'The Girls in the Picture' is clever novel about friendship

"The Girls in the Picture: a Novel" (Delacorte Press), by Melanie Benjamin

Author Melanie Benjamin proves she's a master at blending imagination with historical facts in "The Girls in the Picture: a Novel."

When Frances Marion arrives in Hollywood after two failed marriages, the 25-year-old uses her best tool to find a job in the movie business: persistence. She soon meets silent screen starlet Mary Pickford and a friendship is born that launches both women into the history books.

At a time when men ruled the silver screen, Mary was quietly climbing the industry ladder. The day Frances wrote a script for "the girl with the curls," Mary knew things were about to change. Although the odds were stacked against this dynamic duo, with Mary's business savvy and Frances' keen sense of filmmaking, the pair proved to be an unstoppable force in the 1920s.

"The Girls in the Picture" explores both women's strategies of maneuvering boardrooms, celebrity status, families and growing old.

Benjamin has a unique way of diving into the minds of notable individuals. Relying on facts, the author creates a fictional story that celebrates the joy of seeing hard work come to fruition and feels the pain of the personal sacrifices that it took to get there. And at the root of the novel is a passionate story about two girls in the picture.

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Online:

http://melaniebenjamin.com/