Hollywood & Hardwood

Ms. Bauer's latest work is an enormously gratifying examination of human behavior and relationship. She is able to breathe an unmistakable honesty into her characters, giving them life which not only seems real but also feels real. Ren and Lou become intimate friends who enable the reader closely to examine her or his own relationships, especially relationships under the stress of everyday life. Kudos to Ms. Bauer for this funny yet highly intimate novel.

Ms. Bauer has written a wonderful book of real people that love each other during the highs and lows of a fascinating life. The book is hard to put down. I am afraid I will be forced to buy another copy since my book has been borrowed by my daughter and her friends.

A thoughtful, provocative meditation on ambition, fame and would-be fame, as well as what's left when the spotlight goes away. It's an inside look at a relationship between an actress and a screenwriter, and manages to celebrate their relationship and romance without trivializing it. At points it's wickedly funny, insightful, sad and inspiring. Ought to be required reading for anyone who wants to go into movies. Bauer is one of the best writers of the human heart around.

Bauer's HOLLYWOOD & HARDWOOD, which I was fortunate to read in "galley" form, follows an actress (Ren) and her playwright husband (Lou) as they chase their dream of artistic accomplishment and acceptance. Their life together, weaved expertly in a series of vignettes, doesn't quite go as they hope, but they push on anyway. And when fame finally does show its fickle face, they learn that what they truly value may have more to do with struggle than success. Ren and Lou soon find that, as John Lennon wrote, "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."