Typewriter Beach - by Meg Waite Clayton (Paperback)

About the Book

"Set in Carmel-by-the-Sea and in 1950s Hollywood-in the days of the studio system and McCarthy-era scaremongering about an America "riddled with communists and homosexuals"-Typewriter Beach is the unforgettable story of an unlikely friendship between an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and a young actress hoping to be Alfred Hitchcock's new star. 1957. Isabella Giori is ten months into a standard 7-year studio contract when she auditions with Hitchcock. Just weeks later, she is sequestered by the studio's "fixer" in a charming little Carmel-by-the-Sea cottage for a secret rendezvous. There, she is awoken by the clack and ding of a typewriter at the cottage next door. Lâeon Chazan is annoyed as hell when Iz interrupts his work on yet another screenplay he won't be able to sell, because he's been blacklisted. But soon he's speeding down the fog-shrouded Carmel-San Simeon highway, headed for the isolated cliffs of Big Sur, with her in the passenger seat. 2018. Twenty-six-year-old screenwriter Gemma Chazan, in Carmel to sell her grandfather's cottage, finds a hidden safe with a World War II-era French passport, an old camera with film still in it, two movie scripts, and a writing Oscar that is not in her grandfather's name-raising questions about who the screenwriter known simply as Chazan really was. In its exploration of Hollywood and Carmel-by-the-Sea, Typewriter Beach is a heartwarming tale of long-buried secrets; sisterhood and sexism; the importance of free speech, story, and name; and what it means to be family"--

Book Synopsis

Instant USA Today Bestseller - Washington Post 5 Works of Historical Fiction to Read This Summer - Top 10 Library Read - Los Angeles Times 10 Reads for a Beach Day - Publishers Weekly Summer Read - Woman's World Book Club Pick - Zibby Books That'll Make You Swoon - AARP Summer Read - The Today Show Best Historical Fiction for August

Set in Carmel-by-the-Sea and Hollywood, Typewriter Beach is an unforgettable story of the unlikely friendship between an Oscar-nominated screenwriter and a young actress hoping to be Alfred Hitchcock's new star.

1957. Isabella Giori is ten months into a standard seven-year studio contract when she auditions with Hitchcock. Just weeks later, she is sequestered by the studio's "fixer" in a tiny Carmel cottage, waiting and dreading.

Meanwhile, next door, Léon Chazan is annoyed as hell when Iz interrupts his work on yet another screenplay he won't be able to sell, because he's been blacklisted. Soon, they're together in his roadster, speeding down the fog-shrouded Big Sur coast.

2018. Twenty-six-year-old screenwriter Gemma Chazan, in Carmel to sell her grandfather's cottage, finds a hidden safe full of secrets--raising questions about who the screenwriter known simply as Chazan really was, and whether she can live up to his name.

In graceful prose and with an intimate understanding of human nature, Meg Waite Clayton captures the joys and frustrations of being a writer, being a woman, being a star, and being in love. Typewriter Beach is the story of two women separated by generations--a tale of ideas and ideals, passion and persistence, creativity, politics, and family.

Review Quotes

"Nothing beats Grace Kelly on the Riviera, as seen in Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief. But Clayton's portrait of an aspiring Hitchcock blonde has intrigue to spare . . . . Fans of Hollywood's golden age will fall in love." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Clayton delivers another top-tier dual-timeline historical. Thought-provoking and timely, it's sure to be a big summer hit." - Library Journal (starred review)

"Like the carriage of a well-oiled Olivetti, this novel moves between Carmel and Hollywood, in two different centuries, with ease." ⎯ The Los Angeles Times

"Set in mid-1950s California, the latest historical novel by Clayton considers different forms of love: romantic, friendly and familial." ⎯ The Washington Post

"A fascinating family mystery that is begging to be unraveled . . . emotional, atmospheric writing . . . and a beautiful, deep love story." -- #1 New York Times bestselling author Ana Huang on the TODAY Show

"Under the shimmer of 1950s movie magic and the shadows of the McCarthy era, this romantic, moody mystery spotlights life in front of the camera." - Shelf Awareness

"This fast-paced nov-el details the dele-te-ri-ous, life-chang-ing effects of Sen-a-tor Joe McCarthy's anti-com-mu-nist cam-paign on the writ-ers, actors, and direc-tors of Hollywood . . . . The author describes set-tings and moods in vivid detail, let-ting read-ers imag-ine being sur-round-ed by the nat-ur-al beau-ty of Carmel-by-the-Sea. Type-writer Beach is a fas-ci-nat-ing look into a recent piece of Amer-i-can his-to-ry that is so rel-e-vant in today's polit-i-cal and social climate." - Jewish Book Council

"An unhurried tale about the flaws of the film industry and the healing power of human connection." - Kirkus Reviews

"A fascinating look at Hollywood during the havoc wreaked on the industry in midcentury by the House Un-American Activities Committee. Though the main characters come from wealth and the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, their struggles and longing for a sense of family keep them relatable and loveable.... The deeply immersive setting and timely look at political and social issues that haven't yet been left behind will keep readers engaged." -- Historical Novel Reviews

"5 Challah rating--Typewriter Beach is a wonderfully woven story with unexpected twists and connections. Written from alternating perspectives, it redefines family." - Jewish Voice and Opinion

"Meg Waite Clayton's riveting ninth novel shifts from the European settings she has created for earlier novels . . . to Hollywood at the height of the blacklist era, and the enchanting seaside village of Carmel-by-the-Sea." -- Literary Hub

"An inventive tale of family love across generations." -- Sandee Brawarsky, Hadassah Magazine

"Meg Waite Clayton pulls the reader into the story with nuanced, believable characters and prose that tells 'just enough' to keep reading until the end. . . . Typewriter Beach is not just a captivating story about Hollywood in the 50's and 60's or another examination of what family is about, it is also a portrait of the strength and importance of friendship and an intense look at the effect that the sowing of distrust can have on society." - Gloss Book Club

"This riveting historical brings McCarthy-era Hollywood to life . . . . I loved this story for its propulsive plot and riveting period details, most especially the numerous lovely portrayals of people finding love and family even when they'd given up hope of it happening for them in an unkind world." - Modern Mrs Darcy

"Nothing beats Grace Kelly on the Riviera, as seen in Alfred Hitchcock's To Catch a Thief. But Clayton's portrait of an aspiring Hitchcock blonde has intrigue to spare. Fledgling star Isabella Giori's rise is cut short when she gets pregnant, after which she makes a fateful friendship with a blacklisted screenwriter while the McCarthy hearings rage on. Fans of Hollywood's golden age will fall in love." - Publishers Weekly, "Summer Reads"

"Questions of love, femininity, work, power, family, and future abound in this compelling tale of old Hollywood and new." -- Alta Journal

"Alfred Hitchcock appears on the first page of Meg Waite Clayton's latest novel, setting an appropriately eerie and atmospheric tone. Typewriter Beach revels in the morally gray areas of movies -- and of life . . . an entertaining and brave work of fiction." -- Chapter 16

"Readers are taken to 1950s California in this riveting saga. . . . As secrets emerge, lives intersect in astonishing ways." - Women's World

"A captivating page-turner ... about two women separated by generations--a story about passion and persistence, creativity, politics and family." -- Bay City News

"The captivating story of a complicated friendship ... steeped in the glamour and dark undertones of post-war Hollywood... Parallel narratives sustain the mystery in Clayton's beautifully written, emotionally and morally layered story of family formed in 'love rather than blood' and love transformed into art by 'eight fingers on eight keys.'" - Booklist

"Typewriter Beach is a gorgeous work of fiction that reads like a memoir. As Meg Waite Clayton invents Iz's story, she reveals some of the dirty laundry of Hollywood's early days and gives readers a glimpse at its stars' foibles, faults and quirks. She allows us to feel the dread of the HUAC, a terrifying time in history, using Leo as an example. His backstory will tug at heartstrings as much as Iz's main story. This multilayered novel satisfies on many levels and is not to be missed." - Bookreporter.com