Happy Little Bluebirds

by Louise Levene

For fans of Muriel Spark, a dazzling novel about a young woman thrust into in the opulent world of 1940s Hollywood, where dirty dealings, undercover agents, and off-camera romances abound

It is September 1940, and recently widowed Evelyn has been plucked from her humdrum civil service job in Woking and transported to the opulent world of wartime Hollywood. Young, bright and fluent in nine languages, she is to assist the British Colonel Peyton, who has secretly been trying to persuade an Anglo-Hungarian producer to create war propaganda.

However, when Evelyn arrives, Peyton has been called to Bermuda and she finds herself isolated and adrift in new world which is dazzling and baffling in equal measure. Kitted out with an expensive new wardrobe and given a chic hairdo, Evelyn is free to reinvent herself far from the war-ravaged shores of England. But Hollywood, for all its luxury, is a dangerous place for an outsider, and potential threats – both international and personal – lurk around every corner.

Happy Little Bluebirds has all the allure, glamour and intrigue of a golden age Hollywood film. Packed with meticulous historical research which is handled with a light, deft touch, Louise Levene brings her acerbic, whip-smart wit to a glittering period in recent history.

Genres: Historical Fiction

Hardcover

Published May 17, 2018

About the author

Louise Levene is the author of A Vision of Loveliness, a BBC Book at Bedtime, published in May 2010, and in paperback in May 2011. She has been the dance critic of The Sunday Telegraph since 1998 but has also been an advertising copywriter, a window dresser, a radio presenter, an office cleaner, a crossword editor, a college professor and a saleslady. She lives in London with her husband and two children.

Ghastly Business, published by Bloomsbury in July 2011, is a deliciously wicked, witty tale of villainy, scandal, sex and science.

Watch the book trailer for Ghastly Business

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a light hearted and breezy piece of historical fiction featuring a fish out of water Evelyn Murdoch, set in 1940, in the often ridiculous and glitzy world of LA's Hollywo0d. Recently widowed Evelyn from Woking in Surrey has been plucked from her uninspiring civil service job to work with Colonel Peyton in LA, reporting back on German/Nazi spies and the American outlook on WW2 raging in Europe. Her husband, Silas, was a dentist who has been killed in the war, her best friend, Deborah, married Gilbert, Silas's brother. Evelyn recounts a rather grim stultifying marriage with Silas, a man obsessed with wanting children, when she did not, leaving her feeling not that griefstricken. Her hitherto drab, colourless life, including her growing up years with a Methodist father, ill prepares her for the opulent and glamorous lifestyle with new clothes and hairstyle that is required for her to fit into her new milieu. Selected for her linguistic gifts, she can speak 9 languages, she discovers in New York HQ that they were expecting a man, and that Colonel Peyton has travelled to Bermuda, leaving her floundering.

Evelyn arrives in California, housed in Pasadena with the odd Japanese gardener Mr Hashimoto, and feeling lost and isolated, unsure of exactly what is expected of her, with various business cards such as those that proclaim her as a special consultant and expert in voice culture. Thrust amidst script meetings, she meets aspiring novelists and screenwriters, jostling to find a role in the growing film industry. Zandor Kiss's efforts to highlight German and Nazi actions in Europe in his films are stymied by the America First movement and the Senate Committee, intent on ensuring the US does not get pulled into another war. There are numerous characters that enter Evelyn's life, from German spies suspicious of her, to Hollywood film stars, including child actors engaged in filming War of the Worlds and butchering the classic in true Hollywood style. Parties, Dinners out, rescuing arrested stars and more, begin to shape a different Evelyn, but threats from her past may force her to revert to the old Evelyn, a miserable fate she fears as romance beckons.

This is not historical fiction that is intended to be hard hitting about WW2, it does though give us a glimpse into just how adamant parts of the US were in avoiding entry into the war, refusing to acknowledge what was happening in Europe and the power of Germans to lobby for their perspective, and downplay their brutality. Louise Levene writes with humour and wit, making this a fun and entertaining read. There is satire in her depiction of the bizarre and strange world of Hollywood, the glamorous film stars and the larger than life big hitters in the movie business. If you are looking for a frothy light glimpse into Hollywood's past, seen through the character of the wide eyed Evelyn at a historically crucial time in history, then this is a book for you. Many thanks to Bloomsbury for an ARC.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

Happy Little Bluebirds seemed like it would be an interesting read, but unfortunately it didn't deliver for me. Nothing really happened; any bits that could have made for interesting plot points were just kind of mentioned briefly and then a little later they're suddenly gone. There was also not really any character development - the main character is in this fish out of water kind of setting, yet suddenly she just knows what to do and how to woo people. I also found the sudden scene changes quite jarring and confusing; add that to so many side characters that I couldn't keep them straight and I just didn't care about the book by the time I finished it. I especially didn't care about, or like Evelyn who was judgemental and rude. The only reason I finished this book is because by the time I realised literally nothing was happening, I was already over half way through the book.
So in the end I feel this book could have been great, but it didn't cut it for me.

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

As frothy as a gin fizz but sadly has about the same substance. It's all very charming and glamorous - makeovers, parties, cocktails, and flirting with charming cads, all set against a backdrop of old Hollywood, but somewhere around the 70% mark I realised nothing was going to happen. I literally just finished reading it but if someone asked me what it's about I couldn't tell them, because it's not really about anything. I know a lack of plot is a badge of honour for some literary fiction but I'm afraid it's never cut the mustard for me.

And as a sidenote, you know sometimes when you're reading a book written in the first half of the twentieth-century and the casual racism makes you wince, and you have to tell yourself it's a product of its time? Well this is like that but without the excuse of being a product of its time. It's all 'cartoonishly large eyed negroes', 'lazy Japs' and 'dagos'. I suppose you might want to sprinkle a few of those into the dialogue to give a sense of time and place, but it's unforgivable to pepper them throughout the third person narration in this day and age.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this. Beautiful. A real treat of a book

[Elliote · Rating 2 out of 5]

The dialogue in this book was really witty and characteristic of the era, but the ending was abrupt and left many strings untied. The plot was predictable and never reached an exciting climax. It was all parties and glitz and glamor until the very end where there was a brief upset and then it was all over. There were so many secondary, supporting characters that they were indistinguishable and not developed enough. The setup of the book is very vague—maybe this is just me but I was never quite clear on why Evelyn was there and what exactly the whole point was other than to somehow get the story to Hollywood. Evelyn’s character deteriorates throughout the book and she becomes less and less sympathetic. I generally love books of this time period and genre but I was really disappointed in this one. It gives you a great inside look into Hollywood during that time but as far as plot and character development go the book ended leaving me dissatisfied.

[Alison Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such fun! Will be on my Best Reads of 2021 list. For my full review please go to http://thebooksmithblog.wordpress.com

[Liezel · Rating 2 out of 5]

A sweet enough little book, but it’s devoid of any form of storyline. Essentially a movie set (literally), complete with script and actors. I waited the entire book for someone to call ‘action!’, but they never did...

[Jo-anne Atkinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Brought up in a staunchly Methodist household, Evelyn has never been glamorous. Luckily whilst her mother was alive Evelyn was able to use her ear for languages and has become fluent in nine of them, including esperanto. However she was trapped with her austere widowed father and then in a stultifying marriage to dentist Silas. When Silas is killed in action Evelyn gets a job working for the postal censor but her ear for languages sees her plucked from obscurity to head to Hollywood to assist maverick director Zandor Kiss. Here Evelyn is a fish out of water in a technicolour dreamworld.

The premise of this book is great, the idea of the contrast between dreary wartime Britain and sunny California is the extended metaphor hinted at in the title. Austere Britain is in monochrome, Hollywood in glorious technicolour and Evelyn is not in 'Kansas' anymore. Indeed the first part of the book is terrific, cliched maybe but Evelyn's culture shock and make-over are handled with a lightness of touch and a sly sense of humour. My issue is that the last half of the book seemed somewhat ponderous in comparison. The recurring motif of Japanese gardeners was never explored and, a bit like Evelyn's role, the story never seemed to have a real purpose to it.

[John Kaye · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read. Yes, the writing is sharp and there's quite a few potentially interesting characters, but they all felt like sketches, and quite often I wanted more. But Vanity Fair it ain't, so just enjoy the prose...

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) and netgalley for this ARC.

Happy, Happy, this book will make you! Loved the whimsical, crazy, spy daze. Hollywood from a fresh perspective.

[Evan James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, but a bit ponderous...

[Erika]

I have no idea what this book is about. It seems like bits are missing and keeps switching between times. I did not enjoy it.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting with a surprising end. Kept me hooked, although I never really understood what Evelyn's job actually was...

[Karen Hunter]

Book club # 21

[Katrina Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light and fun read about life in Hollywood during the 1940s. The whims of the stars, where every wish is met immediately were amusing to read about- a vegetable garden planted with fully grown shop bought veg! The falseness and fakery of the whole lifestyle as opposed to that being experienced in Europe was highlighted well. I found this book to be thoroughly enjoyable and easy to read, whilst it does lack a little depth, it certainly kept me entertained. Even the Hollywood Nazi spies were amusing and not particularly threatening! As most WW2 books tend to focus on the conflict itself, it was interesting to read about and consider how America was reacting prior to Pearl Harbour. Censorship of anything that might be pro-Britain and could upset the Germans was surprising and is based on fact, as explained in the author’s notes. (A little known fact which was buried after the attack at Pearl Harbour.) Overall, light and entertaining, ‘Happy Little Bluebirds’ is also very interesting and the behaviour of Hollywood during this period is fascinating. A thoroughly enjoyable read!

[Heather Nazmdeh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sparkling wit abounds in this picture of Hollywood during the war. I got a little lost in the middle as to characters and plot, which may have been me, but I did laugh out loud at various points and enjoyed the whole idea of the plot and the back story of grim life in England, being married - albeit briefly - to a man who sounded, quite simply, appalling.

[Orláith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Happy Little Bluebirds is the perfect book to pick up at this time of year. I sometimes find historical fiction books to be quite heavy but this book is just wonderful. I highly recommend it.

[Lisa of Hopewell]

I learned of this book through this blog post: https://alifeinbooks.co.uk/2018/04/bo...