June 4, 2024
Miss del Rio by Barbara Mujica
Dolores del Rio was one of the first Latina movie stars. Beautiful and elegant, she was a star in both Hollywood and Mexico. This fictional biography follows her life from her childhood in Durango, Mexico, through her rapid rise in Hollywood as a silent film star, told from the viewpoint of her childhood friend and hair stylist Mara. She made the successful transition to sound films and along with Marlene Dietrich and Rita Hayworth, epitomized the Hollywood standard of beauty in the 1930s. Her popularity in Hollywood began to decline in the early 1940s, and she returned to Mexico where she was a star in Mexican cinema.
Overall a very enjoyable read. Dolores led a fascinating if tumultuous life, but by the third section, the story lost some of its momentum. The narrator Mara is a fictional character, and the third part of the novel focuses on Mara's search for her family in Mexico. An editor could have cut 50-75 pages out of this section and tightened up the story. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was excellent. Will appeal to readers who enjoy the novels of Marie Benedict and Fiona Davis, and anyone interested in the golden age of Hollywood.
Dolores del Rio
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