Starlet

by Anushka Joshi

Simon & Schuster has a great audiobook for every listener.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction

Audible Audio

Expected publication March 9, 2027

Reviews

[Berty Morales · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐✨ 3.5 Stars

📚 ARC Review | Expected Publication: March 9, 2027

First, a huge THANK YOU to Tiny Reparations Books for sending me this ARC! 💕📚

Y'all, I went into this book knowing very little about Merle Oberon, and let me tell you, I ended up learning quite a bit about this fascinating Old Hollywood star! 🎬✨

Starlet follows Estelle Thompson, who reinvents herself as Merle Oberon, rising to fame during Hollywood's Golden Age while hiding a secret that could destroy everything she's worked for.

Behind all that Hollywood glamour, beautiful gowns, and flashing cameras was a woman fighting to protect her identity in a world filled with prejudice and impossible expectations. 💔

What truly touched me was the relationship between Merle and her mother, Charlotte. The sacrifices, the love, and the racism and hardships they endured were heartbreaking. I found myself feeling sympathy for these women while also getting angry over the injustices they faced. 😤💔

Now, here's where I struggled a little. 🫣

Some parts of the story were slow, and I occasionally had trouble following the narrative. The author also gives us little glimpses into the future before returning to the present storyline. At first, I wasn't a fan of this writing style, but eventually it grew on me.

Despite those moments, I genuinely enjoyed discovering Merle's story. I even found myself wanting to research her life outside the book! And yes, watching her version of Wuthering Heights is now on my list. 🤭🎥

An emotional and enlightening historical novel that reminds us that behind Hollywood's glitz and glamour, some of its brightest stars were hiding their greatest struggles.

Sometimes the most difficult role an actress plays is pretending to be someone she's not. 🎬💔

[Breanna Hillman · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you Penguin Random House for this ARC.

Overall, I enjoyed Starlet and the captivating story of Merle Oberlin. Merle/Estelle is an incredibly intriguing person, and I’m grateful I picked up this book to see into her life. Despite going in blind, I learned a lot about her history. I also spent time outside of reading to learn more about her and I plan on watching her Wuthering Heights movie soon!

While the story felt slow and challenging to navigate at times, I pushed through because it was an enlightening read. One thing that I found interesting in Joshi’s writing was that there would be times we would see little glimpses of the future. Something would happen, then we would get hit with “years later she would learn…” then it would return to the storyline. I wasn’t a fan of this at first, but it did grow on me.

Reading about the racism and hardships Merle and Charlotte endured was deeply moving. I adored Charlotte’s character and her love for Merle. Their complex relationship and intertwined stories made me fall in love with these characters while simultaneously sympathizing with their struggles yet feeling anger for the injustices they faced.

If you’re a fan of old Hollywood, filmmaking, and learning about the dark side of that era, I recommend this book.

[Lisa · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

Maybe it's my age, but I didn't know that Merle Oberon was real until I finished the book and something in another review made me look her up. I wish there had been an author's note about this, sharing what might have been imagined, etc. An update/epilogue would also have been nice. Though it was disappointing to learn that Merle was a serial adulterer!

Some of the writing was lovely. I wasn't a fan, however, of the "chapter" titles, like "Estelle and Patrick," "Estelle," or "Alex and Estelle." I think we can figure that out ourselves.

Thank you to Tiny Reparations Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

[Jim Traxler · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Starlet: A reimagined life of Merle Oberon
Reviewed by Jim Traxler

Since I love the movies and historical fiction is my go-to genre, I jumped at the chance to read and review Starlet, Anushka Joshi’s story of the great British actress, Merle Oberon. I knew her mostly for her dramatic performance as Cathy in Wuthering Heights (1939), opposite Lawrence Olivier. She was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for The Dark Angel (1935).

So when I said “British actress,” I had no idea about her Indian background or the struggles she faced to keep that heritage secret her entire life. Why would she have to do that? We sometimes forget that 100 years ago, India was part of the British Empire; Indians were people of color and were not permitted to mix socially with white people. Careers like film acting were not open to people of color. Estelle Thompson, her real name, was the progeny of a mixed couple, a white man and an Indian mother. Estelle was so light-skinned that she could easily pass for white. An early romance between Estelle and a handsome British soldier ended suddenly when he learned of her Indian blood.

But Estelle had a beautiful face that was made for the cinema. She arrived in England at the age of 17 and ultimately came under the tutelage of Alexander Korda, the famous film director, whom she eventually married. Korda introduced her to Samuel Goldman in Hollywood, and the rest is history, right? Well, it is, but what the author Anushka Joshi does so skillfully is take us inside Estelle Thompson's mind and soul, from her humble beginnings in India to her later success, all while keeping her secret. Many people suspected she was passing as white, but could never prove it.

Joshi’s settings are so heart-rending, as Estelle and her mother deal with the incredible racism of the time, not only in India, but also in London and Los Angeles. As I read, I felt as if I were watching the story as a movie, experiencing the streets of Calcutta, the jealousy on the movie sets, and the constant mystery of whether she will be found out and end her life in disgrace.

There is much to like in this novel. Joshi knows her craft and does it well. I finished the book wanting more, always a good sign. Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance of its release.

Anushka Joshi

[Firetruckmama · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, for which I thank them.

I really hope that this review of Starlet by Anushka Joshi is a minority one. In so many ways I really enjoyed this book, but in others, to be honest, I felt like Ms. Joshi had a message to send to the reader, but I’m not quite sure what the message was. In some ways the book was written very well - insights into Ms. Oberon’s thoughts and her actions were appreciated. But I didn’t like the looks into the future (and a reference to Grace Kelly was written by someone famous but not Merle herself). Maybe it’s because I know a bit about Merle already, but I didn’t really learn much new about her from this book - which may have been the point? I don’t know - I found myself liking the beginning but from the 70% mark onward, I felt the book had lost some of it’s steam or oomph and I found myself skimming a bit. I really would’ve liked to have read a list of references Ms. Joshi used, just for my own interest. Overall, if you don’t know much about Merle Oberon and wish to know more, this book was a good introduction. I would recommend viewing some of the movies mentioned in the book - Ms. Oberon “had a face” (to quote Norma Desmond from Sunset Boulevard) but when she moves, she is very captivating. Overall, for me, this book was okay. I’d recommend it with reservations because it felt at times that the author’s message overtook the historical fiction to me. 3.5 stars.

[Jen W · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book not realizing that Merle Oberon was an actual actress outside of the fiction realm. I have since started reading up on her and her mother.

Estelle Thompson is mixed race and doesn't fit in with her Indian people or her British people despite her fair skin. She is obsessed with movies and decides to pursue acting at a time where her race would have been an issue. With help from a director, she develops a back story and a new Identity, Merle Oberon.

Her mother, Charlotte comes along with her but due to being Indian, she pretends to be Merle's maid.

I enjoyed how Merle and Charlotte navigated Merle's career during a time of racism and war. Charlotte really loved Estelle/Merle and really sacrificed her own happiness to help her daughter secure her own happiness.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Alyssa Knappenberger · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Merle Oberon's story. I don't know much about actresses from before my time, so it was very interesting to read about Merle/Estelle's experiences of racism and sexism during the WWII era in Hollywood. It takes a special story to keep me interested in a historical fiction book, and her story was very intriguing to me. The only reason for the decreased stars was because the book felt too short to me. I feel like I didn't get to see enough of Merle/Estelle's story. I also wasn't a fan of how the book was formatted. The chapters were split into multiple POVs and it made the telling of the story feel a little choppy.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for an honest review.

[Judith · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I was not familiar with Estelle/Merle and found her and her story to be interesting. I loved learning about the racism in the film industry and in various parts of the world during the story.

However, I struggled with the writing style. Parenthesis are one of my biggest pet peeves and they were incredibly overused in a way that took away from the story. There were also what felt like glimpses into the future that made this feel more like it was trying to be a biography, which it wasn’t, and so, while the information was interesting, I felt like those didn’t work in the story.

In sum, I’m glad I read the story and do recommend it. The writing style just wasn’t quite for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in advance.

[Holly Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

I jumped on this book because I have always wanted to read the backstory of the iconic Merle Oberon. One of the most beautiful women of the Hollywood Glamour Age, Merle carried a big secret her whole life. I enjoyed the story, even if a bit draggy at times, and the emotions between Merle and Charlotte were written so beautifully. A lot of the thoughts and feelings are conjecture (obviously), especially the "love" relationship of Korda and Oberon. The author framed the hysteria and dark thinking of the coming Nazi Occupation quite well, like a dark storm cloud building steam. The middle/end slowed down quite a bit, but it was still a good book! #starlet #anushkajoshi #netgalley #goodreads

[Megon · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

It's supposed to be a historical fiction, but there really isn't anything historical about it. Everyone acts and thinks like they live now, for some reason. There wasn't any flow, the story kind of jumps around in an awkward way, and there really isn't much of a story. And there should be. This is supposed to be about a real person, I'm guessing there is a great story somewhere, but this isn't it. I did get this book from Goodreads.