02/14/2022
Green (The Friends We Keep) delves in her shimmering latest into the short life of real-life Dutch socialite Talitha Getty, via the perspective of a woman who met her during the swinging ’60s. As an English widow named Claire goes through her attic, she discovers a box of mementos from her trip to Morocco in the 1960s. Green then flashes back to 1966 Dorset, where Claire, eager to get away from her critical stepmother, flees to London and finds work at a women’s clothing store. Claire begins dating John McKenna, who introduces her to people in the music industry, members of the newly popular Rolling Stones among them. As Claire becomes immersed in London’s vibrant 1960s music scene, she joins her newfound friends on a trip to Morocco where she meets Talitha Getty, a beautiful fashion figure and wife of J. Paul Getty Jr. Claire enjoys her close friendship with Talitha and is drawn into Talitha’s indulgent world of drugs and sex, until the glamour of that life wanes when an accident befalls a member of Claire’s new circle. Green convincingly describes the appeal of the music scene, as well as the allure of her beautiful characters, both famous and fictional. Green’s fans will be delighted by this story of glitter and tragedy. (Apr.)
"Jane Green has outdone herself with this mesmerizing and delicious story of a young girl trying to find her way—and losing control—in the Swinging Sixties in London. Jet-setting, glamorous, intoxicating, and a tad bit dangerous, Sister Stardust transports you to the very center of the glitterati and under the spell of Talitha Getty. A wild ride."—Taylor Jenkins Reid
"Sister Stardust is wonderful and big-hearted, expansive and page-turning. A joy to read."—Laura Dave, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me
“Sister Stardust is smart, sexy, and compulsively page-turning. Love, love, love.”—Lauren Weisberger, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"A magic novel and a sumptuous feast for the senses. Sister Stardust is a thrilling trip.”—Elin Hilderbrand
"This novel is a feast for the senses: a coming-of-age story about a shopgirl in the ‘60s who takes a magic ride to a world most people can only dream of—and finds it even more glamorous, intoxicating, and ultimately heartbreaking than she ever could have imagined. Exuberantly hopeful and thrillingly alive, Sister Stardust is Jane Green’s best novel yet!”—Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author
"Sister Stardust unfolds like a wild ride on the Marrakech Express. Based on a true story, the heady and decadent world of 1960's socialite Talitha Getty comes alive in paisley perfection when she meets her soul sister Claire. We are in the hands of the master craftsman Jane Green, who paints the world with a vivid brush, dripping in style and emotion. An unforgettable, spectacular read."—Adriana Trigiani, bestselling author of The Good Left Undone
“Green transports you into the fascinating and rarified world of the enigmatic Talitha Getty and makes you long to linger even as the pages fly by. I couldn’t get enough! An absolute must read.”—Liv Constantine, internationally bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish
“Sister Stardust is a time machine into the most glamorous and dangerous world you can imagine—yet suffused with Jane Green’s trademark enormous heart. Addictive, dazzling, transporting—the most luscious book you’ll read this year.”—Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Woodrow on the Bench and The Lost Family
“Jane Green transports readers to 1960s Marrakesh…a reimagining of the glamorous and tragic life of counterculture icon, socialite and Rolling Stones muse Talitha Getty.”—Parade
“Chock-full of vibrant historical details about London and Morocco in the 1960s, Green’s first foray into historical fiction does not disappoint…Green portrays the scenery and atmosphere so vividly that readers will be instantly transported. The descriptions of Marrakech, with its bright colors and beautiful architecture, present an especial sensory delight…A provocative story about youth culture during the 1960s, overflowing with sex, drugs, and rock and roll.”—Kirkus Reviews
“An enticing exploration of a bygone era in a fabled city and some of its real-life luminaries.”—Booklist
"Shimmering... Green convincingly describes the appeal of the music scene, as well as the allure of her beautiful characters, both famous and fictional. Green’s fans will be delighted by this story of glitter and tragedy."—Publishers Weekly
"Dreamlike...paints a vivid, intoxicating picture of a singular time in a singular place, where it seemed everything was possible... It's a rich and sensual read with delicate portrayals of real historical figures."—POPSUGAR
"Readers are transported to the Swinging '60s in this lush and intoxicating saga inspired by the true story of icon Talitha Getty."—Woman's World
06/01/2022
Inspired by true events, best-selling Green (The Friends We Keep) tells the story of Talitha Getty, a famous actress and model married to wealthy oil heir Paul Getty. She presides over a group of people caught up in the swinging 1960s scene of free love, art, and music. Young, sheltered Claire first meets Talitha in London, but follows her to Marrakesh and gets swept up in the glitz and glamor of the life of the young, rich, and famous found there. Soon they connect in an unexpected way, but the dark side of the lifestyle shocks Claire. This lush coming-of-age story set in a time where anything goes showcases not only the actual landscape of London and Marrakesh, but that of the countercultural scene of the 1960s. Talented narrator Fiona Hardingham deftly handles the various accents and dialects of everyone from Mick Jagger to Talitha. VERDICT Listeners will be swept up into the storytelling and the lifestyle of the '60s in which people, especially women, were free to live and love any way they chose.—Elyssa Everling
11/01/2021
In the late 1960s, Claire escapes her small-town life and its attendant burdens—a nasty stepmother, an unrequited love—for swinging London, then follows up a rumor about a truly happening place and heads to Marrakesh. At a hideaway where music, drugs, and communal living reign, she meets Talitha Getty, socialite wife of the famous oil heir, and a special friendship is born. The New York Time best-selling author's first foray into biographical fiction; with a 125,000-copy first printing.
Narrator Fiona Hardingham portrays an aging woman named Claire, whose mind drifts back and forth between the present day and her memories of wilder times in the 1960s. Young, innocent Claire crosses paths with the magnetic socialite Talitha Getty one night in London. Soon, Talitha and her rich and famous friends bring Claire to Marrakesh. Claire is shocked and intrigued by their sex and drug-fueled lifestyle but is reluctant to forgo the adventure, even when a darker side is revealed. The novel is inspired by a true story, and Hardingham’s lively performance depicts hedonism but also a time of tender intimacy and emotional exploration. The languid pace of a group’s conversation while smoking opium contrasts with the excited shrieks of teen girls as they encounter famous musicians. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
Narrator Fiona Hardingham portrays an aging woman named Claire, whose mind drifts back and forth between the present day and her memories of wilder times in the 1960s. Young, innocent Claire crosses paths with the magnetic socialite Talitha Getty one night in London. Soon, Talitha and her rich and famous friends bring Claire to Marrakesh. Claire is shocked and intrigued by their sex and drug-fueled lifestyle but is reluctant to forgo the adventure, even when a darker side is revealed. The novel is inspired by a true story, and Hardingham’s lively performance depicts hedonism but also a time of tender intimacy and emotional exploration. The languid pace of a group’s conversation while smoking opium contrasts with the excited shrieks of teen girls as they encounter famous musicians. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2022, Portland, Maine
2022-01-12
A small-town British girl relocates to London, where she gets involved with a fast crowd that introduces her to psychedelic drugs, free love, and complicated questions.
In 1960s England, Claire Collins has long yearned to leave rural Dorset and build a bigger life full of glamour. When her widowed father remarries, her desire to hit the road only intensifies. After a particularly nasty fight with her stepmother, Claire boards the first train to London with little more than pocket money and determination. After a dicey beginning, she finds lodging in a hostel and a job working as a shopgirl. Then she meets John McKenna, a young man with connections to the burgeoning British music scene. Before long, John is introducing Claire to one celebrity after another, well-known musicians and famous groupies. On a whim, Claire’s new famous friends bring her to Morocco, where she meets Talitha Getty, the wife of enormously wealthy Paul Getty. As Claire falls under the dizzying spell of riches and nonstop parties, she tries everything her new friends offer her, from LSD to opium and orgies. The more deeply entrenched she becomes, the more she begins to wonder whether the new life she’s created for herself contains more pitfalls than prizes. Chock-full of vibrant historical details about London and Morocco in the 1960s, Green’s first foray into historical fiction does not disappoint. The novel shines brightest when Claire, who narrates, first arrives in London and again when she forms her initial impressions of Morocco. Green portrays the scenery and atmosphere so vividly that readers will be instantly transported. The descriptions of Marrakech, with its bright colors and beautiful architecture, present an especial sensory delight. While Claire seems to believe the story she tells is about Talitha, the narrative is really about an average girl’s brief brush with fame during an unprecedented time, tackling difficult questions of self-doubt, fulfillment, and individual purpose—complete with cameo appearances by Mick Jagger, John Lennon, and a host of others.
A provocative story about youth culture during the 1960s, overflowing with sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
