Whisper of the Moon Moth

Very interesting story on the life in the movie world from India to U.K. This goes on the the world of famous film stars in Hollywood .USA. It made for light enjoyable reading.

The title of this book intrigued me and from the first page of the Prologue in the sample, I was hooked and just had to buy this book. I have never seen a film with Merle Oberon in it, although I know she was a film star and have seen photos of her. Merle’s exotic looks and unusual name fascinated me, but it was after her death that I first came across any mention of her.This fictionalised story of Oberon’s life is difficult to review without revealing too much. Growing up as Estelle Thompson in Calcutta, she lived in a small apartment with her mother, who worked as a night nurse for the English in their own homes. Estelle spent much of her free time at the cinema, returning to watch the same film several times, until the next film was released. It was an escape from her dreary life as an Anglo-Indian, as well as fuelling her dreams of becoming a famous film star. Dreams she thought would never have a chance of coming to fruition, until one night she meet an American man at a white’s-only nightclub. They meet as often as they can and while Estelle falls for him, he seems equally smitten. The eventual outcome of their meeting is a ticket to England and a letter of introduction to a top British film-maker. Estelle and her mother arrive at Tilbury Docks in July 1931, but nothing in Estelle’s life seems to be easy and her plans go awry. However, she is very fortunate to make the acquaintance of an English girl about her own age or a bit older, who knows her way around and is an immense help to Estelle and her mother, although how much of this is true is uncertain. The acquaintance goes on to a long and illustrious career as one of Britain’s great character actresses. Estelle is also fortunate to come across other people who help her with no strings attached (if true) and eventually she does get her first very small part in a film, and she is on her way.Many familiar names are mentioned in the book as Merle (no longer Estelle) meets them, although this does somewhat resemble a gossip columnist’s output. I easily guessed the shocking family secret.What a very strange, sad life Merle Oberon had. Her whole life a pretence, a lie, because she couldn’t admit to having, perhaps a quarter, even as little as an eighth, of the blood of a darker race. Yes, times were very different and people whose skin was darker than white were treated as inferior, even people whose skin was white, but whose blood had the “taint” of a darker race. This is not a biography, but is a very readable fiction mixed with truth, about a woman who overcame many obstacles to realise her dreams, and I recommend it on that basis.

Kindle unlimited with whispersync mixed with reading. I knew nothing about her so it was quite interesting. There does appear to be a lot of Liberty taken with the book.

This is a fascinating story of the life and travails of Estelle Merle O’Brien Thompson and her journey from unknown young woman in India to one of the brilliant actresses of her time! Author Lindsay Jayne Ashford blends rigorous research with liberal writers prerogative to create an intriguing narrative.

I grew up in a house where the old Hollywood movies were admired and enjoyed not only by my parents but a few siblings as well. However, the actors’ real lives were always a mystery to me. My parents spoke positively about most of them even though later on in life I realized they must have been horrified by their superficial lifestyles. My parents, you see, were loyal to each other and lived their lives by a very strict and honorable set of rules. This didn’t take away from the fact they loved these movies, and kept a big collection of favorite classics to watch usually during dinner time.So the story, although shockingly unfamiliar, became sort of familiar to me as the names of actors, producers, directors and movies started to appear.That said, although I liked the storyline, I didn’t care for Merle’s capacity to be in love one minute and out of love the next or in love with someone else. Furthermore, she seemed to be propelled by the actions of men, at their mercy. I assume this could have been true. Gosh, I hope not.I loved the first half of the book but it loses steam as it goes deeper into her career and at that point is becomes a list of who was who in the movie industry, and who was sleeping with who.Now I realize that I am glad my parents “preserved” a certain pristine image about these people when I was growing up.

What a fascinating story based loosely on a woman who lived and was a movie star. I enjoyed this fictional novel a great deal, proving that fact is sometimes stranger than fiction. Great narrator and she added to my enjoyment. Happy reading and listening!

I really enjoyed this story. It is historical fiction but captures the time period and characters very well.

A fascinating read - “ Whisper of the Moon Moth,” is a fictionalized account about the actress Merle Oberon. It tells us about the lives of the Anglo- Indians living in British India and the discrimination they faced. Merle Oberon (Estelle Thompson) and her friend tried to pass off as white so that they could go to a certain nightclub that did not allow people of color. I enjoyed reading about her time growing up in India.Merle and her mother eventually go to London so that she can follow her dreams to be a movie star. Once again she had to hide her ethnicity because of the discrimination in the movie business. After a series of affairs with movie stars such as David Niven, she eventually married the famous director and produces Alexander Korda.Most of the book was an interesting read although some parts tended to drag.

I was a little hesitant reading this novel at first as a fictionalised reimagining of a reallife feels so many shades of wrong. However, I decided to give it a fair crack of the whip and decided to treat it as though the people within the covers had never really existed and it was all fiction. This is surprisingly easy to do, especially if you know absolutely nothing about Merle Oberon. To me she was merely a name from the end of the Golden Era in filmmaking and I'm not even sure that I have seen her in a film - I know her most famous film was perhaps Wuthering Heights but as I don't particularly like the novel I haven't been in any rush to see an adaptation of it.The tale itself is gloriously wrought. The early section, in India, where the young Estelle lives with her mataji, Charlotte, is particularly evocative. You can feel the heat and smell the spice laden air wafting from the pages. The character of Estelle is particularly empathetic and her naivety from her rather cloistered upbringing in the Anglo-Indian quarter is at eternal odds with both her ambition and her underlying sensuous nature. Whether Merle Oberon was really like this I have no idea but I kind of hope she was; there is a feisty fearlessness to her that makes you immediately warm to her and accept her character flaws without them diminishing your affection for the character.Whilst only just "pale enough to pass" this doesn't stop her from following her dreams and travelling to England with a letter of recommendation in her pocket and love in her heart. Sadly the love was misplaced and the intended recipient of the letter away but by a string of fortuitous meetings she still manages to make the right connections by meeting with Sandor Korda who sees her potential and so a star is born.I found this to be a real page turner and was quite sad when it finishes early in Merle's life after her marriage to Korda. Whilst the events are fictionalised the inspiration behind the author's imaginings is explained in the Afterword and the known biography of Ms Oberon is synopsied there for the reader. All of the characters in the book live and breathe and this isn't because there is a "name" attached to them; indeed many of them behave in ways that you wouldn't expect (although Vivien Leigh's overvaulting ambition and spite are well recorded) and feel all the more real for it.If you can seperate the real person from the fictional account then you will enjoy this novel. The settings, both glamorous and mundane, are richly evoked and the populace of the pages live and breathe on their own. There are some twists and turns in the plot that you genuinely don't see coming but when all mixed together they just make it feel like a genuine life.

I quite enjoyed this novel as it blended fact and fiction. The author has taken a few liberties with the actual life of Merle Oberon but not too much. The only thing I did not care for was her portrayal of David Niven, whom she described as shallow and superficial. This may have been true at the time but he showed his true character when WW2 started in 1939. He immediately abandoned his lucrative Hollywood career and joined the British army, eventually becoming one of the first Commandoes, whilst other “stars” hid behind their fame.

It is what happens when yo come across a new author - you read as many as you can until it is time to rest between others. This story held my attention from beginning to end and comes highly recommended.

A light book that tells the loves and dreams of an anglo indian girl without a father who is shunned by white expats in India and ultimately 'passes' as white enough to become a successful Hollywood film star. In this romanticised version of Merle's life, she arrives in the UK seeking a career as a film star with her mother after a failed love affair. Part of the plot is about who her mother really is. She meets bounders and cads in the UK film industry including David Niven against whose charms she has to protect herself from being broken hearted and has a wonderful friend and actress who is a great support. She then travels to Hollywood meeting more stars along the way including jealous gone with the wind star Vivienne Leigh (further plot twist here) and the then married Laurence Olivier, her co star. There are many imagined plot twists, much glossing over of Merle's love affairs and she emerges as a heroine who has loved grandly and deeply and overcome racial prejudice and an unlikely start in life to become famous, rich and beautiful.

I've just finished reading this book, and wish I could give it 10 stars. This is the second book by this author I've read - I'm now completely and utterly hooked. The book is meticulously researched, whilst the protagonist Estelle/Merle's portrayal is convincing and relatable. It made me go to Wikipedia more than once to read up on the background behind many of the supporting characters!