Tilly Bagshawe’s latest is a juicy family drama set
before, during, and after WWII. It focuses mainly on the Challants, a well-to-do English
family, led by a devout father whose sole purpose in life, it seems, is to make
everyone around him unhappy. Especially his frail devoted wife, who’d rather
spend time collecting exotic birds than focusing on her crumbling marriage. The
couple has four children: three girls and a boy, the latter the most obedient, though not necessarily the favorite (that would go to the youngest
girl who later on would pay dearly for this privilege). When tragedy strikes one
summer night during a raging thunderstorm, the life of the Challants is not
only affected but forever changed as secrets from the past eventually surface.
As expected, there is more than meets the eye in this
compelling tale of love and lost. It starts off quite strong, with one
protagonist in the present time facing some inner demons on a shrink couch, and
paces efficiently once the novel revisits the past for the family drama to
unfold. From the get-go I felt connected with most of the characters (I draw
the line with the rotten dad), especially the four siblings who try their best
to stay afloat despite constant turmoil in their lives. Of course like in any
well-made or not so well-made sagas, everyone is gorgeous and rich (or
surrounded by wealth) and suffers greatly in the name of love (or self love to
some) but never did I feel, in this particular novel, unattached to their
plights.
Fans still looking for Bagshawe’s unique bonkbuster style,
however, may be a tad disappointed as the sex and shopping approach in this one
is quite tamer, but overall THE SECRET KEEPERS
is still a very amorous affair with its strong narrative, colorful characters,
not to mention its finely-tuned historical flavor. Indeed, since her previous novel
THE SECRET OF SAINTE-MADELEINE, there’s a new Tilly Bagshawe in town, a Tilly Bagshawe
who’s matured to an ever greater storyteller, a writer who knows where she
stands in this so-called women fiction territory. And all is left to say is: brava,
talented lady, you’ve got another winner in your hands.
My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this 4
and a half stars reviewed ARC.
It’s official. DYNASTY
is back on track, thanks to a kinder eighth season. If you recall, season seven
was almost abysmal. It was mainly about Kristina’s heart disease and her eventual
recovery. Very, very boring, if you ask me. Sure, the remaining storylines were
more watchable, especially in the first half of the season, but not enough to grant
the overall season a must-see. Anyway, enough about that; let’s move on to season
eight.
Three well-known characters return: Fallon, Jeff and
Matthew Blaisdel, the latter with a mission in mind, to take back what’s his:
Krystle. Hurray for women’s lib. In the meantime, he holds the Carringtons
hostage with the help of some Peruvian mercenaries, one of which is a fine
specimen, but I digress. So, to recap this two-episode arc, Matthew fails to
win back Krystle. He is instead killed by gay ambivalent Steven who, for the
next few episodes, has a hard time dealing with it (not his sexual
preference—well, that too—but Matthew’s death). He starts burying his feelings
in work, like taking over his dad’s football team which is exactly what one
should do when also struggling with his own sexuality.
As for Fallon and Jeff, well, after being left
stranded near the LA desert by a UFO, a comatose Fallon is found by Jeff who
does not believe that she had been abducted by aliens (which happened during
the second season ender of THE COLBYS which by then had been cancelled, hence
Jeff and Fallon’s return to DYNASTY). Back in Denver to recuperate, and in
between UFO survivor sessions (which end up going nowhere plot-wise), Fallon
hardly gives a damn about Jeff’s feelings. She much prefers mentioning divorce
but Jeff is adamant that they stay married, even though he winds up in bed with
Leslie. You remember Leslie, Blake’s niece and troublemaker in the making? More
on her later.
Newlywed Adam wants his bride Dana to give him a child
but she’s unable to, on account of complications from an abortion as a teen.
But get this: the father at the time had been the same Adam, who, back then, was
just Michael Torrence: troubled, drugged up Michael Torrence. She keeps this
all on the hush-hush for a few episodes while they hire a surrogate (Stephanie
Dunnam). When the cat is finally out of the bag, instead of comforting his
bereft wife, he blames her for killing his child, which is so much like Adam.
However, he soon comes to forgive her and embarks on a custody battle with the
surrogate mother who, having given birth to a baby boy, wants to keep the child.
He loses the case but not before promising the world that’ll he’ll get his son back.
Blake is on a mission: to become governor of Colorado.
With Krystle and Jeff (as campaign manager) at his side he sets out to achieve
this, even if it means stepping away as chairman of Denver-Carrington (which he
gives to Steven) and running against Alexis. Sabotaged by her on numerous
occasions, he still manages to come on top, thanks mostly to his faithful wife who,
despite experiencing some impromptu splitting headaches which she tries to hide,
has become Nancy Drew in dishing out dirt from Alexis’ past. But in the end
both candidates loose against a meatier opponent.
As for Sammy Jo, well, having a platonic in-house relationship
with her ex, Steven, for the sake of their kid sure does not help her libido. In
comes hot footballer Josh (Tom Schanley) who, in between many lines of cocaine,
tries to sweep her off her feet but fails miserably. Oh, she still lets him
ravish her (who wouldn’t?) but in the end nothing comes of it (the same regarding
this plotline, I would say) and he winds up overdosing in his apartment, where a
devastated Sammy Jo eventually finds him.
Speaking of Sammy Jo, Jeff is hardly indifferent to
her plight. Let’s face it, he’s a good guy. A little slutty but a good guy. He’s
also tall, dark and handsome, not to mention filthy rich and, more importantly,
divorced from Fallon—finally. So no one is really surprised when he goes about setting
his eyes on Sammy Jo. Of course, he ends up having a meaningful romantic
relationship with her. They even end up hearing wedding bells on the horizon.
But old habits are hard to break for him when Fallon is around.
Now Alexis. After leaving Adam’s wedding celebration
in a borrowed car, and not to mention in despair, over a spat with Dex, she is
saved by a total stranger—or so we think—when she suddenly drives off a bridge.
This stranger turns out to be the cuckoo brother of—wait for it—Kirby. Yes,
season three and four Kirby, boring Kirby, hysterical Kirby, glad she’s not around
anymore Kirby. Anyway, to make a long story short, Sean, that’s his name, wants
to avenge sis and dad from all the trouble Alexis caused, dad being Joseph, the
then majordomo who committed suicide after setting a cabin on fire with Alexis
and Krystle in it. So what does Sean do? He courts Alexis, marries her, cheats
on her with Leslie (You remember Leslie, Blake’s niece and troublemaker in the
making? More on her later) and screws up his wife’s business. Then it all comes
down to Alexis finding out how rotten Sean is (kind of like her real-life ex-husband
Peter Holm) and watching Dex fighting him off until a gun goes off as a season
ender.
The season also ends with Blake learning of Krystle’s sudden
disappearance from the mansion which forces him to recognize the severity of her
health issues; Jeff taking over Denver-Carrington and putting himself in a
compromising situation when he sleeps with both Sammy Jo and Fallon; Leslie
being saved by Steven and Adam from troubled Sean (you remember Leslie, don’t
you? Blake’s niece and... oh never mind.); Steven leaving a letter to bid farewell
to his family (in real life the actor wanted out of the series); and Adam
discovering he‘s really been a Carrington all along which, despite that happy fact,
does not save his crumbling marriage. All in all a pretty good season, even
though it dropped to #41 in the Nielsen ratings. Yes, I agree, the entire Sean storyline
was a tad comical but the end result still managed to glue me to my seat. I
even rushed to season 9 to check out the outcome of his faith, even though I
had a hunch where it was going. But that, dear readers, is for another blog entry.
BEAUTY FOR SALE, made by MGM, focuses on three young women whose
lives are as tumultuous as any on-screen melodramas. Think THE BEST OF
EVERYTHING, THE WOMEN plus a dash of VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, and you’ve got a
pretty good idea of what’s in store (the film is based on a novel by Faith Baldwin). Made before the enforcement of the Motion
Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, BEAUTY FOR SALE is considered mild by today’s standards but oh what
a scandalous film it must have been back then: adultery, unwanted pregnancy,
booze, suicide...
The film features Madge Evans, a former child actress who
got signed by MGM in the early ‘30s. By the time she landed the lead in BEAUTY FOR SALE, she had already shared
the big screen with many big names, such as James Cagney, Bing Crosby, Jean
Harlow, Robert Young, just to name a few. To say that she’s sensational in this
picture would be an exaggeration on my part, for I find her a bit wooden at
times. Nevertheless, she does have star power, I’ll give her that. She plays
Lettie Lawson, a poor girl recently hired as a wet behind the ears beautician. As
it is often the case in many American films, she quickly learns the tricks of
the trade and winds up being highly sought after, even making house calls for
rich clients. One of whom ultimately being the spouse of married man she is secretly
dating. Should she go on with this charade? Or should she stop the affair?
Sharing the screen as Lettie’s BFF and co-worker is Una
Merkel who plays money-grabbing Carol. She tells Lettie to go on with the
affair, to jump in with both feet and live it up like she does. You’ve got to
love that character. She is one heck of a firecracker. She’s hell-bent on
finding a sugar daddy and does so eventually. Merkel’s part is the comic relief
of the film and she is indeed quite a hoot. The way she goes around cajoling an
elderly rich man is truly enjoyable. She has the strongest presence, in my opinion
and shines every time she appears. The actress made a career playing second
fiddle and it finally paid up when she was nominated for an Academy Award as
best supporting actress in 1961 for SUMMER AND SMOKE which I have yet to catch.
That leaves Florine McKinney who portrays Jane, the third
co-worker, whose naivety and amorous impulses lead her to an unwanted pregnancy
by the salon’s owner’s son. Jane is sort of like the Jennifer of the trio,
referring to Jennifer from VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, of course. Let’s just say that
rose-colored futures are not in her cards. Though she has less screen time,
McKinney is perfectly cast as the used and tossed away heroine. The scene where
she realizes that she has been left at the altar by her baby daddy is both sad
and poignant, so much so that the cinephile in me wanted to save her l. And every
time that happens, I call it magic on screen. I will be on the lookout for other
Florine McKinney vehicles.
Oh yes, BEAUTY
FOR SALE is pretty much on the melodramatic side and if you’re on the
lookout for such fares as I always am, you couldn’t ask for a better film. The overall
delivery is indeed quite fetching, heightened mostly by three fine actresses in
three intertwined storylines which sometimes take a comedic turn (on that note,
another worthy mention goes to Isabel Jewell as the on and off sophisticated manager
of the salon). Director Richard Boleslawski is just the right fit for this pre-code
women picture.
