A massive thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!! I really enjoyed this book; definitely something I will tell my friends about!

A brilliant exploration into grooming.

Something about child stars and actors is so sad to me. These kids are undoubtedly being traumatized by being forced to grown up to fast, as Hollywood has little patience and care for allowing children to maintain their innocence for long.

The adored ones is exactly a navigation into that. The female main character had me in tears through the entire book, as her story was so depressing and well told on how adults in her life (her mother, HIM, every single adult acquaintance that let her down) failed to protect her both from the Industry and from the manipulative man who took advantage of her.

Susanne Dunlap's novel about Lillian Lorraine, one of Florenz Ziegfeld's Folly dancers, chronicles Lorraine's rise to stardom in the Broadway and off-Broadway in the early 1910s. The daughter of a ne'er-do-well father and a fame-seeking mother, Lorraine's captivating beauty and talent propel her into a position showgirls envied as the object of men's desire. She continually makes choices--professional and personal--that are questionable at best and self-destructive at worst. And yet, I couldn't help but continue to root for her, to hope she would get it right next time.

The novel is full of vivid characters, like Ziegfeld, who truly appeared to love Lorraine in the only way he knew how, despite her being under age and him quite obviously taking advantage of her vulnerability. Lorraine's destruction of her friendships, her relationship with her money-grubbing mother, and her managers allow a glimpse into the life of a showgirl, warts and all. She's simultaneously a lovable and despised character, but one I'm glad to have met. I would like to have had an opportunity to sit with Lorraine and chat with her on a lazy, rainy afternoon over a cup of coffee about her choices and decisions. I think it would have been an enjoyable afternoon. .

Thanks and appreciation to NetGalley for the ARC and the opportunity to review this novel.

This is an incredibly excellent novel about the relationship between Lillie Lorraine and Florenz Ziegfield, told in the first-person point of view by Lillie herself. A fantastic voice that pulled me right into the story. Lillie is young, beautiful, and talented with a free spirit and generous heart. The setting straddles the era of big, classy shows like Ziegfeld’s Follies, Vaudeville, and the movies. Women’s roles were changing but exploitation is rife throughout the book. Even a supremely talented and high-paid woman was still expected to give this all up when she married. Husbands and lovers prey on her for money, for her talent, youth, and beauty. There are days when Lillie is her own worst enemy. However dire this all sounds, Lillie is an inspiration of surviving to thrive, through the ebb and flow of her career and personal life. She is generous to her friends in need and this is threaded deftly through the story.
I’ve read and reviewed more than a few of Susanne Dunlap’s novels—not only do I highly recommend this one, but any one of her other books. I loved The Portraitist and the Orphans of Tolosa series. She has the depth of understanding of the characters and their times, told with an authentic voice and excellent writing.
Thank you to the author via Instagram/netgalley for a copy of this book to read and review.

The Adored One
by Susanne Dunlap
Pub Date: 17 Oct 2023

Lillian Lorraine was a naive 15-year-old chorine on Broadway when she attracted the notice of the notorious 41-year-old Florenz Ziegfeld. Accustomed to getting what he wanted, Ziegfeld took Lillian under his wing and into his arms, giving her coveted numbers in the Ziegfeld Follies and taking control of her career. But Lillian's rebellious spirit chafed against him, refusing to play according to his rules, and nearly destroying her own career in the process. The Adored One follows her through rise and fall after rise and fall as she comes of age in a world where her youthful beauty was an asset-and a liability.

I love that this is written in her perspective and it is enjoyable to see how her viewpoints alter at each each. Very enjoyable and I'm not even a big musical theater history fan.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Lillian Lorraine came to New York with her mother to set the world on fire!! Her mother was very domineering and Lillian had to invent ways to get around her, to get some independence. She became a model, using her beauty to get entrance into the modeling world. By happenstance she met someone who was able to get her into the chorus of a stage play. It was the early 1900's and women were feeling their "oats" and so did our protagonist. Her attraction to Flo Ziegfeld led to him taking control of her career. Being on stage what was she wanted more than anything, but she was fiercely independent, impulsive and reckless. Wild doesn't even begin to describe her personality. In the end it destroyed her. This book was well researched...a good book! My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this one for the character of Lillian, the historical research and settings, and the way the author brought the story to life.

The Adored One was unique to me, and it was so interesting that it followed a real person's life. The choice of story was unique.

For me, I like to feel as though I am in the time period that the story is being written about. This book threw me out of it a little with modernized dialogue when telling the past stories. Descriptions of what Broadway and her surroundings looked like would have helped me to visualize it as well.

I was shocked by how wild Lorraine was for his time period. I would have thought it would have been taboo. It does get addressed later on that this was part of the reason for the decline of her career--which I appreciated.

I also wanted the relationship to be addressed. To me, Ziegfeld feels like a predator. Even though Lillian lies about her age, 17/18 years old with a 41 year is just hard for me to swallow. I did not take off from the review for this, as it is what happened. I just wish the story could have addressed that topic and power dynamic.

Introductions for characters were not as fluid as I would have liked. It felt like they were just kind of dropped in the story. Fred, Gene, etc.

This is told from 1 POV, so avoid the story if you don't like that. There was a lot of inner dialogue for me. I wanted more conversations between characters. I would have loved to have seen more of Isabelle. I really enjoyed her character.

My favorite scene would have been the ragtime one. I felt fully immersed reading that.

The ending wraps up nicely so that you can see what happens with all of the characters. It gave me a Cass Clare vibe in that way.

This is the life of Lillian Lorraine, which I learned at the end of the book, was based upon a true story. Her complicated relationship with Flo is examined. Also the position that actresses were in in the early 1900's, expected to be subordinate to men. I thought the author drew Lillian's character very well. This novel explores the era when moving pictures were just beginning, and the theatre was considered more important. Also the historical research is impressive. Highly recommended.