who gets to define integrity in a time of fear? And what does it cost to hold onto it?
This historical fiction novel unfolds at a measured, almost contemplative pace, allowing the weight of that era to settle in. Through Leo and Iz, we see the devastating reach of blacklisting—how it fractured lives, stifled creativity, and forced artists into the shadows, often writing under assumed names just to survive. The culture of fear, censorship, and forced conformity is rendered with clarity and restraint, never overwhelming the story but always present beneath it.
Decades later, the narrative shifts to 2018, where Leo’s granddaughter, Gemma—herself a writer—arrives in Carmel to settle his estate. What begins as a practical task becomes something far more personal. Through Iz’s recollections and the remnants Leo left behind, Gemma begins to piece together not only her grandfather’s hidden past, but also her own sense of identity and purpose.
The novel also gently, but effectively, highlights the limited and often troubling roles available to women during that time—long before the conversations sparked by the ‘Me Too’ movement. Their journey, reflects both the allure and the cost of ambition in an industry that rarely offered women agency without strings attached.
There are moments of Hollywood gossip woven throughout, adding texture and intrigue. While they may feel rooted in truth, the author wisely leaves them in that gray area—reminding us that much of history remains obscured, tucked away in forgotten files and unanswered questions.
And then there is Carmel itself—beautifully rendered, atmospheric, and deeply felt. The setting becomes more than a backdrop; it’s a place of refuge, reckoning, and quiet transformation. For those familiar with its charm, the descriptions will feel especially vivid.
Through the intertwined lives of Leo, Iz, and Gemma, this novel doesn’t just tell a story—it illuminates a dark and complicated chapter in American history, one that still echoes today. It’s a reminder of how fear can shape a culture, and how courage—quiet or otherwise—can endure.
A thoughtful, immersive read that balances personal stories with historical weight, leaving you not only moved by the characters, but reflective as well.
April 13, 2025
A Publishers Weekly Hot Books of Summer AND a 🌟!!!!!
So excited!!! Publishers Weekly just included Typewriter Beach as one of its 12 fiction “Hot Books of Summer”!
They say, “intrigue to spare… Fans of Hollywood's golden age will fall in love.”
And in a STARRED review: “an irresistible story of 1950s Hollywood featuring a restless ingénue who befriends a blacklisted screenwriter… A parallel narrative set in 2018 follows the late Léon’s granddaughter, Gemma, an aspiring screenwriter … finds a script in her grandfather’s safe ... Clayton expertly interweaves Gemma’s, Isabella’s, and Léon’s tales as each attempt to forge their path in a cutthroat industry. Readers will be riveted.”
I can’t wait to share this one with you! But why wait? You can get a free early copy here on Goodreads: Just click on the book page and enter!
So excited!!! Publishers Weekly just included Typewriter Beach as one of its 12 fiction “Hot Books of Summer”!
They say, “intrigue to spare… Fans of Hollywood's golden age will fall in love.”
And in a STARRED review: “an irresistible story of 1950s Hollywood featuring a restless ingénue who befriends a blacklisted screenwriter… A parallel narrative set in 2018 follows the late Léon’s granddaughter, Gemma, an aspiring screenwriter … finds a script in her grandfather’s safe ... Clayton expertly interweaves Gemma’s, Isabella’s, and Léon’s tales as each attempt to forge their path in a cutthroat industry. Readers will be riveted.”
I can’t wait to share this one with you! But why wait? You can get a free early copy here on Goodreads: Just click on the book page and enter!
March 9, 2025
Histfic fans will absolutely love this book, a dual timeline novel set during the Red Scare Fifties and in 2018, when a young screenwriter finds a safe full of secrets as she works to sell her grandfather's Carmel cottage. Atmospheric, gripping, poignant, and highly recommended!
June 30, 2025
(4.25 stars)
Typewriter Beach transports the reader to 1950s California and the Hollywood blacklist/HUAC red scare delirium. In addition, as with so many historical fiction books, we have a modern-day narrative, this time in 2018. While I found myself more fascinated with the 1957-58 story, I enjoyed the connections created with the 2018 story.
First line: “Her hair - that was the first thing they changed, even before they changed her name, before her first screen test…”
1957: Isabella Giori, a young actress trying to succeed in Hollywood, under contract to a film studio (as was typical then), is sent to a cottage in Carmel for some mysterious reason. We find out why at about the 1/3 point. There she meets Leon/Leo Chazan, a blacklisted screenwriter also in Carmel, living next door. He assumes she’s there to privately testify (to name names) for the HUAC (the House Un-American Activities Committee). They strike up a friendship, which lasts far longer than either one expected it to. We gradually get Leo’s backstory, starting at about the halfway mark.
2018: Chazan has died. His granddaughter, Gemma, comes up to Carmel to clear out his cottage. She’s a screenwriter too, and grew up coming up there with her mother, who has also died recently. Gemma and Leo had a wonderful relationship and she’s brokenhearted over his death, even though she realizes he was 94. Gemma has had little success as a writer thus far, and has experienced the dark side of being a woman in Hollywood, that gradually became known through the MeToo movement. Once in Carmel, she meets Isabel/Iz and Sam, a young man who lives nearby and has created a popular video game.
The chapters bounce back and forth but they are clearly labeled so there is no confusion whatsoever for the reader.
My heart broke for Leo and all the other writers who were blacklisted for any number of reasons and basically lost their livelihood. This story takes place when McCarthyism was still going on but his influence was waning (finally!). In fact, the story mentions his death that year - but that didn’t stop HUAC’s work, unfortunately.
It’s a bit of a slow burn, but stay with it and it pays off. So many secrets… and a beautiful ending. Don’t miss this book.
Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
NOTE: Quote is from an advance copy and may not be exactly the same in the finished book.
Typewriter Beach transports the reader to 1950s California and the Hollywood blacklist/HUAC red scare delirium. In addition, as with so many historical fiction books, we have a modern-day narrative, this time in 2018. While I found myself more fascinated with the 1957-58 story, I enjoyed the connections created with the 2018 story.
First line: “Her hair - that was the first thing they changed, even before they changed her name, before her first screen test…”
1957: Isabella Giori, a young actress trying to succeed in Hollywood, under contract to a film studio (as was typical then), is sent to a cottage in Carmel for some mysterious reason. We find out why at about the 1/3 point. There she meets Leon/Leo Chazan, a blacklisted screenwriter also in Carmel, living next door. He assumes she’s there to privately testify (to name names) for the HUAC (the House Un-American Activities Committee). They strike up a friendship, which lasts far longer than either one expected it to. We gradually get Leo’s backstory, starting at about the halfway mark.
2018: Chazan has died. His granddaughter, Gemma, comes up to Carmel to clear out his cottage. She’s a screenwriter too, and grew up coming up there with her mother, who has also died recently. Gemma and Leo had a wonderful relationship and she’s brokenhearted over his death, even though she realizes he was 94. Gemma has had little success as a writer thus far, and has experienced the dark side of being a woman in Hollywood, that gradually became known through the MeToo movement. Once in Carmel, she meets Isabel/Iz and Sam, a young man who lives nearby and has created a popular video game.
The chapters bounce back and forth but they are clearly labeled so there is no confusion whatsoever for the reader.
My heart broke for Leo and all the other writers who were blacklisted for any number of reasons and basically lost their livelihood. This story takes place when McCarthyism was still going on but his influence was waning (finally!). In fact, the story mentions his death that year - but that didn’t stop HUAC’s work, unfortunately.
It’s a bit of a slow burn, but stay with it and it pays off. So many secrets… and a beautiful ending. Don’t miss this book.
Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
NOTE: Quote is from an advance copy and may not be exactly the same in the finished book.
July 9, 2025
The setting for this dual timeline story is set in 1957 and 2018. Isabella Giori, a young actress on the brink of stardom, has just completed filming her debut in an Alfred Hitchcock film. The studio relocates her to a secluded cottage in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. Upon hearing the sound of typing, she meets her neighbor Léon Chazan, a Hollywood screenwriter blacklisted for refusing to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). The two become friends. When the story shifts to 2018, Léon has recently passed away. His granddaughter Gemma, an aspiring screenwriter who had also lost her mother, returns to Carmel to clear out the cottage to prepare it for sale. As she explores the contents of Léon's hidden safe, she discovers there is a lot she doesn't know about him. When she meets his neighbor Isabella, it becomes clear that the elderly actress knows more about his past than Gemma does.
Set against a picturesque backdrop and centered on old Hollywood during the Red Scare, Typewriter Beach by Meg Waite Clayton is a very worthwhile read. Isabella is a complex character who is focused on achieving her dream of Hollywood stardom, forced to deal with the sexist studio environment. Sixty years later, Gemma has to face similar challenges. Léon is the heart of the book, and his story greatly moved me. If you enjoy stories about Hollywood and the 1950s, this book is one not to miss.
4.5 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
Set against a picturesque backdrop and centered on old Hollywood during the Red Scare, Typewriter Beach by Meg Waite Clayton is a very worthwhile read. Isabella is a complex character who is focused on achieving her dream of Hollywood stardom, forced to deal with the sexist studio environment. Sixty years later, Gemma has to face similar challenges. Léon is the heart of the book, and his story greatly moved me. If you enjoy stories about Hollywood and the 1950s, this book is one not to miss.
4.5 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
February 8, 2026
4.25 Stars
Really enjoyed this book and had the audio as well.
Involved up and coming actress, Isabel Giori in Hollywood who is ambitious, but confined to the preferences of the studios. She is sent to stay in a Bungalow in Carmel overlooking the Ocean. Love the setting here. An unlikely friendship develops between Isabel Giori and blacklisted, Screenwriter Leon Chazen. During McCarthyism and this time it’s the suspected Communists and Homosexuals who are a grave threat to daily life. Women are not given agency of their own thoughts and must look, dress, and behave. They are not thought to be intelligent, but seen as another problem to be managed.
Yet, the beautiful thread of people over time finding friendship and love is really what sustains us. I enjoyed small observations and just talks, poetry, walks, and nature in Carmel. People do not all need to be the same and that can spark deep understanding of your real self despite who you are told to be. I loved this part.
“We have to accept the loves we love as they come to us”
An Old-Fashioned Typewriter seen on the cover was used. Start each day and write, Fade In and just start writing, Leon told his granddaughter, Gemma. All the words lead to wonderful stories that go out into the world. Even in the 50’s environment and currently, really think of how many books’ theme is about bringing more hate into the world? Books don’t work that way. They help connect and understand others and it lifts my spirits and resolve to concentrate on those that matter.
A Book is so much more than a Book. The power it has to change your thinking and open your mind is powerful. I enjoyed this book very much. Recommend if you enjoy characters, family, love, loss, and hope.
Really enjoyed this book and had the audio as well.
Involved up and coming actress, Isabel Giori in Hollywood who is ambitious, but confined to the preferences of the studios. She is sent to stay in a Bungalow in Carmel overlooking the Ocean. Love the setting here. An unlikely friendship develops between Isabel Giori and blacklisted, Screenwriter Leon Chazen. During McCarthyism and this time it’s the suspected Communists and Homosexuals who are a grave threat to daily life. Women are not given agency of their own thoughts and must look, dress, and behave. They are not thought to be intelligent, but seen as another problem to be managed.
Yet, the beautiful thread of people over time finding friendship and love is really what sustains us. I enjoyed small observations and just talks, poetry, walks, and nature in Carmel. People do not all need to be the same and that can spark deep understanding of your real self despite who you are told to be. I loved this part.
“We have to accept the loves we love as they come to us”
An Old-Fashioned Typewriter seen on the cover was used. Start each day and write, Fade In and just start writing, Leon told his granddaughter, Gemma. All the words lead to wonderful stories that go out into the world. Even in the 50’s environment and currently, really think of how many books’ theme is about bringing more hate into the world? Books don’t work that way. They help connect and understand others and it lifts my spirits and resolve to concentrate on those that matter.
A Book is so much more than a Book. The power it has to change your thinking and open your mind is powerful. I enjoyed this book very much. Recommend if you enjoy characters, family, love, loss, and hope.
August 11, 2025
"Set in Hollywood and Carmel-by-the-Sea, an unforgettable story of the unlikely friendship between an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and a young actress hoping to be Alfred Hitchcock's new star."
Told in dual timeline in the 1950s and 2018 with the screenwritwrter's granddaughter Gemma Chazon, this novel gives old Hollywood and coastal vibes. Set against the backdrop of the Red Scare in 1950s Hollywood, Typewriter Beach aptly explores creativity, politics, women's issues, and career. In 2018, Gemma discovers how to achieve her dreams while discovering hidden secrets in her grandfather's Carrnel cottage. This is informative, deliciously entertaining, and thoughtful. Highly recommend for fans of historical fiction and beach reads. This is the best of both worlds!
Told in dual timeline in the 1950s and 2018 with the screenwritwrter's granddaughter Gemma Chazon, this novel gives old Hollywood and coastal vibes. Set against the backdrop of the Red Scare in 1950s Hollywood, Typewriter Beach aptly explores creativity, politics, women's issues, and career. In 2018, Gemma discovers how to achieve her dreams while discovering hidden secrets in her grandfather's Carrnel cottage. This is informative, deliciously entertaining, and thoughtful. Highly recommend for fans of historical fiction and beach reads. This is the best of both worlds!
August 1, 2025
I wanted to enjoy Typewriter Beach so much more than I unfortunately did, but hopefully other readers will find the author’s style suitable to their own tastes. 2/5
July 31, 2025
This is a dual timeline story about a 1950's struggling young actress Isabella Giori and blacklisted screen writer Leon Chazan. They meet one fateful day at a beach in Carmel, California , where they are neighbors and share a secret.
Fast forward to 2018, and meet a young, modern screenwriter Gemma who wants to follow in her grandfather Leon Chazan legacy. Gemma is grieving the loss of her grandfather and Isabella is their to help guide and comfort Gemma without Gemma finding out the secret.
I found the storyline confusing and at times hard to follow. This is the least favorite book that I have read so far this year.
Fast forward to 2018, and meet a young, modern screenwriter Gemma who wants to follow in her grandfather Leon Chazan legacy. Gemma is grieving the loss of her grandfather and Isabella is their to help guide and comfort Gemma without Gemma finding out the secret.
I found the storyline confusing and at times hard to follow. This is the least favorite book that I have read so far this year.
August 5, 2025
After reading 50+ pages, I dropped the book. Seemed well researched but character depth was limited and writing was stiff.
April 12, 2025
When I pick out a book, I like to have some element that I can relate with. For this book, it was the year 1957. The year I was 14 years old and very much into movies. I eagerly awaited the latest movie star magazines and the latest gossip of Louella Parsons! I was also becoming politically aware and knew about the black listing of people suspected of having Communist ties, especially the Hollywood people. Perhaps I had heard my folks discuss the HUAC hearings. I gathered that they were bad news. So I was excited when I won this book on a Goodreads Giveaway.
The best part of the book was learning more about HUAC hearings. How they were conducted in Hollywood and what happened to many of the stars that I had read about years ago. Nevertheless, this book did not measure up to my expectations. I loathe toggling between two time periods. You lose track of the story line. It not only was a distraction, but I felt that it wasn't necessary. Tell the 1957 story, then if the writer must, follow with the 2018 story.
Some details were related more than once and became boring such as the Oscar Night routine, the Oscar gown Iz meant to wear, how perfect Mads was. There were obtrusive events such as the Memory Bench. Sam saying "Oh, I have a darkroom . . ." Of course. Too convenient. Also, I felt that Sam was a very weak character in the story. I felt that Clayton tried to bring too many events into the story from the Holocaust, fleeing the Germans, HUAC, the sexism post Harvey Weinstein, loss of family and that weakened all of them. Also, I probably would not have picked up this book at the library or bookstore just by its title.
February 5, 2025
Set in the 1950’s and 2018 in Carmel-by-The Sea this mysterious, tantalizing book takes us from McCarthyism to the #MeToo era in Hollywood. Loved the main characters once I got them straight in my head and the wonderful descriptions of the coastline. It took me back to my childhood, and the many trips my family took to Carmel in the 50’s. Can’t wait to have my bookclub read it.
July 19, 2025
2.5 ☆
This book was highly recommended, but just not for me. The writing was stilted, the flashbacks in the current year chapters were confusing, the dialogue between characters was difficult. It didn't flow like I want a good novel to flow.
I did enjoy some of the history into the movie industry. And I really liked Gran. But the rest was too hard to swallow. Will not recommend.
This book was highly recommended, but just not for me. The writing was stilted, the flashbacks in the current year chapters were confusing, the dialogue between characters was difficult. It didn't flow like I want a good novel to flow.
I did enjoy some of the history into the movie industry. And I really liked Gran. But the rest was too hard to swallow. Will not recommend.
August 6, 2025
Wow! Even with my extremely limited knowledge of Hollywood and vintage films, I felt immersed in beautifully tragic Carmel! I LOVED that the timeline caught up to our current time and felt that all loose ends were tied up perfectly!
August 16, 2025
Two and a half stars rounded up. The one half star is for the “you are there” setting of the Big Sur, Carmel area of the California coast. The rest was just meh for me. It took a full hundred pages, or one third of the book to go anywhere. Plus the author took on too many themes (old Hollywood, the McCarthy era red scare, the holocaust, me too) to fully develop any one of them.
August 26, 2025
Consider making a character list as you read. As with the rest of the book, it’s all very confusing. It’s a pretty good story but, and I don’t mean to be mean, the writing left me cold. I didn’t mind jumping back and forth between eras, but there were times when I wasn’t quite sure where we were. Oh, well. There are plenty of 5 stars to refute me, but as a former colleague of mine was wont to say, “That’s my opinion and I agree with it.”
July 12, 2025
DNF. Very confusing. Too much going on. Could not get into this at all.
February 14, 2025
Thank you to Harper and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book was published on July 1st, 2025.
I really warmed up to this book — it started off a little slowly and then just became more and more intriguing with every chapter, ending with a lovely last line to cap it all off.
Dual timelines — an isolated set of cottages on the beach at Carmel in 1957. During the darkest times of McCarthy’s blacklists and the slow strangulation of Hollywood, a young starlet on the verge of being the next Grace Kelly, is sent to wait in one of these cottages by the studio manager and all around fixer. Told to stay indoors and not be seen, she nevertheless meets her neighbor, the enigmatic Leo — a black listed scriptwriter with a haunted past. In 2018 we follow Gemma, whose beloved grandfather has just died and left her his cottage.
The story slowly unfolds, past to present, and while I often thought I knew what was happening, I was often quite wrong. The writing style is rich with thought provoking commentary and reflections. Hollywood — the deals, the norms, the restrictions, the cheats — is on display with all of the detail that I love — not just a description of events, but a description of the people living through those events and how they are changed, what they do to survive, what decisions they make (and sometimes regret, and often don’t). It’s the full experience and incredibly well-researched. I learned a lot about the different ways people dealt with the blacklist and (of course) the very different ways men and women had to deal with opportunities, threats, and restrictions.
Along with this spectacular depiction of the times and contexts is a lovely and often surprising story of love, family, parenthood, and friendship. I don’t want to give anything away, but there are multiple lovely stories of people finding love and family in a world not inclined to make it easy for them. Plenty of stories of people living in an environment not of their choosing and not in their control — and yet … finding their happiness.
Lots of intriguing details on Carmel and Hollywood — late credits for blacklisted screenwriters, a form of “me too” throughout the ages, morals clauses (for women only). I enjoyed every minute of it.
I really warmed up to this book — it started off a little slowly and then just became more and more intriguing with every chapter, ending with a lovely last line to cap it all off.
Dual timelines — an isolated set of cottages on the beach at Carmel in 1957. During the darkest times of McCarthy’s blacklists and the slow strangulation of Hollywood, a young starlet on the verge of being the next Grace Kelly, is sent to wait in one of these cottages by the studio manager and all around fixer. Told to stay indoors and not be seen, she nevertheless meets her neighbor, the enigmatic Leo — a black listed scriptwriter with a haunted past. In 2018 we follow Gemma, whose beloved grandfather has just died and left her his cottage.
The story slowly unfolds, past to present, and while I often thought I knew what was happening, I was often quite wrong. The writing style is rich with thought provoking commentary and reflections. Hollywood — the deals, the norms, the restrictions, the cheats — is on display with all of the detail that I love — not just a description of events, but a description of the people living through those events and how they are changed, what they do to survive, what decisions they make (and sometimes regret, and often don’t). It’s the full experience and incredibly well-researched. I learned a lot about the different ways people dealt with the blacklist and (of course) the very different ways men and women had to deal with opportunities, threats, and restrictions.
Along with this spectacular depiction of the times and contexts is a lovely and often surprising story of love, family, parenthood, and friendship. I don’t want to give anything away, but there are multiple lovely stories of people finding love and family in a world not inclined to make it easy for them. Plenty of stories of people living in an environment not of their choosing and not in their control — and yet … finding their happiness.
Lots of intriguing details on Carmel and Hollywood — late credits for blacklisted screenwriters, a form of “me too” throughout the ages, morals clauses (for women only). I enjoyed every minute of it.
September 9, 2025
On paper this book should have been right up my alley- a multi-perspective book with the academy awards set as the background? Yes! But in execution, it landed a little flat for me. For one, I couldn’t get over that “Gran” was referring to a grandpa, not a grandma (minor issue I know). And then the switching perspectives and times was even too confusing for my liking. Like one paragraph we were in 2018, but by the end of that paragraph we were in 1957 or 1995, etc. For a minute I thought it would turn around with the twist- but it played out exactly as I expected. And I don’t know if me being able to call it from the beginning means it was a bad twist or if it was suppose to be so obvious the whole time. I didn’t hate read this book, but it has trouble keeping my attention- which is shocking because I am an old Hollywood/Oscar Fanatic.
June 4, 2025
I had a hard time getting into this book because I didn't feel like the actual plot picked up until 1/3 of the way in. However, once it did finally pick up steam, I was enthralled and a long for the ride. I will admit that I half expected there to be a surprise ending or some kind of thriller twist with all the talk and references to Hitchcock and the tower, but was actually happy it didn't go that direction. What was left was a heartbreaking account of what Old Hollywood and WW2 was really like in the film industry. It was informative without reading like a history book and imaginative without feeling fake. A solid read.
March 8, 2025
A tale of Hollywood from the Blacklist to #MeToo, Meg Waite Clayton's Typewriter Beach follows up-and-coming actress Isabella Giori as she strives to become Hitchcock's next 'blonde'.
It's 1957, and Isabella Giori will do whatever it takes to make it in Hollywood. She's changed her name, changed her hair colour, and now, whisked to a cottage in Carmel-by-the-Sea by notorious studio ‘fixer’ Eddie Mannix, she just has to bide her time until she can return to Hollywood and become the star she knows she's meant to be.
For Leon Chazan, who lives in the cottage next door to Isabella, prospects are not so great. Leon's a screenwriter, and he's been blacklisted, banned from working in Hollywood as a suspected Communist. As a result of his inclusion on the Hollywood Blacklist, Leon can't sell a script...at least not if his name is on it.
An unlikely friendship soon forms between the Hollywood starlet and down-on-his luck screenwriter; a friendship of secrets both parties promise they'll never tell, secrets so great they swear to take them to the grave.
Cut to 2018 and struggling screenwriter Gemma Chazan is in Carmel to sell her grandfather's cottage and spread his ashes. There, she finds a hidden safe filled with mysterious objects. What secrets was her grandfather, the screenwriter known simply as Chazan, keeping? Whose secrets was he keeping? Maybe his old friend Iz, who lives in the cottage next door, can shed some light on the mystery...
Rich in detail, filled with secrets and brimming with Hollywood insights and lore, Typewriter Beach is a movie lovers dream, with friendship, acceptance, understanding and love at its heart. While I found the modern-day story a little less captivating than its Golden Age counterpart, Typewriter Beach is nonetheless a compelling read that kept me invested throughout. Fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will find much to enjoy here.
It's 1957, and Isabella Giori will do whatever it takes to make it in Hollywood. She's changed her name, changed her hair colour, and now, whisked to a cottage in Carmel-by-the-Sea by notorious studio ‘fixer’ Eddie Mannix, she just has to bide her time until she can return to Hollywood and become the star she knows she's meant to be.
For Leon Chazan, who lives in the cottage next door to Isabella, prospects are not so great. Leon's a screenwriter, and he's been blacklisted, banned from working in Hollywood as a suspected Communist. As a result of his inclusion on the Hollywood Blacklist, Leon can't sell a script...at least not if his name is on it.
An unlikely friendship soon forms between the Hollywood starlet and down-on-his luck screenwriter; a friendship of secrets both parties promise they'll never tell, secrets so great they swear to take them to the grave.
Cut to 2018 and struggling screenwriter Gemma Chazan is in Carmel to sell her grandfather's cottage and spread his ashes. There, she finds a hidden safe filled with mysterious objects. What secrets was her grandfather, the screenwriter known simply as Chazan, keeping? Whose secrets was he keeping? Maybe his old friend Iz, who lives in the cottage next door, can shed some light on the mystery...
Rich in detail, filled with secrets and brimming with Hollywood insights and lore, Typewriter Beach is a movie lovers dream, with friendship, acceptance, understanding and love at its heart. While I found the modern-day story a little less captivating than its Golden Age counterpart, Typewriter Beach is nonetheless a compelling read that kept me invested throughout. Fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo will find much to enjoy here.
July 29, 2025
3.5 stars
Set in Hollywood and Caramel-by-the-Sea, this dual timeline historical novel is the story of an unlikely friendship between a young actress and a Oscar-nominated screenwriter.
2018 - Gemma, a twenty-six year-old struggling screenwriter, arrives in Carmel shortly after the death of her grandfather to ready his cottage for sale and finds a hidden safe full of secrets.
1957 - Hollywood ingenue Isabella Giori is less than a year into her standard seven year studio contract and willing to do whatever it takes to make it in the business. She's looking forward to attending the Oscars and hoping to be cast in the latest Hitchcock movie when her studio's fixer sequesters her in a small cottage in Carmel. As Isabella waits, an unlikely friendship develops with her next door neighbour, Léon Chazan, a screenwriter blacklisted for suspected Communist activities.
Typewriter Beach is moving historical fiction about the importance of family and found family with a picturesque setting and a plot that includes blacklisting in 1950s Hollywood during the Red Scare, the treatment of women in Hollywood in the 1950s and also the #MeToo movement of a few years ago. A story rich in detail that becomes more intriguing as it unfolds - it was a slow start for me but I quite enjoyed the read once it got going.
Avoid reading reviews if you don't like spoilers. I made the mistake of reading the Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus reviews beforehand and both give away an aspect of the plot that isn't revealed until a third of the way through the book.
Set in Hollywood and Caramel-by-the-Sea, this dual timeline historical novel is the story of an unlikely friendship between a young actress and a Oscar-nominated screenwriter.
2018 - Gemma, a twenty-six year-old struggling screenwriter, arrives in Carmel shortly after the death of her grandfather to ready his cottage for sale and finds a hidden safe full of secrets.
1957 - Hollywood ingenue Isabella Giori is less than a year into her standard seven year studio contract and willing to do whatever it takes to make it in the business. She's looking forward to attending the Oscars and hoping to be cast in the latest Hitchcock movie when her studio's fixer sequesters her in a small cottage in Carmel. As Isabella waits, an unlikely friendship develops with her next door neighbour, Léon Chazan, a screenwriter blacklisted for suspected Communist activities.
Typewriter Beach is moving historical fiction about the importance of family and found family with a picturesque setting and a plot that includes blacklisting in 1950s Hollywood during the Red Scare, the treatment of women in Hollywood in the 1950s and also the #MeToo movement of a few years ago. A story rich in detail that becomes more intriguing as it unfolds - it was a slow start for me but I quite enjoyed the read once it got going.
Avoid reading reviews if you don't like spoilers. I made the mistake of reading the Publisher's Weekly and Kirkus reviews beforehand and both give away an aspect of the plot that isn't revealed until a third of the way through the book.
July 21, 2025
Rating 3.5 stars.
This title came to me from a book podcast and intrigued me in with its Hollywood and Carmel settings. Getting into it was difficult and I almost quit a few times. In the end I was glad I persisted. About the 40% mark it began to become more interesting. Power - blacklisted writers, mistreated female actors, sexual assault, and other forms of attacks on people - is a major theme. Secrets are another. Solving the puzzle left to the reader made this interesting. I loved the insights into writers and old and current Hollywood. I liked the characters in Typewriter Beach and really liked how the author ended the story.
“The ‘inevitable surprise.’The best stories in any form—film or books or TV, short stories, perhaps even nonfiction—gave audiences unexpected endings that left you feeling you ought to have seen them coming, but didn’t.”
“It’s always a risk, loving someone: you lose them one way or you lose them another, or they lose you. But unless you take the risk, you lose at the beginning, without the benefit of loving or being loved.”
This title came to me from a book podcast and intrigued me in with its Hollywood and Carmel settings. Getting into it was difficult and I almost quit a few times. In the end I was glad I persisted. About the 40% mark it began to become more interesting. Power - blacklisted writers, mistreated female actors, sexual assault, and other forms of attacks on people - is a major theme. Secrets are another. Solving the puzzle left to the reader made this interesting. I loved the insights into writers and old and current Hollywood. I liked the characters in Typewriter Beach and really liked how the author ended the story.
“The ‘inevitable surprise.’The best stories in any form—film or books or TV, short stories, perhaps even nonfiction—gave audiences unexpected endings that left you feeling you ought to have seen them coming, but didn’t.”
“It’s always a risk, loving someone: you lose them one way or you lose them another, or they lose you. But unless you take the risk, you lose at the beginning, without the benefit of loving or being loved.”
July 27, 2025
I found it too predictable. good story, but I figured it out about 1/2 way through.
May 9, 2025
4 1/2 stars
A young Hollywood starlet is kept quietly in a Carmel cottage until her "condition" goes away. She makes friends with the outcast screenwriter next door and together they support one another and create a masterpiece under the radar. Years later the screenwriter's granddaughter returns to his Carmel cottage to write and say goodbye. She falls for the man next door and finds closure in the form of a legendary actress. Under the shimmer of 1950's movie magic, Alfred Hitchcock blonde starlets and the handcuffs of the McCarthy era on the writers and undesirables this romantic and moody mystery spotlights the story of life in front of the camera and in the shadows. Readers of TRUMBO, A MAP TO PARADISE and marginalized actresses like Anna May Wong in THE BRIGHTEST STAR will appreciate this. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.
A young Hollywood starlet is kept quietly in a Carmel cottage until her "condition" goes away. She makes friends with the outcast screenwriter next door and together they support one another and create a masterpiece under the radar. Years later the screenwriter's granddaughter returns to his Carmel cottage to write and say goodbye. She falls for the man next door and finds closure in the form of a legendary actress. Under the shimmer of 1950's movie magic, Alfred Hitchcock blonde starlets and the handcuffs of the McCarthy era on the writers and undesirables this romantic and moody mystery spotlights the story of life in front of the camera and in the shadows. Readers of TRUMBO, A MAP TO PARADISE and marginalized actresses like Anna May Wong in THE BRIGHTEST STAR will appreciate this. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.
August 7, 2025
I felt like I'd read this book before, and a better version of it, in Susan Meissner's A Map to Paradise.
July 21, 2025
The book is set in the Hollywood blacklist era, a period of government censorship and intimidation that sadly seems to be the norm of politics today. However, this book is much more than a very good history of that time it also includes a strong feminist and a more subdued pro LGBTQ message, while also delivering up a a wonderful story line that includes romance. I hadn’t heard of this author before but based on the strength of this book I will be hunting around for more of her work!
July 14, 2025
Another wonderful detailed historical fiction novel.
A dual time line. Hitchcock, Hollywood, the Blacklist, love, secrets and the mention of old Hollywood names that I have enjoyed over the years make this one enjoyable.
We have all heard about the casting coach as secrets run deep.
A dual time line. Hitchcock, Hollywood, the Blacklist, love, secrets and the mention of old Hollywood names that I have enjoyed over the years make this one enjoyable.
We have all heard about the casting coach as secrets run deep.
July 17, 2025
For now I just want to say, I loved this book. Absolutely everything about it.
Really five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Really five stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
August 30, 2025
I felt this book to be difficult to read there were times when I had to read sentences and paragraphs over because they were confusing.
The story itself was ok but i struggled with the writing style.
The story itself was ok but i struggled with the writing style.
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