I award this book three stars, as it is a first work by a youthful author who, no doubt, would have developed a more natural and smoothly flowing style. Harlow, after all, wrote this novel when she was 23 years old. Although apparently much smarter and more savvy than expected, she still was very young, and much of her perception of reality came from living in Hollywood and making movies in fake settings and with fanciful scripts.
That said, this is more a collector's piece than a work of literature. Harlow thought of herself as the heroine in a movie made from this story, and it tells a lot about her own self image. Judy Lansdowne, the heroine, is smart and plucky and loyal and resourceful, and a bit of a wild child. As it turned out, so was Harlow.
The foreword and introduction, both written decades later (1965) when the book was finally published shed much light on Harlow the person and Harlow the author. She asked for, and received, assistance in the writing, and it would have passed through the customary editing process prior to its 1965 publication, but the fact remains, she really did write it.
It is easy to believe that had she lived beyond the age of 26, Harlow would have written more stories like this, and, probably, a few screenplays. Both writers, of the foreword and the introduction, suggest she wanted to write books, and she was feisty enough to give it a try. I suggest you find and review a brief biography of her to frame the book and the story of its publication.
The story itself is improbable, but fun once you accept the premise. Occasionally overwritten, the sequence of events works, and Harlow well employs detail and imagery to good effect, and she displays a fun vocabulary at several points.
The copy I received was from the library of the University of California at San Diego, and was in good condition, as claimed, and I believe the price is fair for this as a collector piece.
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