Star-Dust

by Fannie Hurst

Fannie Hurst (1889-1968) was an American novelist. She was born in Hamilton, Ohio, the only surviving child of a well-to-do Jewish family. She spent the first twenty years of her life in St. Louis, Missouri, where she attended Washington University in St. Louis and graduated in 1909. In 1921, she was among the first to join the Lucy Stone League, an organization that fought for women to preserve their maiden names. She was active in the Urban League, and was appointed to the National Advisory Committee to the Works Progress Administration in 1940. She was also a delegate to the World Health Organization in 1952. Hurst is now best known for the screen adaptations of her works, such as the 1934 film Imitation of Life. Although her books are not well remembered today, during her lifetime some of her more famous novels were Star-Dust (1919), Lummox (1923), A President is Born (1927), Back Street (1931) and Imitation of Life (1933).

404 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1921

About the author

Fannie Hurst was born in Ohio, grew up in St. Louis and spent her adult life in New York City. She is the author of 17 novels and more than 250 short stories, as well as plays, screenplays, memoirs, essays and articles. Her best-remembered works are those turned into films, including: Imitation of Life, Back Street, Humoresque, The Younger Generation, and Young at Heart. She was active in a variety of progressive Jewish, social justice, labor, peace and women’s organizations. A lifelong philanthropist, Hurst willed her considerable estate to her alma mater Washington University and to Brandeis University.

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fannie Hurst books are best remembered from the movies they inspired such as Imitation of Life, Humoresque, and the trio of films: Four Daughters, Four Wives, and Four Mothers. Star-Dust was published in 1921 and is of interest primarily as a period piece. Hurst tackles topics that were controversial at the time with a decidedly feminist view. Is it well-written? Not particularly. It is over-written and somewhat overwrought but worth a look if you enjoy reading novels that were popular in their time but are little remembered today. They can often give us a view of life that is different from the classics or well-researched modern novels. I do recommend that you get a copy from someplace other than Google free books. It was a wee bit challenging to figure out what the word really was in the original book.

[Cathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uneven writing, but a great story once I got into it and became used to Fannie Hurst's style. It definitely gave me the impression of a first effort. There were several parts that had unusual wording, and words I don't even know the meaning of, but when I got past these, I found an exciting story told in a direct manner that carried me swiftly along. The characters were unique and interesting, the types I found myself caring about. The theme of a young woman trying to find herself is one that can totally pertain to today. The ending was one of the book's down sides, as it left me hanging and wanting a more complete resolution of the characters' situations. All in all, I found it an enjoyable novel, and I'm looking forward to reading more of Fannie Hurst's works.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was actually much better than I was anticipating! The story was original, and I read it quickly because I was fascinated by the characters. In fact, these characters would not be out of place in 2012 ... a lot of people, like Lilly in the story, feel they *have* to do things in life because society expects them to. And many people wish they could break out of their boring lives and do what they really want.

The only reason I gave this book 3 stars rather than 4 is because it had an unsatisfactory ending - though of course that is just my opinion ... I'm not one of those people who think the way most of society think ;)

[saricima · Rating 1 out of 5]

didnt even finish it. coudnt get into it.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting enough to finish --but very long and way too descriptive - older book so style of writing was odd --really enjoyed parts of the story --skimmed past others.

[Thea Prisco · Rating 3 out of 5]

it's good,though something lacks......don't know
well who cares......i enjoyed reading!!!!
:D