The Chateau on Sunset by Natasha Lester
The Chateau on Sunset is written by bestselling, Perth based author Natasha Lester. With this book, Lester has shifted from historical fiction to modern historical fiction with The Chateau on Sunset being set in the 1950-1970ish time period rather than the 1900s-1940s period settings of her previous novels. Although The Chateau on Sunset is fiction it is based almost entirely on real events (for example the 16-year-old Natalie Wood affair with the 44-year-old Nicholas Ray (the director of Rebel without a cause) was conducted in a bungalow at the Chateau Marmont). The Chateau on Sunset is a fine example of the german term - gothic "bildungsroman" which is a literary genre of formation that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood. Aria Jones arrives as a 14-year-old girl in the 1950s and her maturation is followed through to her early twenties.
The Chateau Marmont very much existed and still exists at 8221 Sunset Boulevard and it was a place where rising and falling Hollywood stars and starlets resided and partied. Marilyn Munroe, Grace Kelly and Bette Davis regularly stayed at the Chateau Marmont. Lester depicts the neon skyline surrounding the Marmont including the famous 20 foot high neon silhouette of Beryl Wallace over the Hollywood studios, and the famous pharmacy/drugstore frequented by stars - Schwab's Pharmacy.
The Chateau Marmont is known for its gothic architecture, its private bungalows and as a discreet Hollywood hideaway for celebrities. It is a character itself in this book (quite sentient) reminiscent of other great houses in literature including the great house, Thornfield Hall, where Jane Eyre falls in love with Rochester. Aria Jones is orphaned as was Jane Eyre. The Chateau Marmont is similar to Thornfield Hall as it is a large, spooky house redolent with nasty secrets. Like Jane falling in love with Rochester, Aria falls in love with Theo Winchester (a mysterious wealthy rock singer). Both girls fall in love with a man far above their own station in life. Both weddings are interrupted by the presence of former wives/partners, one is confined to an attic/ the other is kept in one of the bungalows at the Chateau Marmont. Both Jane Eyre and Aria Jones flee to safeguard their integrity and to achieve for themselves in life. Jane inherits a fortune/Aria - well it is best to not give away too much of the plot. It is enough to say that Aria Jones' life mirrors Jane Eyre's life but is placed in a different era and context. Aria Jones is certainly a feisty survivor.
The glitz and glamour and the dangerous and tawdry side of the Golden Age of Hollywood are the subject of The Chateau on Sunset. The strongest parts of the book are when the action occurs within the Chateau. As Aria plots her life's course in glamorous locations beyond the Chateau, something big drops away for the reader. The Chateau looms large and is missed.
Although it may seem unlikely that a lonely, innocent orphan girl could win the friendship of worldly girls, exhibit so much boldness and become an almost agony aunt rescuing starlets from lecherous Hollywood movie directors and exacting lasting revenge and although it seems unlikely that such a girl could catch the eye of Theo Winchester, this is fiction. This is unashamedly a reworking of Jane Eyre, placing the classic story into modern historical times.
Like Jane Eyre, The Chateau on Sunset is told through the first person perspective of the heroine Aria. The reader is drawn into her perspective through her sassy thoughts and reactions - open at any page and it is evident eg..."The door of the turret bursts open. Holy shit! Why at the most crucial junctures of my life does someone burst into the turret?" (p.175)
The Chateau on Sunset is a romp of a book- full of mystery and secrets that will keep the reader captivated.
Themes: Sexual abuse/scandal in the Hollywood entertainment industry, Loyalty, Friendship, The Jane Eyre story, Revenge and redemption, Romance.
Wendy Jeffrey