Ari Reviews: Strangers in the Night – Heather Webb

If you are a big fan of the Golden Age of Hollywood, Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner , and historical fiction I would highly suggest checking out Strangers in the Night by Heather Webb. I am a big fan of Frank Sinatra and love the era of classic Hollywood so I had to read this book when I came across this on the Goodreads website. The book allows the reader to glimpse into the romance of Frank Sinatra and Ava Gardner who had a whirlwind relationship ranging from love to jealousy. The book starts in the early 1940’s when Ava is trying to get established in Hollywood as an actress and had not very successful marriages/relationships in her past but when she comes across the legendary crooner Frank Sinatra she instantly falls madly in love with him. We also see in the beginning that Frank is trying to get back on top in the music industry as he did early in his career in seeking gigs. Ava and Frank’s relationship however, will come with a lot of complications such as Frank being a married man where he has to live up to the image in the public eye as being a family man, the ups and downs of stardom in Hollywood/music industry, vices, temptations, and their personalities. I have read a few biographies of both Frank and Ava which were very interesting. I was really impressed by how the author covered a lot of events, relationships, moments, and timelines with accuracy that I have read about in biographies about them so it was great to see that shown in the book. The book gave me so many emotions when I read this, I could feel the love, happiness, sorrow, anger, etc.through the good and bad times that Ava and Frank went through together as a couple and when they were apart from each other as well. I loved how the book took you deep into their relationship and behind the scenes of the Golden Age of Hollywood and the music industry in the 1940’s & 1950’s. I highly recommend this so much, it was one of the best historical fiction books I have read so far this year. It was well written, engaging, interesting, and I had to keep reading more to see what would happen next with Frank and Ava’s life together. This is a great read for anyone who loves historical fiction, music, Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner, and classic Hollywood. It was a very quick read and you will learn so much about their lives and love story. You can find this book in the Noble Catalog to request a copy and I highly encourage you to do so !