I requested this as it’s a Moreno-Garcia, that’s all I need to know. It sounded interesting as well – it’s a faux historical documentary about the golden era of Hollywood and a tragedy on the set of a movie production. This is linked to the tale of Salome, which apparently is quite vague so leaves a lot for interpretation. This was interestingly told – in interview recaps and a mix of historical and move set scenes, and how these start to mirror each other. It was a quick read, but not something I’ll revisit.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia rarely misses and this was another win for me. I really enjoyed the writing, the author managed to create a very vivid world and great atmosphere. It almost felt like this could be two books - I'd love to read an even more fleshed-out story of Salome. Those bits felt so melancholy and intriguing, bringing me the same feelings I had reading Circe by Madeline Miller. The other half of the story felt very Taylor Jenkins Reid, with the look at a fictionalised starlet in the golden age of Hollywood. My two favourites to read so I had no choice but to enjoy this one.

Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC, all thoughts are my own.

As before when reading works by Silvia Morena-.Garcia, the story sounds intriguing but unfortunately the author loses me somewhere around the last third. I absolutely love 1930s/40s/50s Hollywood and am therefore willing to ignore some bumps in the road when it comes to pacing, tone, and storytelling. However, the story of Salome and the preacher was a bit too much for.

Solid three-star read, not my favorite but still liked it.

Set in 1950s Hollywood, it tells the story of the filming of “The Seventh Veil of Salome” from the perspective of various cast members during its shooting and the two actresses vying for the top role. Alternate chapters also follow the tale of the film itself. Not a favourite read but an entertaining and clever one. I’m a huge fan of Moreno-Garcia and will always pick up her books. 3.5

I enjoyed the timeline jumps and structure of the book. However, I thought some of the character perspective changes were clunky; I struggled to know and reber who was speaking in any given chapter. I also found that the chapters about Salome herself were not well integrated and felt a bit jolting.

Thanks: Received from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia does it again!

The Seventh Veil of Salome is historical fiction that starts off tackling the story of Salome, a minor biblical character trapped in forbidden love and forced to make difficult decisions about her future. From there the story unfolds weaving the story of Salome and Vera Larios, who unexpectedly lands the role of Salome in an upcoming flick despite having very little acting experience. She finds herself the centre of gossip, all in the name of 'free press' this all with a backdrop of racism in Hollywood of the 1950s.

We also follow Nancy, a Hollywood veteran has struggled to land parts after being in Hollywood for 4 years and believes that Salome should be hers. She is impulsive, scheming and determined to get back the role she can't believe went to an unknown Mexican girl. She struggles with accepting that her dream role isn't hers and sets out to do what she can to get it back.

The flow of the story is wonderful, there were no lulls and the addition of other smaller POVs added to the intrigue and understanding of the two main characters. The ending was unexpected but very satisfying, the way that Moreno-Garcia is able to weave together the strands of this book to create a beautiful feminist storyline along with it being historically accurate is to be admired.

This book for me is a 5 star and I am grateful to netgalley and Quercus for providing me the arc.

Ohhh I just loved this! The weaving together of the biblical tale of Salome and the Hollywood retelling of her story with Vera Larios as the leasing lady was seamless. Silvia Moreno-Garcia has become one of my favorites. Everything in the book felt lush and vibrant and immersive.
Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey (Random House Publishing Group) for the eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was expecting this to have the charm of Old Hollywood, I did not get that. Very underwhelming, I wanted to like it but he story and characters were left lacking.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me a copy to review.

I love Old Hollywood so I was very excited to read this story, set in 1950s Hollywood. Unfortunately, I didn't love it as much as I hoped to. I found Salome's parts quite boring and wished the story had just focused on Vera and Nancy. Silvia did her research on the real actors mentioned and I did feel that I was being transported back in time to the 1950s. I felt that the story ended very abruptly and I wish the parts about Salome had been cut and we could have had a bit more about Vera after the events at the end of the book.

I was invested in the main protagonist’s journey, but when it veered from her storyline (and it often did), I lost interest. It didn’t help that the pointlessly tragic and ultimately unsatisfying ending left a sour note.

There were a lot of threads to keep track off within the novel. There were so many characters (most were bit players), two different timelines (one jumped about within its own time) and the perspectives constantly switched. The layout of the book – no page breaks between the loosely defined chapters – added to my exhaustion. This meant that I thought the novel was well written, just not well formatted.

I really liked the main character of Vera. I was rooting for her, wanting her to prove her doubters wrong! I was interested in her Hollywood experience, which itself felt cinematic. I wasn’t expecting Vera to find love, but her romance sub-plot was surprisingly sweet.

Even though the author demonstrated that she’s skilled at writing crazy people who don’t think themselves to be crazy, I thought that there was too much focus on Nancy. I was initially intrigued to learn why she was the way she was, but there came a point when it was just too much (I would've preferred smaller doses of her). After Nancy spiralled into irredeemable insanity, I was on tenterhooks waiting to see how she’d decide to spread her chaos.

Unfortunately, I didn’t really care about Salome’s storyline. It was too tangential to the more prominent Hollywood arc. The two timelines never seemed to overlap in a meaningful way, so I didn’t get the point of it.

After becoming invested in Vera’s journey and slogging through the rest, the ending was such a disappointment. I wished Vera's arc had a better resolution, especially considering all of her character development. As it stood, I was left unsatisfied by an ending that felt premature.

The Seventh Veil of Salome takes readers on a mesmerizing journey into Golden Age Hollywood, weaving a tale that intertwines the ambition, envy, and tragedy of three women—an unknown Mexican actress, a desperate bit player, and the legendary Salome herself. Set against the backdrop of 1950s Hollywood, a world dominated by politics, gossip, and prejudice, Moreno-Garcia draws powerful parallels to the modern film industry, where diversity struggles to find its footing amidst lingering white privilege and public scrutiny.

Rather than her usual foray into supernatural horror, Moreno-Garcia explores the infamous biblical figure of Salome, whose story is reflected in the lives of Vera Larios, a young ingenue who unexpectedly lands the role of a lifetime, and Nancy Hartley, a ruthless actress determined to seize the spotlight at any cost. As Vera navigates the treacherous waters of Hollywood, she grows from a timid, overshadowed girl into a resilient woman who channels Salome’s cunning and strength. Meanwhile, Nancy’s desperation leads her down a dark path, mirroring the tragic choices Salome must make.

The narrative is skillfully structured, blending documentary-style elements with traditional storytelling, giving each character a distinct voice. Moreno-Garcia’s meticulous research shines through, offering a vivid and unsettling portrayal of 1950s Hollywood—a world as glamorous as it is cutthroat. The book’s mix of film noir and thriller elements adds to the tension, keeping readers on edge as they anticipate the inevitable tragedy that echoes Salome’s own fate.

While the ending felt somewhat abrupt, leaving me wishing for a bit more closure, the overall experience was highly satisfying. The characterizations were superb, with each woman’s journey unfolding in a way that was both compelling and relatable. Moreno-Garcia’s versatility as a writer is once again on full display, making “The Seventh Veil of Salome” a must-read for fans of historical fiction and women’s fiction alike.

The blending of non-fiction with the fictional narrative was particularly impressive, and the distinct narrative styles for each character added depth and richness to the story. Despite the abrupt conclusion, the book stands as a brilliant exploration of ambition, identity, and the costs of fame in an era that still casts a long shadow over the present. This is yet another testament to Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s remarkable talent and her ability to captivate readers across genres.

I've wanted to read more by Silvia Moreno-Garcia ever since I loved Mexican Gothic, and I'm glad I finally got the chance. 

Her latest novel revolves around the filming of the movie The Seventh Veil of Salome, and has two different storylines: the first set in Golden Age Hollywood, which mostly follows Vera, the actress who is cast in the lead role, and Nancy, another actress involved in the movie, and the second set in the past, which follows Salome herself. 

While I enjoyed both storylines, my favourite was the one in the past, mostly because I really like political intrigue and historical novels set in ancient times, and because I really loved Salome's character. I loved her political acumen and her ambition, and I was sympathetic for her doomed passion for Jokanaan, even though her insta love was a little extreme. I followed her story with great interest and, even though she wasn't a perfect character by any means, I totally understood her reasonings and her actions.

That being said, the present storyline was also well done. I especially liked the setting in Hollywood, and how it showed some of the struggles actors had to face in that historical period. While I found her less interesting than Salome, I liked Vera and I felt a lot of pity for her. Her romantic subplot, however, was definitely the part of the story I cared less about, so I was a little bored by it, and because of this I wasn't as affected by the ending as I probably should have been.

All in all, however, this was a really good book which I would definitely recommend.

Book Review: The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Rating: 5 Stars

If you’re looking for a book that combines sumptuous historical detail with a gripping narrative, look no further than The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia. As a huge fan of this author, I can confidently say she has struck gold yet again!

Set in the glamorous yet cutthroat world of 1950s Hollywood, the story follows Vera Larios, an unknown actress who lands the role of a lifetime as Salome in a big-budget film. Suddenly, she finds herself in the spotlight, captivating the town and igniting envy in her fellow actress, Nancy Hartley. Nancy, whose career has stagnated, will stop at nothing to reclaim the fame she believes she deserves. But it’s not just about these two women; we also dive into the life of Princess Salome herself, a figure torn between her desires and her duties. It’s a tale buzzing with ambition, rivalry, and the darker side of fame.

First off, can we talk about the cover? It's absolutely stunning! I was drawn to it immediately, and it perfectly encapsulates the allure of both the era and the story. Moreno-Garcia's storytelling is as immersive as ever, capturing the glamour while unearthing the grit that lies beneath. Through multiple POVs, we are taken back to 1950s Hollywood, where racism, and fierce rivalry dominate the spotlight..

The characters are beautifully complex and well-crafted. Vera's journey toward fame is fraught with challenges, and Nancy's desperation adds an edge of intensity that keeps you flipping pages. The author’s meticulous research breathes life into the era with striking detail., making you feel as if you've stepped right onto those iconic movie sets.

In conclusion, I’m giving this book five stars without hesitation. Silvia Moreno-Garcia has solidified her status as one of my "must read" authors. If you haven’t picked up this book yet, do yourself a favor and dive into this captivating world. You won’t regret it!

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

Really nice portrayal of Old Hollywood, mixed in with a retelling of Salome. Told through multiple POV, as always happens with these, there are some POVs I wasn’t keen on. Vera’s was captivating, and so was Nancy, but for different reasons. Well crafted, meandering and enjoyable. If you’re into Sunset Boulevard you’ll love this because it has a similar feel. Also felt similar to Evelyn Hugo which is also one of my faves. I read everything by this Author so I’m totally biased. Nice gentle read with lashings of old school Hollywood glamour.

“Sometimes it was like this, she thought. You met someone you could just sit next to. Everything else ceased to matter but that solitary bubble, shielded from the chaos and the discordant rhythm of life.”

Silvia Moreno - Garcia’s new novel is set in 1950s Hollywood. Every actress is desperate for the role to play Salome. The biggest role in a low budget film that will sky rocket any actor’s career. When the director hires an unknown Mexican actress called Vera it is only the beginning of the chaos that ensues.

There is so much drama and anticipation from the get go that you can’t help but become hooked to this story. Actors feuding over an iconic role based on a historical figure is just the tip of the iceberg.

The tension and dread is a constant from the start. It is a slow burn story that keeps the reading wanting to know more. It is told in a unique way through the perspective of the main characters that switches to the viewpoint of the character Salome in the film. I like this aspect of this novel which highlights how similar the situations are within the film and reality.

Overall all this was a drama fuelled thriller that will keep your attention till the very end. This was my first read by this author and I definitely want to check out more.

The Seventh Veil of Salome showcases the golden age of Hollywood through a range of POVs which all bring something different to the story. One thing that Silvia Moreno-Garcia writes really well is women who are complex to the point of becoming villains.

Nancy is a character who I found so easy to despise and while you can argue that she is also so pitiable, I could not bring myself to care about her. Whereas, Vera is a protagonist to root for. She is 'discovered' and thrust from her simpler life as a receptionist in Mexico into the lead role of Salome in The Seventh Veil of Salome, as a result she becomes the focus of Nancy's envy. Despite Nancy's own decisions causing her problems, she fails to see this and instead she believes that Vera has “stolen” her role of Salome. The anger she directs at Vera is detestable and nearly every comment she makes about/towards Vera is racially driven, calling Vera things like a 'beaner' and saying Vera "has a face like a tortilla, all flat". This anger is clearly driven by the fact that Nancy has no power whatsoever in Hollywood and has no means to fight the people who are actually preventing her from being successful. Vera is also on the receiving end of verbal assaults from her own family along with the imposed rules of gender coming from both her relatives and from Hollywood, she also has to put up with men who feel entitled to her, who then try to smear her name when she says no. What's really interesting to me is that SMG wrote this story about a character from the bible and I didn't even realise until I got to the author's note.

The range of POVs is really good and includes the main characters as well as intermittent snippets from other characters who who bring in alternative perspectives on events happening in the main POVs. If you're an audiobook person, these POVs are narrated in a full cast audiobook, which is really good. The book has scenes from The Seventh Veil of Salome interspersed into the story. As a whole, this story felt like a 4.5* the whole way through but due to how invested I was, the great audio narration and the author's note, I had to give it a 5*. This is possibly my favourite SMG book so far.

Thank you NetGalley for an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2024/08/16/review-the-seventh-veil-of-salome-by-silvia-moreno-garcia/
My Five Word TL:DR Review : Definitely a Thought Provoking Book

I absolutely love Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s books and so was in no doubt about wanting to pick up The Seventh Veil. This is another story where the author jumps genres this time tackling not just the golden age of Hollywood when it’s obsession with Swords and Sandals movies was at its height but also taking a look at an infamous character from biblical times.

On one hand I wouldn’t say that I loved this one, or at least it’s not my favourite by this author, it took me a little while to get into the story and in fact I set it aside at one point, Salome’s chapters felt very dry and the ending felt a bit anti-climatic after such a build up, then on the other hand the writing is absolutely lush, the storytelling voices are so well done, the author captures the Hollywood period as well as any Director could and the interwoven tales of these three women is so thought provoking. A story within a story with three females all playing the lead in their own productions.

Our three characters. Vera, the young woman who has landed the much coveted role of Salome. Vera has no experience in the film industry and in a way it’s like throwing a tiny minnow to the sharks, a tasty snack at most. Nancy has been trying to make it big for about four years now. She is beautiful for sure but in a place where beauty is around every corner and the opportunity to become famous relies almost on the whim of chance she has become desperate, conniving and bitter. Finally Salome. Another female manipulated by those around her. On top of this we have snippets of interviews and press articles that pretty soon make it apparent that something bad is going to happen

All three women have things in common. Their beauty, which brings with it wanted and unwanted attention, the way they are manipulated by those around them and have little choice. Her whole life Vera has played second fiddle to her sister – the one who was supposed to make it to Hollywood, prettier and more talented (according to their mother). Vera never expected fame in fact she was more comfortable off camera composing music. Thrown into a role she didn’t expect she is treated as little more than an object by those around her. She’s just so lucky – or at least she’s constantly told she is. Nancy, on the other hand, wants fame and fortune so badly that she’s become obsessed with it, she is the one doing the manipulating here but at the same time as massively disliking her and her self entitled expectations I did feel a little sorry for her. In its way, Hollywood has also chewed up Nancy and spat her out. She didn’t make the cut. Salome.desired by men seems to hold some sort of irresistible pull – in fact I did do a little read up about Salome having finished this and her infamous dance of the seven veils, and there is speculation that Salome was only a child at the time, influenced by her mother and not in fact this siren who held sway over any man – perhaps her own story has been manipulated over time to become the one we know today. Another male production with the woman at the centre holding sway and portrayed as a conniving she devil.

In terms of the writing. Well, as I’ve come to expect this is nothing short of beautiful. The depiction of Hollywood is simply brilliant. The way the studios ran the lives of their stars to the nth degree, telling them who to be seen with, what to wear and even where to go in order to be snapped favourably. The place comes alive.

Criticisms. I can’t really criticise the book to be honest. What I would say is that I didn’t enjoy this particular story as much as some of the author’s other work but that’s a personal taste thing more than there being anything to criticise here. I do think the start felt a little laboured and some of Salome’s chapters were a bit dry but it is a very thought provoking and well told tale. If you love this Hollywood period I think you’ll get a real kick out of all the little details with this story.

In conclusion, not my favourite but still a very well told story that gave me plenty of food for thought and I confess I don’t think I’ve probably managed to articulate my real thoughts on these three stories as well as I’d like.

I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a mercurial author – unwilling to be bound by genre or time period or setting. In her career she has effortlessly moved from vampires to gothic to historical dramas. Her last book Silver Nitrate was an occult thriller set around a the movie industry in the 1960s. The Seventh Veil of Salome also centres around the movies but could not be more different in style and tone. But it keeps very strongly to characer types and themes that underpin much of Moreno-Garcia’s bibliography.
The Seventh Veil of Salome is set at the end of the golden age of Hollywood. The big stars are on the wane and a new sort of movie star, like James Dean, is rising. Sword-and-sandal epics are still big and so Pacific Pictures looks to make a version of the tale of Salome, daughter of Herod, and famous in literature at least for her dance of the seven veils and for calling for the head of John the Baptist. Into the world comes ingenue Vera Larios, plucked from obscurity by a talent scout holidaying in Mexico, Vera is brought to Hollywood to play the lead. At the same time wannabe actress Nancy Hartley gets a bit part on the film that she feels should have been hers and sets her sights on Vera. Around the stories of these two women, Moreno-Garcia also tells her version of the story of Salome, a young woman struggling with her own desires and to break out of the role in which she has been cast.
As with her other historical novels (Velvet is the Night and The Untamed Shore), Moreno-Garcia brings the time and place to life. The Hollywood of the 1950s is full of entitled stars, struggling studio hands and runs on gossip. This is juxtaposed with the royal house of Herod in the time of Jesus and the political intrigues as various factions jostle for power. And of course, within this all, the particular challenges for the ex-patriot Mexican population living in Los Angeles at that time.
As with most of Moreno-Garcia’s work, the narrative is anchored by three strong, very different complex female characters. Vera, struggling with imposter syndrome who finds love but struggles when her world becomes hostile, Nancy a grifter who thinks she should be a star with anger management issues, and Salome herself who seeks to be more than a pawn in the political machinations going on around her. The foreshadowing, delivered in documentary style observations of the two leads, keys readers in early that Vera and Nancy are heading for some sort of tragedy. And Moreno-Garcia builds to an unexpected climax, carefully paced against the equally tragic story of Salome.
The Seventh Veil of Salome is another great work of historical fiction from a writer who can seemingly deliver in any register. An atmospheric rendering of Los Angeles in the 1950s full of complex and interesting characters. A resonant plot that finds echoes in two very different time periods. All centred around three richly imagined female characters all trying the manage with their own demons and dreams.

The Seventh Veil of Salome was the first Silvia Moreno-Garcia novel I didn't love. It started well. It was nice to know more about Hollywood in the '50s, and I liked Salome's POV too. But about halfway down, I felt there was no plot. The characters were unlikable or boring. Jay was the weakest character of all. And I couldn't understand Salome. One moment Salome wanted to run away, and the next moment, she wanted to be queen. And her love for Jokanaan came out of nowhere. I thought they would interact more. They met two times alone, and suddenly, she was madly in love. I couldn't take it seriously.
I felt bad for Vera. She was the most likable character.
Nancy was horrible. There were some aspects of her character that I could understand. Her bitterness about not breaking into the industry, for example. But what she did was horrible.
But The most disturbing aspect of the novel was the horrible mothers. Both Vera and Salome had awful mothers.

The Seventh Veil of Salome is a dual timeline historical novel taking the reader from 1950s Hollywood and the lifeline of Salome.

In 1950s Hollywood the Seventh Veil of Salome is being filmed, and the studio casts an unknown Mexican girl to play the lead role. The plot follows the unknown Mexican girl Vera, a jealous extra Stella, and Salome herself, who is portrayed as a pawn in her mother’s political ambitions.

At first, I didn’t realise that the author also wrote Mexican Gothic as the themes could not be more different. But the author has done her research into the racism in Hollywood during the period – especially the fact that Mexican’s had to pretend to be Spanish to get accommodation.

The plot goes through auditions, parties, the glitz and the glamour and then all of a sudden it comes to the end. With Salome’s parallel life – entwined in the narrative. Salome was also victim to ambition, jealousy, and intrigue.

This is a long tome of a novel though, that at times is slow moving. The multiple POAs can be distracting and sometimes with the narrative I felt why is this included.

I did enjoy The Seventh Veil of Salome, but the slow plot may not be for everyone.