The Seventh Veil of Salome
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About this listen
GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK • A young woman wins the role of a lifetime in a film about a legendary heroine—but the real drama is behind the scenes in this sumptuous historical epic from the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic.
“Whenever I want to read a book I know will be good, I go to Silvia Moreno-Garcia.”—Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
1950s Hollywood: Every actress wants to play Salome, the star-making role in a big-budget movie about the legendary woman whose story has inspired artists since ancient times.
So when the film’s mercurial director casts Vera Larios, an unknown Mexican ingenue, in the lead role, she quickly becomes the talk of the town. Vera also becomes an object of envy for Nancy Hartley, a bit player whose career has stalled, and who will do anything to win the fame she believes she richly deserves.
Two actresses, both determined to make it to the top in Golden Age Hollywood—a city overflowing with gossip, scandal, and intrigue—make for a sizzling combination.
But this is the tale of three women, for it is also the story of the princess Salome herself, consumed with desire for the fiery prophet who foretells the doom of her stepfather, Herod: a woman torn between the decree of duty and the yearning of her heart.
Before the curtain comes down, there will be tears and tragedy aplenty in this sexy Technicolor saga.
©2024 Silvia Moreno-Garcia (P)2024 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
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Critic reviews
“Using a kaleidoscope of perspectives, Moreno-Garcia skillfully depicts the rise of a starlet in 1950s Hollywood, capturing not only the glamour of poolside parties but also the sordid underbelly of the industry. That alone would be a great read, but she also weaves in the original story of Salome, adding rich layers to a story that bubbles with anticipation and will leave you spellbound.”—Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Spectacular
“I’ve been a huge Silvia Moreno-Garcia fan since her sensational Mexican Gothic, but this epic of 1950s Hollywood really hits my sweet spot. The Seventh Veil of Salome is absolutely not to be missed!”—Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Diamond Eye
“Intelligent, exciting, and written absolutely beautifully . . . Moreno-Garcia proves, once again, that she is a master of her craft.”—Kirkus Reviews, starred review"]
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The 13 chapters of The Art of War, each devoted to one aspect of warfare, were compiled by the high-ranking Chinese military general, strategist, and philosopher Sun-Tzu. In spite of its battlefield specificity, The Art of War has found new life in the modern age, with leaders in fields as wide and far-reaching as world politics, human psychology, and corporate strategy finding valuable insight in its timeworn words.
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The actual book The Art of War, not a commentary
- By Fred271 on 12-31-19
By: Sun Tzu
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Home Is Where the Bodies Are
- By: Jeneva Rose
- Narrated by: January LaVoy, Cassandra Campbell, Brittany Pressley, and others
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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After their mother passes, three estranged siblings reunite to sort out her estate. Beth, the oldest, never left home. She stayed with her mom, caring for her until the very end. Nicole, the middle child, has been kept at arm’s length due to her ongoing battle with a serious drug addiction. Michael, the youngest, lives out of state and hasn’t been back to their small Wisconsin town since their father ran out on them seven years before.
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Perfect Audio.
- By Black Women Read Too on 05-19-24
By: Jeneva Rose
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Technically Speaking
- By: Michael Elliot
- Narrated by: Coco Jones, Keith Powers, Queen Latifah, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 50 mins
- Original Recording
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Oakland-bred LaVeesha “Vee” Gilliam (Coco Jones) is a determined single mother of an autistic son and a gifted aspiring coder. When Vee loses her job as a food-services worker at the onsite restaurant at Grapengine, a large Silicon Valley tech company, she’s unable to pay for her son’s much-needed specialized education. By a twist of fate, mistaken identity, and her tech skills, Vee meets Troy Wilson (Keith Powers), the company’s wealthy founder and CEO and a wunderkind in the tech industry, who believes that Vee is a college-educated techie who works at his company.
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Overdue Diverse Representation in Tech!
- By Jatai Pollock on 09-26-24
By: Michael Elliot
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Ghost Stories: Stephen Fry's Definitive Collection
- By: Stephen Fry, Washington Irving, M.R. James, and others
- Narrated by: Stephen Fry
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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As the days grow shorter and the temperature drops, Halloween approaches. Come, brave listener, pull up a chair, and spend some time with master storyteller Stephen Fry as he tells us some of his favourite ghost stories of all time, in truly terrifying spatial audio. From the headless horseman of Sleepy Hollow to the tortured spirits of M.R. James, from Edgar Allan Poe’s terrifying tale of a doppelganger to Charlotte Riddell’s Open Door that should definitely stay shut, join Stephen as he tells you some truly terrifying tales.
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Wonderful narration. Mediocre stories.
- By Michael Fuchs on 11-07-23
By: Stephen Fry, and others
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Fahrenheit 451
- By: Ray Bradbury
- Narrated by: Tim Robbins
- Length: 5 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden. Montag never questions the destruction and ruin his actions produce, returning each day to his bland life and wife, Mildred, who spends all day with her television "family."
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Wish I Hadn't Cliff Noted This in High School
- By Joel on 03-27-17
By: Ray Bradbury
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Brain Damage
- By: Freida McFadden
- Narrated by: Megan Tusing
- Length: 9 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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As Charly struggles to recover from her brain injury, she begins to realize that the events of that fateful night are trapped in the damaged right side of her brain. Now, she must put the jigsaw pieces together to discover the identity of the man who tried to kill her...before he finishes the job he started.
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Who Else Laughed, Cried, and Shuddered?
- By Jennifer Chichester on 09-16-22
By: Freida McFadden
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Starship Troopers
- By: Robert A. Heinlein
- Narrated by: R.C. Bray
- Length: 8 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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Johnnie Rico never really intended to join up—and definitely not the infantry. But now that he’s in the thick of it, trying to get through combat training harder than anything he could have imagined, he knows everyone in his unit is one bad move away from buying the farm in the interstellar war the Terran Federation is waging against the Arachnids. Because everyone in the Mobile Infantry fights. And if the training doesn’t kill you, the Bugs are more than ready to finish the job.
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The definitive version!
- By Kristopher G. Hesson on 10-03-24
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They are the Beautiful Ones, Loisail’s most notable socialites, and this spring is Nina’s chance to join their ranks, courtesy of her well-connected cousin and his calculating wife. But the Grand Season has just begun, and already Nina’s debut has gone disastrously awry. She has always struggled to control her telekinesis- neighbors call her the Witch of Oldhouse - and the haphazard manifestations of her powers make her the subject of malicious gossip. When entertainer Hector Auvray arrives to town, Nina is dazzled.
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Beautifully Written, Beautifully Boring, Horrifically Slow
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Mexico in the 1970s is a dangerous country, even for Maite, a secretary who spends her life seeking the romance found in cheap comic books and ignoring the activists protesting around the city. When her next-door neighbor, the beautiful art student Leonora, disappears under suspicious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for the missing woman—and journeying deeper into Leonora’s secret life of student radicals and dissidents.
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Amazing, entertaining, and insightful
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Montserrat has always been overlooked. She’s a talented sound editor, but she’s left out of the boys’ club running the film industry in ’90s Mexico City. And she’s all but invisible to her best friend, Tristán, a charming if faded soap opera star, though she’s been in love with him since childhood. Then Tristán discovers his new neighbor is the cult horror director Abel Urueta, and the legendary auteur claims he can change their lives—even if his tale of a Nazi occultist imbuing magic into highly volatile silver nitrate stock sounds like sheer fantasy.
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Good story but the narrator…
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Malas
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In 1951, a mysterious old woman confronts Pilar Aguirre in the small border town of La Cienega, Texas. The old woman is sure Pilar stole her husband and, in a heated outburst, lays a curse on Pilar and her family. More than forty years later, Lulu Muñoz is dodging chaos at every turn: her troubled father’s moods, his rules, her secret life as singer in a punk band, but most of all her upcoming quinceañera. When her beloved grandmother passes away, Lulu finds herself drawn to the glamorous stranger who crashed the funeral and who lives alone and shunned on the edge of town.
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Unique and interesting
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I Was Never the First Lady
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Nadia Guerra’s mother, Albis Torres, left when Nadia was just 10 years old. Growing up, the proponents of revolution promised a better future. Now that she’s an adult, Nadia finds that life in Havana hasn’t quite matched its promise; instead it has stifled her rebellious and artistic desires. Each night, she DJs a radio show government censors block from broadcasting. Frustrated, Nadia finds hope and a way out when she wins a scholarship to study in Russia.
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Mexico City, 1988. Long before iTunes or MP3s, you said "I love you" with a mixtape. Meche, awkward and fifteen, discovers how to cast spells using music, and with her friends Sebastian and Daniela will piece together their broken families, and even find love.
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They are the Beautiful Ones, Loisail’s most notable socialites, and this spring is Nina’s chance to join their ranks, courtesy of her well-connected cousin and his calculating wife. But the Grand Season has just begun, and already Nina’s debut has gone disastrously awry. She has always struggled to control her telekinesis- neighbors call her the Witch of Oldhouse - and the haphazard manifestations of her powers make her the subject of malicious gossip. When entertainer Hector Auvray arrives to town, Nina is dazzled.
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Beautifully Written, Beautifully Boring, Horrifically Slow
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Mexico in the 1970s is a dangerous country, even for Maite, a secretary who spends her life seeking the romance found in cheap comic books and ignoring the activists protesting around the city. When her next-door neighbor, the beautiful art student Leonora, disappears under suspicious circumstances, Maite finds herself searching for the missing woman—and journeying deeper into Leonora’s secret life of student radicals and dissidents.
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Amazing, entertaining, and insightful
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Montserrat has always been overlooked. She’s a talented sound editor, but she’s left out of the boys’ club running the film industry in ’90s Mexico City. And she’s all but invisible to her best friend, Tristán, a charming if faded soap opera star, though she’s been in love with him since childhood. Then Tristán discovers his new neighbor is the cult horror director Abel Urueta, and the legendary auteur claims he can change their lives—even if his tale of a Nazi occultist imbuing magic into highly volatile silver nitrate stock sounds like sheer fantasy.
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Good story but the narrator…
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Entrancing fable, mostly
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The Jazz Age is in full swing, but Casiopea Tun is too busy cleaning the floors of her wealthy grandfather’s house to listen to any fast tunes. Nevertheless, she dreams of a life far from her dusty small town in southern Mexico. A life she can call her own. Yet this new life seems as distant as the stars, until the day she finds a curious wooden box in her grandfather’s room. She opens it - and accidentally frees the spirit of the Mayan god of death, who requests her help in recovering his throne from his treacherous brother.
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I can’t finish this
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Mexican Gothic
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After receiving a frantic letter from her newly-wed cousin begging for someone to save her from a mysterious doom, Noemí Taboada heads to High Place, a distant house in the Mexican countryside. She’s not sure what she will find—her cousin’s husband, a handsome Englishman, is a stranger, and Noemí knows little about the region.
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Lacking, Disappointing, Not Developed
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The Daughter of Doctor Moreau
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Carlota Moreau: A young woman growing up on a distant and luxuriant estate, safe from the conflict and strife of the Yucatán peninsula. The only daughter of a researcher who is either a genius or a madman. Montgomery Laughton: A melancholic overseer with a tragic past and a propensity for alcohol. An outcast who assists Dr. Moreau with his experiments, which are financed by the Lizaldes, owners of magnificent haciendas and plentiful coffers. The hybrids: The fruits of the doctor’s labor, destined to blindly obey their creator and remain in the shadows.
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High hopes dashed
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The Montoyas are used to a life without explanations. They know better than to ask why the pantry never seems to run low, or why their matriarch won’t ever leave their home in Four Rivers - not for graduations, weddings, or baptisms. But when Orquídea Divina invites them to her funeral and to collect their inheritance, they hope to learn the secrets that she has held onto so tightly their whole lives. Instead, Orquídea is transformed into a ceiba tree, leaving them with more questions than answers.
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Magical Realism Weirdness
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New York, 1998. Santiago Larrea, a wealthy Argentine diplomat, is holding court alongside his wife, Lila, and their daughter, Paloma, a college student and budding jewelry designer, at their annual summer polo match and soiree. All seems perfect in the Larreas’ world—until an unexpected party guest from Santiago's university days shakes his usually unflappable demeanor. The woman's cryptic comments spark Paloma’s curiosity about her father’s past, of which she knows little. Paloma is determined to learn more about his life in the years leading up to the dictatorship of 1976.
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Amazing narration, moving story!
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Miss del Río
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1910, Mexico. As the country’s revolution spreads, Dolores, the daughter of a wealthy banker, must flee her comfortable life in Durango or risk death. Her family settles in Mexico City, where, at sixteen, she marries the worldly Jaime del Río. But in a twist of fate, at a party she meets an influential American director who recognizes in her a natural performer. He invites her to Hollywood, and practically overnight, the famous Miss del Río is born.
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beautiful story
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Welcome to Mexico City, an oasis in a sea of vampires. Domingo, a lonely garbage-collecting street kid, is just trying to survive its heavily policed streets when a jaded vampire on the run swoops into his life. Atl, the descendant of Aztec blood drinkers, is smart, beautiful, and dangerous. Domingo is mesmerized.
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Pretty good
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The Tiger Came to the Mountains
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She is the adventurer of the family. Her brother, the gentle dreamer. Even as they bond over folktales and hold each other close, their world has never felt so dangerous. Revolutionaries and pelones are in conflict, soldiers have turned into scavengers, and an escaped tiger has slipped up the mountain, looking for easy prey. As the darkest of legends becomes real, a young girl will do anything to save her brother’s life.
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Amazing Story
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Daughter of Fire
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Catalina de Cerrato is being raised by her widowed father, Don Alonso, in 1551 Guatemala, scarcely thirty years since the Spanish invasion. A ruling member of the oppressive Spanish hierarchy, Don Alonso holds sway over the newly relegated lower class of Indigenous communities. Fiercely independent, Catalina struggles to honor her father and her late mother, a Maya noblewoman to whom Catalina made a vow that only she can keep: preserve the lost sacred text of the Popol Vuh, the treasured and now forbidden history of the K’iche’ people.
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Beautiful book, beautiful narration
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Untamed Shore
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Baja California, 1979. Viridiana spends her days watching the dead sharks piled beside the seashore, as the fishermen pull their nets. There is nothing else to do. Yet her head is filled with dreams of Hollywood films, of romance, of a future beyond the drab town where her only option is to marry and have children. Three wealthy American tourists arrive for the summer, and Viridiana is magnetized. They offer excitement, and perhaps an escape. When one of them dies, Viridiana lies to protect her friends. Soon enough, someone’s asking questions....
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Feminist noir thriller with teeth
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The Volcano Daughters
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El Salvador, 1923. Graciela, a young girl growing up on a volcano in a community of Indigenous women, is summoned to the capital, where she is claimed as an oracle for a rising dictator. There she meets Consuelo, the sister she has never known, who was stolen from their home before Graciela was born. The two spend years under the cruel El Gran Pendejo’s regime, unwillingly helping his reign of terror, until genocide strikes the community from which they hail.
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A Masterpiece, a must read!
- By Plant lover on 09-30-24
What listeners say about The Seventh Veil of Salome
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Tasha Dagenais
- 08-20-24
outstanding
Wonderful performances from various voice actors. This was a truly riveting listen and interesting story.
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- Susan Parks
- 09-27-24
Well thought out.
Enjoyed the story, it was what I needed for a flight home. It’s a bit fluffy & fun but gives one a great feeling of Hollywood in the 1950’s. The audible version is very well done.
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- Grace P Kinchen
- 10-02-24
Excellent character development and cultural knowledge.
Very slow start but Silvia is one of my favorite authors so I stuck with the story and it soon had me enthralled.
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- NTexHiker
- 08-14-24
Predictable
Spoiler: Characters are predictable as is the story. Interesting look into the days of classic Hollywood but you already know ethnic actors and actors of color were discriminated against. You know the rich guy’s parents aren’t going to want him dating a Mexican born actress, Nancy is jealous because she didn’t get the role. You could write the outline for this typical tale without reading this book. It was nicely written but nothing new or exciting here.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Patty Gamez
- 08-08-24
Great Story Telling
I love how Silvia mixes history, myths, etc in her stories. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Great, great book!
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- JP
- 10-02-24
It is almost like watching a movie
Hollywood glamor and scandal but with a Hispanic main character! I was blown away by the writing and voice acting.
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- Diego
- 10-14-24
The Seven Veils of Hell?
The first third of the book was painful to get through—a perfect example of excessive description and unnecessary detail that doesn’t add to the story in the end. About two-thirds in, however, the book starts to make great points through Vera’s development, her strong work ethic, and defiance toward her mother. I found myself rooting for greater character exploration, especially as Jay also struggles with family dynamics. Nancy’s relationship with her father could have been an interesting thread to explore further also.
As an entrepreneur myself, I saw my own story reflected in Vera’s defiance of society’s expectations, her strong work ethic, but most of all in the artistic expression of her dance—her craft.
There was a clear opportunity to draw stronger parallels between Vera and Salomon and to explore the tormenting consequences of Nancy’s actions. The ending felt rushed, unexpected, and insufficient.
Nonetheless, if you really think about it, the book offers unique insights and valuable social critiques. Unlike Salomon, Silvia had all the right steps for a great dance, the right ingredients for a great tamale, and still fell short.
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- Stefan Filipovits
- 08-08-24
A New Look At Old Hollywood
After ravenously consuming “Mexican Gothic” I became obsessed with the other works of the rising literary titan that is Sylvia Moreno Garcia. She’s become one of those writers whose work I must read as soon as it’s released. I think a big reason for that is because she’s a rare breed of author. No matter what she’s writing, whether it be noir, horror (her strong suit in my humble opinion), mystery, or even just a character piece, she always manages to somehow turn in something readers like myself simply can’t put down. The aforementioned “Mexican Gothic” was an engrossing and addictive gothic pot-boiler that grabbed me by the throat and squeezed tighter with every turn of the page. “Silver Nitrate” was a fun and entertaining thrill ride that felt like it was written by a true horror junkie. “Velvet was the night” was an atmospheric mystery with insightful perspectives and prose that wore its pulp and noir influences on its sleeves. In my mind, she has yet to turn in anything that wasn’t thought-provoking, thrilling, superbly written, and utterly addictive. That winning streak continues here with “The Seventh Veil Of Salome”.
I think part of the reason I respond so much to Sylvia Moreno-Garcia’s writing is because most of her works involve in some way cinema and Hollywood history, as well as the influences she’s picked up from what seems like a lifelong fascination with those subjects and years of indulging that fascination. As someone who has also been obsessed with the history, legends, and world of movies since I was 10, I share her palpable love for all things cinema. She has a remarkable way of immersing the reader in that world and getting them invested in it, and thus, the story. She captures the vibe, aesthetic, institutions, politics, and tumultuous change that was occurring in Tinseltown at the time of “The Seventh Veil of Salome” exquisitely. The old studio system was collapsing, New Hollywood and its stars were emerging, and Joseph McCarthy and his absurdly overreaching House Un-American Activities Committee was ruining lives and turning everyone in the Hollywood machine and America at large into paranoid reactionaries. It is in this world that “The Seventh Veil Of Salome” is set.
While this historical setting provides ample opportunities for conflict, intrigue, and very deftly written world-building, it’s the enthralling character work that will stick with readers most. When one of the ubiquitous (for the 50’s) sword and sandal films about the biblical temptress Salome finally emerges from “development hell”, the race is on to find the perfect actress to inhabit the titular role. And while mega-stars like Mansfield, and Russell, vie for top-billing it’s the unknowns that are truly in contention. This is a story of Hollywood and the world of cinema told from people on its margins. A Mexican girl ashamed of her accent despite her undeniable talent, a “pick me up” girl doing ANYTHING to get ahead, a Jewish writer who only wants the best for his script, even Salome herself has her say and each perspective offers something new, insightful, and engrossing while simultaneously conflict, duplicity, hatred, and cruelty abound. The most laudable thing about “The Seventh Veil Of Salome” was that despite how “cinematic” it felt, it was never formulaic. No matter how familiar it was, it was never predictable. No matter how gritty, off-putting, or self-serving the world, circumstances, or characters became, the story was never anything less than enthralling. So, If you’re looking for a new look at old Hollywood, definitely give “The Seventh Veil Of Salome” a listen.
But buckle up and enjoy the ride.
If you enjoyed “The Seventh Veil Of Salome” as much as I have and are looking for similar titles then definitely check out Sylvia Moreno-Garcia’s aforementioned earlier works like “Silver Nitrate”, “Mexican Gothic”, and “Velvet Was The Night”. You might also enjoy “The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo” by Taylor Jenkins Reid, “The Enchanters” by James Ellroy, “The Devil’s Playground” by Craig Russell, and “The Garden Of Allah Series” as well as “The Hollywood Homefront trilogy” by Martin Turnbull (both of which I heartily recommend) .
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- QueeneB21
- 11-03-24
Hollywood vs History
3.5 Stars. Interesting story about 1950's Hollywood, how people of color were treated and the supposed back story of Salome
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- Raya
- 09-07-24
Another hit!
I’ve loved SM-G’s novels in the past for their gothic horror and magical realism. This one has neither and it still knocks it out of the park. Ending was very emotional. I know I’ll be buying a print version and treasuring this one!
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