Last Night At Chateau Marmont

From Publishers Weekly Brooke and Julian Alter are a happy couple--she's a nutritionist working two jobs to support them, he's a talented musician with a low-level recording contract--but when Julian hits it big in The Devil Wears Prada author Weisberger's not-ready-for-prime-time latest, their marriage wobbles under the strain of fame. Suddenly Julian is traveling nonstop, a pawn of his manager and publicist, and Brooke tries to balance her career with her desire to back him up. Paparazzi stalk their every move (believable in his case, less so in hers); her job is threatened by her repeated absences to attend events like Julian's Grammy appearance; and their shared giddiness dissipates as they are divided--physically and emotionally--as a couple. It takes many dozens of pages and a number of by-the-way announcements that might have ratcheted up the tension if they'd been part of the story to get Brooke and Julian into a crisis, unsurprising though that crisis may be. Weisberger has insightful takes about the price of success in our celebrity-obsessed culture, but Brooke and Julian hew too closely to type to make their struggles sympathetic. Copyright å© Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From In her fourth novel, the incisive, trend-focused author of The Devil Wears Prada (2003) explores the effect of fame on a young married couple. When Brooke first comes across singer Julian in a dive in Manhattan, she‰۪s entranced by his voice. She starts to attend his weekly shows until a mediocre blind date leads to an unexpected meeting. It isn‰۪t long before the two fall in love and marry. Brooke, a nutritionist with aspirations of starting her own company, works two jobs to support Julian‰۪s musical ambitions, which pays off when he lands a recording contract. The record label sets up a showcase just before the album‰۪s release, and Julian‰۪s performance attracts the attention of a scout for Jay Leno, who invites Julian to play on his show. That performance turns Julian into an overnight sensation, but both he and Brooke find themselves wholly unprepared for superstardom, which includes stalking paparazzi, tabloid smear articles, and flirtatious fame seekers. An absorbing, thoroughly entertaining read about the ins and outs and ups and downs of life as a celebrity. --Kristine Huntley