A Star is Bored by Byron Lane – Audio
Book Blurb:
Charlie Besson is about to have an insane job interview. His car is idling, like his life, outside the Hollywood mansion of Kathi Kannon. THE Kathi Kannon, star of stage and screen and People magazine’s worst dressed list. She needs an assistant. He needs a hero. Kathi is an icon, bestselling author, and an award-winning actress, most known for her role as Priestess Talara in the iconic blockbuster sci-fi film. She’s also known for another role: crazy Hollywood royalty. Admittedly so. Famously so. Fabulously so. Charlie gets the job, and embarks on an odyssey filled with late night shopping sprees, last minute trips to see the aurora borealis, and an initiation to that most sacred of Hollywood tribes: the personal assistant. But Kathi becomes much more than a boss, and as their friendship grows, Charlie must make a choice. Will he always be on the sidelines of life, assisting the great forces that be, or can he step into his own leading role?
My Review: 3.5 stars
A Star is Bored kept me completely engaged with a heartwarming story that was chock full of crazy antics. Charlie Besson, otherwise known as “cock ring” to his employer, gets his dream job with his obsession and all-time favorite actress Kathi Kannon. She was in THE iconic sci-fi film that has left him a lifelong fan.
Let’s just say that Kathi is nothing like Charlie anticipated. She was demanding, insulting, raunchy and addicted. Watching Charlie navigate through this was entertaining and demeaning. Like all good stories, a friendship of sorts ensued and we got to see different sides of all the characters. I loved the crew of assistants, was shocked at some of the crazy requests they were given and found this personal assistant job to be nothing short of awful.
Because I don’t ever read what a book is about, I was amazed to learn that the author was the personal assistant to Carrie Fisher until her death. Apparently, there are many similarities and familiar anecdotes he took from his real life while working with the real iconic Princess Leia of Star Wars. Legal wording says all is imagined, but who knows. For the first time, I wish I’d known that before I read/listened to the book because it certainly would’ve added a new perspective to the story.
Quotes I liked:
Travel is a wonderful alternative to suicide.”
“Life only exists in your mind. Everything you see, everything you hear, all of it, it goes through your eyes and ears and is processed by your mind, and the mind can lie, can be sick, can get it wrong.”
“Therapista says a wonderful, healthy life doesn’t include a requirement to be constantly entertained. She says what we really want is peace of mind, peace in being. Maybe another word for boredom is peace.”
“We’re all victims of what others think of us, of our identity based on our employer. It doesn’t matter who you really are, it’s how you’re perceived.”
