Review: Laura Lamont's Life in Pictures by Emma Straub

I wanted to love this book. Truth be told, I’ve never read any of Emma Straub’s books and I know she’s such a celebrated author, but I just don’t think her vibes meshes with mine. I have tried to read The Vacationers many years ago, and I think I forgot I was reading it. Cause I never finished it and I NEVER not finish books. 

My friend Megan (who makes badass cross stitches! Give her a follow and check out her stuff!) LOVED this one and loaned it to me because she flew through it and that was just the kind of book I was looking for. 

I did not fly through it. I think what bothered me about it was that it felt like we kept missing huge parts of the story as we jumped through time. Major moments would be summed up in a sentence and I’d have to go back, feeling like I’d missed something major. 

This is the story of Elsa Emerson, who grew up in the theatre in Wisconsin. Her family owns and runs the Door County Playhouse, which is a magical place until tragedy strikes the Emerson family. Elsa feels the need to live for two daughters and when the opportunity arrives to head to Hollywood she jumps at the chance, if even it includes a less than stellar marriage. Trapped in Wisconsin and then trapped in L.A., Elsa finds herself not living the dream she worked up for herself. Until one night, Elsa is imagined up by a studio executive as Laura Lamont and the rest is history. 

The glamour of Hollywood, and the not so glamorous aspects of life, career, and marriage mix in heyday of 1940s Los Angelos in this story of tough choices, hard work, and dealing with the hand we are dealt. 

I think this story had a lot of potential but it’s style didn’t it for me. I struggled through it, unfortunately. Have you read Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures? Or have you read any Emma Straub that you absolutely love? I’m thinking her books may just not be for me. 

I do not own the image in this post. It is provided from a Google Image search to Amazon.