House Of Destiny

by Janet Leigh

The veteran actress draws on her Hollywood savvy to create the story of an unlikely partnership between a Spanish bellhop named Jude Abavas and Wade Colby, movie star, who together transform and discover romance in Hollywood. Tour.

Genres: Fiction, Novels

448 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1995

About the author

Janet Leigh is an actress best known for her role in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. She worked under contract at MGM and was famously married to fellow actor Tony Curtis, with whom she had two children. Daughters Kelly and Jamie Lee Curtis also became actresses.

Reviews

[Kenneth Starcher · Rating 2 out of 5]

House of Destiny is a very problematic novel, the first by famed Hollywood actress Janet Leigh. I was excited to read a novel written by Janet Leigh, especially since it was about a family dynasty in classic Hollywood. Janet Leigh, unfortunately, doesn't have a flair for prose. Everything in this book happens very, very quickly; Leigh doesn't waste time on descriptions. There are a lot of characters to keep up with, and in the end it all really doesn't feel worth it. Sure, it had its enjoyable moments. The main two characters of Jude and Wade are great guys that you do don't want anything bad to happen to. Ultimately, the main problem with the book is that, after 500 pages, you realize Leigh pulled a bait and switch trick on you. The prologue is written in such a way that it seems like Jude is being lead down death row, about to be executed. So, the whole time you read the book, you're waiting for him to do something terrible; after all, many, many bad things befall our main character. However, the epilogue ends up being something totally different, and it really leaves a bad taste in your mouth. I don't regret reading this book; I did enjoy it to a point. I just don't recommend it to anyone else.

[Meryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started really slow,I almost gave up on it,glad I didn't. It has a lot of characters to introduce. The main characters are the "three comrades " , Jude Abavas, Wade Colby,and Penelope Smythe. It starts with Jude who is the main character through the story. It tells about his history and then how he meets and makes friends with Wade, who is already Hollywood's hottest star. Wade wants them to work together and they become as close as brothers. Then in comes Penelope when they cast the Wade Colby show. She marries Wade, but Jude is also in love with her. His younger sister, Pollyanna and Penelope decide to look for a wife for Jude. they find Madge Moore, and Jude falls in lust and marries her, but she is not who she pretends to be. Wade and Penelope go on to have children who Jude loves, but he really wants one of his own, especially since he lost his first wife and child. Madge gets pregnant and she is not at all happy about it, she decides to have an abortion and besides killing the baby it kills her. Penelope comes to Jude and tells him she thinks something is wrong with Wade. Jude gets Wade to the doctor for the insurance for his next movie and he is indeed sick.

[NC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hollywood Historical Romance Fiction
Takes place in the 50’s and 60’s

[Alice Leak · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a while since I rated a book 5*. This was always going to be at least 4* from the earlier chapters but the book just got better and better till the last few chapters sealed it as 5* for me.

[Simone Almeida · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first Hollywood-based romance/drama story I ever read and it fueled my addiction to similar books. House of Destiny has a great story; perhaps a little cliched, in the sense that it is a rags-to-riches, poor-boy-meets-rich-boy story but a well-written story nonetheless.

The story of Jude Abavas and Wade Colby begins when they're ambitious 20-somethings and continues until they are much older. They see each other through deaths, marriages, children, love and Hollywood. A brotherhood that lasts a lifetime.

What I liked best about this book was the portrayal of honest affection and trust these two protagonists held for each other. That is what kept me reading this book several times over the past couple of years.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great family saga.........I enjoyed it immensely !!!

[Doti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many layers; lots about film industry (duh!). Characters pretty good in a convoluted story.

[Renee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't bother !

[Huguette Larochelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

i found a copy of the book and it autograph by Janet Leigh;
love the stories ,