Hollywood Lesbian Legends Roman-a-Clef Mary Martin Jean Arthur First Edition 1st

Description: The Princess and the Goblin By Paul RosnerSherbourne Press, Los Angeles, California, 1966. First Edition, stated First Printing. Very good hardcover in very good dustjacket. Tight binding, solid spine, clean unmarked text. 606 pages. Inspired by the success of Jacqueline Susann and Harold Robbins, this roman-a-clef is notorious for its depiction of the alleged lesbian affair between Mary Martin and Jean Arthur. It very much follows the formula established by Robbins and Susann, with enough clues about the real-life personalities to let the reader know who they "really" are, but with enough differences to keep from getting sued. It basically tells the story of how Maureen Covillion (Mary Martin), a shallow but ambitious and conniving young actress, "steals" the personality of sensitive acting genius Josie Adams (Jean Arthur). It's a campy melodrama that would have made a wonderful film by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Some scenes are quite wonderful, but many are meandering and pointless. (An example is a long conversation between a writer and his wife about their children's behavior that has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the book.) There are, however, a lot of laughs along the way, mostly at Miss Covillion's expense. There are also some shrewd observations of show folk and show business by someone who has obviously been there. There are several minor characters who will be recognizable to musical comedy buffs, such as the woman composer whose father is also a famous Broadway composer. (I doubt that the personality he ascribes to the character is accurate, however.) Rosner could have used an editor badly, but at the same time the book's schizophrenia was one thing that made it interesting for me. Make no mistake about it. This is trash. But thoroughly enjoyable trash. Loc: C5

Price: 17.5 USD

Location: Tonawanda, New York

End Time: 2025-01-09T14:38:11.000Z

Shipping Cost: 8.38 USD