Anthony Marra

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Illinois

A Novel

"When we first meet Maria Lagana, shes rewriting scripts at Mercury Pictures, a failing Hollywood studio known for its schlock. Marias job is to re-craft dialogue and action to circumvent the censors, a skill shes mysteriously adept at. Born in Italy, as a teenager Maria witnessed Mussolinis censors arrest her father, an event that will destroy her family and burden Maria with questions of guilt and responsibility she will carry with her throughout this wondrous, far-reaching novel. Like many before her, Maria has come to Hollywood to outrun her past. Despite its cheap production values and factory-approach to making movies, Mercury Pictures is a nexus of refugees and emigres, each struggling to reinvent themselves in the land of celluloid. Theres Artie, the studio boss, a man of many toupees who barely escaped the pogroms of Eastern Europe; theres Anna, a set designer, who ran afoul of Hitler; and theres Eddie Lu, a struggling actor and Marias boyfriend, who despite being born in Los Angeles encounters the worst of Americas xenophobia. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, everything changes for Maria and her world, forcing her come to terms with her fathers fate--and her own"--

Mercury Pictures Presents

2a12d26c-f73c-4293-8bd0-150fa69a57cb-1

Pennsylvania

The epic tale of a brilliant woman who must reinvent herself to survive, moving from Mussolini's Italy to 1940s Los Angeles--a timeless story of love, deceit, and sacrifice from the award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena

"A genuinely moving and life-affirming novel that's a true joy to read."--Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2022--BookPage

Like many before her, Maria Lagana has come to Hollywood to outrun her past. Born in Rome, where every Sunday her father took her to the cinema instead of church, Maria immigrates with her mother to Los Angeles after a childhood transgression leads to her father's arrest.

Fifteen years later, on the eve of America's entry into World War II, Maria is an associate producer at Mercury Pictures, trying to keep her personal and professional lives from falling apart. Her mother won't speak to her. Her boss, a man of many toupees, has been summoned to Washington by congressional investigators. Her boyfriend, a virtuoso Chinese American actor, can't escape the studio's narrow typecasting. And the studio itself, Maria's only home in exile, teeters on the verge of bankruptcy.

Over the coming months, as the bright lights go dark across Los Angeles, Mercury Pictures becomes a nexus of European émigrés: modernist poets trying their luck as B-movie screenwriters, once-celebrated architects becoming scale-model miniaturists, and refugee actors finding work playing the very villains they fled. While the world descends into war, Maria rises through a maze of conflicting politics, divided loyalties, and jockeying ambitions. But when the arrival of a stranger from her father's past threatens Maria's carefully constructed facade, she must finally confront her father's fate--and her own.

Written with intelligence, wit, and an exhilarating sense of possibility, Mercury Pictures Presents spans many moods and tones, from the heartbreaking to the ecstatic. It is a love letter to life's bit players, a panorama of an era that casts a long shadow over our own, and a tour de force by a novelist whose work The Washington Post calls "a flash in the heavens that makes you look up and believe in miracles."

Mercury Pictures Presents ARC copy

Texas

Missouri

Florida

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Kansas

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Includes a behind-the-scenes conversation with bestselling novelist Amor Towles • The epic story of a brilliant woman who must reinvent herself to survive in 1940s Hollywood and fascist Europe, a timeless tale of love, deceit, and sacrifice—and a perfect book club pick—from the award-winning author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena “A genuinely moving and life-affirming novel that’s a true joy to read.”—Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere “A gorgeous book . . . sublime.”—The New York Times (Editors’ Choice) ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: NPR, The Guardian, Booklist Like many before her, Maria Lagana has come to Hollywood to outrun her past. Born in Rome, where every Sunday her father took her to the cinema instead of church, Maria immigrates with her mother to Los Angeles after a childhood transgression leads to her father’s arrest. Fifteen years later, on the eve of America’s entry into World War II, Maria is an associate producer at Mercury Pictures, trying to keep her personal and professional lives from falling apart. Her mother won’t speak to her. Her boss, a man of many toupees, has been summoned to Washington by congressional investigators. Her boyfriend, a virtuoso Chinese American actor, can’t escape the studio’s narrow typecasting. And the studio itself, Maria’s only home in exile, teeters on the verge of bankruptcy. Over the coming months, as the bright lights go dark across Los Angeles, Mercury Pictures becomes a nexus of European émigrés: modernist poets trying their luck as B-movie screenwriters, once-celebrated architects becoming scale-model miniaturists, and refugee actors finding work playing the very villains they fled. While the world descends into war, Maria rises through a maze of conflicting politics, divided loyalties, and jockeying ambitions. But when the arrival of a stranger from her father’s past threatens Maria’s carefully constructed facade, she must finally confront her father’s fate—and her own. Written with intelligence, wit, and an exhilarating sense of possibility, Mercury Pictures Presents spans many moods and tones, from the heartbreaking to the ecstatic. It is a love letter to life’s bit players, a panorama of an era that casts a long shadow over our own, and a tour de force by a novelist whose work The Washington Post calls “a flash in the heavens that makes you look up and believe in miracles.”

Colorado

New York

Barnes & Noble book club edition.  Non-smoking household. 

Heavy Hardcover (2 to 4 lbs)

Michigan

Alabama

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * The epic tale of a brilliant woman who must reinvent herself to survive, moving from Mussolini's Italy to 1940s Los Angeles--a timeless story of love, deceit, and sacrifice from the award-winning author of A Constellation of Vital Phenomena

"A genuinely moving and life-affirming novel that's a true joy to read."--Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere

"A gorgeous book . . . sublime."--The New York Times (Editors' Choice)

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: NPR, The Guardian, Booklist

Like many before her, Maria Lagana has come to Hollywood to outrun her past. Born in Rome, where every Sunday her father took her to the cinema instead of church, Maria immigrates with her mother to Los Angeles after a childhood transgression leads to her father's arrest.

Fifteen years later, on the eve of America's entry into World War II, Maria is an associate producer at Mercury Pictures, trying to keep her personal and professional lives from falling apart. Her mother won't speak to her. Her boss, a man of many toupees, has been summoned to Washington by congressional investigators. Her boyfriend, a virtuoso Chinese American actor, can't escape the studio's narrow typecasting. And the studio itself, Maria's only home in exile, teeters on the verge of bankruptcy.

Over the coming months, as the bright lights go dark across Los Angeles, Mercury Pictures becomes a nexus of European émigrés: modernist poets trying their luck as B-movie screenwriters, once-celebrated architects becoming scale-model miniaturists, and refugee actors finding work playing the very villains they fled. While the world descends into war, Maria rises through a maze of conflicting politics, divided loyalties, and jockeying ambitions. But when the arrival of a stranger from her father's past threatens Maria's carefully constructed facade, she must finally confront her father's fate--and her own.

Written with intelligence, wit, and an exhilarating sense of possibility, Mercury Pictures Presents spans many moods and tones, from the heartbreaking to the ecstatic. It is a love letter to life's bit players, a panorama of an era that casts a long shadow over our own, and a tour de force by a novelist whose work The Washington Post calls "a flash in the heavens that makes you look up and believe in miracles."

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

New Hampshire

Massachusetts

You’ll also receive a Book Hoes Book Club bookmark and sticker with your order !! 

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Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents ARC copy

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents

Anthony Marra

Mercury Pictures Presents