Glitter Baby (Wynette, Texas, 1)

You know you are in the hands of a good writer when time suspends, the story is so real you find yourself lost in it, and the characters are three dimensional enough that you truly CARE what happens to them. Susan Elizabeth Phillips is a goddess of romance for these very reasons!

Glitter Baby, although it is an earlier work of hers, still has all the elements that make SEP so unique and addicting! Glitter Baby has elements of BOTH romance and fiction. It is unlike lots of her newer work that focuses mainly on romance. Glitter Baby is definitely more in the vein of her books Honey Moon and Hot Shot vrs. the Chicago Stars series.

This is a "coming of age" story. This is the story of Fleur Savagar. If I had a vote for "the most unfortunate child of derelict parents"..Fleur would get my vote hands down! Fleur's mother is, to put it kindly, a flake! She is obsessed with Hollywood, and lives in an almost fairytale world of make believe with actors being the kings and queens. She will do anything to be in the company of stars. Fleur's "dad" is also a really big problem...he is manipulative, vindictive, and totally self motivated. Combine these two people and Fleur's only saving grace is that she was forced out of her home and raised in a convent!

Fleur is a pawn in her parent's twisted lives, obsessions, and desires. She is incredibly beautiful so her mother capitalizes on this by making her into an actress/model. Fleur is not interested in these occupations, but both allow her mother to be in the "limelight" with beautiful, and more importantly, FAMOUS people. Fleur, still dealing with her abandonment issues, wants to make her mom happy and agrees to a life she does not want.

Jake Koranda is one of the "yummiest" hero's I've read in a long time. He is funny and yet deep. He's tortured, but not too much so...just tortured enough to make your heart bleed for him. He and Fleur are destined and meant for each other....you realize it very early in the book and are cheering for them throughout all their ups and downs.

The best part of this book is watching Fleur's coming of age and her learning how to become her own person. It's painful to watch, but isn't life like that sometimes. What is MOST painful TEACHES us and we GROW!

This book is very hard to put down...it's separated into sections going from past to present, and has a great many characters to keep track of. It is funny, heartwrenching, and by far the best book I've read in a long time. You'll laugh through your tears...another vintage SEP experience!

First off, I'm a huge SEP fan. She writes clever characters that you really care about. My favorite romance novel of all time is heaven Texas. So when i saw Glitter baby on the shelve i got really excited to have another SEP book to devour.

Well, i read it. And i have to say i was disappointed. None of the characters were all that engaging, and i found myself not caring if Fleur and Jake were going be be together. There wasn't any type of spark between them, or really anything but mutual attraction.

Also, the mother, Belinda, was a HUGE part in this story. And what a pathetic character she is! Glitter Baby is more her story than Fleur's, and she is not worth 300+ pages. She's pathetic, manipulative, and whiny, and you get ALOT of her.

A little pet peeve was the constant description of clothing. I understand you need to hint a little about what the person is wearing, but SEP devoted at least a paragraph to what everyone was wearing in every scene. For larger more important scenes, i understand, but i didn't need to know exactly what Belinda was wearing every single time she came on. It's an overload of unnecessary description.

I understand that this is a re-issue. And i can understand how everything is dated, but that doesn't excuse the poor character development and weak plot line. Don't get me wrong, i still love SEP, and i will probably buy all of her books in the future. I'm just going to make sure that they were written now, and not back in the 80's.

(I'll preface this by saying that, while I am trying my best not to include any spoilers in this review, some small ones may accidentally happen)
So I purchased this book several years ago and recently started reading it for the third time. I also did something I hadn't done before and read the back cover (the plot summary). I consider myself a SEP fan, but more than that, I'm a fan of literature. And there was one particular sentence in the summary that bothered me so much that I felt the need to actually read some of the reviews. This was the sentence:

"An ugly duckling who can't believe she's turned into a swan . . . A tough-guy movie star with a haunted past . . . In a land of broken dreams, can two unlikely lovers trust their hearts?"

First things first: yes, there is a romantic element in the story. And I'll also concede that it's definitely an important part of Fleur's story. Heck, it's the catalyst that prompts a major upheaval in her life.

However, that small paragraph that closes the summary does such a disservice to the author that, in my honest opinion, it's the primary reason for such mixed reviews of this book. Given that summary, I'm wondering if the publishers even read the book in its entirety.

This story is about so much more than some Romeo & Juliet romance that you can find in 75% of the romance novels out there (whether contemporary or not). In fact, I'm not sure I would even put this story in that category. It's more about a woman finding herself and her strength after facing some pretty awful betrayals. And, while the story arc with Jake did shape the second half of the story, the romantic element is at most secondary to Fleur's story.

No wonder so many reviewers have blasted it. They purchased it expecting a romance and instead got very little romance and a story of a young woman finding herself.

TL;DR: if you are looking for a romance novel, this probably won't be your cup of tea.

I knew this book wasn't what i thought it was going to be as soon as I opened it. I almost didn't read it right away because it was fairly obvious from the beginning that the main focus wasn't romance, but something kept me from putting the book down and I went back to it. I barely put it down since I started it. I thought that since this was Susan Elizabeth Phillip's first book that it would be somewhat less exciting then the others. What I didn't expect was that it would be one of the strongest stories I've ever read by her.
The stories she comes out with now mainly focus around romance. They're all really good and I've never not loved anything she wrote, but this is far beyond your normal romance. It's about growing up, dealing with the hard stuff and healing. The romance comes in later in the book and although it's not the main focus it is just as amazing as everything else in the book. The characters have flaws. They're extremely well rounded and you find yourself loving the characters more because they're human and real and they have feeling that you can relate to.
This book is so much more then a romance. It's just an amazing book all around. If you're looking for an amazing read you should pick this book up. I finally understand why people were willing to pay all that money before the re-release came out.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips first published The Glitter Baby in 1987. The current version, rewritten and published in 2009, is a rework of the original. Overall, I found this a highly entertaining read even if it is a bit dated. Fleur Savagar, the Glitter Baby, is the illegitimate child of Errol Flynn and Belinda, a failed Hollywood starlet. (Yes, I know. Modern readers have to do a Google search to identify Mr. Flynn.)

Scorned by Flynn and pregnant, Belinda lands on her feet by marrying millionaire Alexi Savagar, who hates Flynn and takes on the scorned mistress as revenge. Alexi, however, is not fooled by Belinda's attempts to persuade him the baby is his. At birth, he packs Fleur off to a convenient French convent. Belinda, now enjoying her position in Parisian society as Alexi's wife, simply has a replacement child: Michel.

However, Belinda's indifference changes as Fleur grows into a beautiful woman. Belinda sees the chance to realize her Hollywood dreams by transforming her daughter into The Glitter Baby. Fleur is allowed to come home where Belinda begins to groom her for stardom. Alexi, on the other hand, disappointed that his only son and heir Michel is gay, has a darker future in mind for his step-daughter who still believes he is her father.

Enter drop dead gorgeous movie star Jake Korada, who having served in Vietnam (another possible Google search for some readers), has his own emotional scars. Jake reluctantly agrees to hire Fleur for a movie that is loosely based upon his own return from war. Jake is screen writer, producer and star of the production. Of course Fleur and Jake fall for each other during filming, but the apple cart is more than upset when Fleur finds her snake-like mother in a compromising position with Jake.

Fleur flees to Paris to the man she believes is her father, only to be imprisoned in Alexi's mansion where he reveals the name of her real father, now long dead. Alexi, as snake-like as Belinda, also informs Fleur that he has selected her to bear him a child to replace the disappointing Michel.

Horrified, Fleur escapes, but not before she destroys Alexi's most prized possession, his vintage Bugatti. The scene where Fleur takes a crowbar to the machine the revolting Alexi loves more than any human is one of the best in the book.

Fleur disguises herself by chopping off her legendary blond locks, gaining twenty pounds, and by becoming the Girl Friday for a rock band. Eventually she puts her anger at her truly awful parents behind her and makes her way to New York, where she decides to open her own talent agency. One of her goals is promote the career of her aspiring actress friend, Kissy, and her brother Michel's career as a fashion designer.

Reenter Jake, who asks Fleur to represent him, not as an actor, but as a screen writer. Fleur's struggles to avoid being destroyed by Alexi, who is bent on revenge for the Bugatti, to aid her friend and her brother, and to deal with her true feelings for Jake lead to a powerful conclusion. Fleur emerges not as The Glitter Baby, but as a strong and powerful woman who has achieved well earned success and the love of her man. Although a little dated, this is an entertaining read.

If you like to read Danielle Steel, this book will probably appeal to you. It is filled with a cast of scarred characters. Issues of "ugly-duckling syndrome", post tramatic stress disorder, parental psychological abuse, parental abandonment,and homosexuality are just a few items dealt with by this cast. Some characters are able to overcome and others just succumb.

Even though it technically ends "Happily Ever After", I was left with an overwhelming feeling of sadness and could not wait to pick up another book to take my head out of this story.

Fleur Savagar has an image problem; she thinks she is ugly while the world says she is beautiful. Forced into a life she never really wanted, Fleur becomes a top model. Her mother is a movie star groupie and pushes Fleur into making a movie. Fleur loves her mother and will do anything to keep her happy.

Jake Koranda is a hot Hollywood actor and has doubts that the Glitter Baby can act. The script is his baby and doesn't want anything ruining it. After getting to know Fleur he sees there could be more behind the beautiful face.

A misunderstanding drives these two apart before they even begin. Can Fleur find herself and love at the same time?

Glitter Baby shines bright. Susan Elizabeth Phillips knows how to write a captivating tale. She spins together a fairly tale ride that I didn't want to end. Glitter Baby reminds me a lot of another of Ms. Phillips stories, Fancy Pants. Both stories are so epic.

Fleur Savagar is a princess in disguise, brought up by a selfish mother who kept secrets from her. As the story progressed I felt proud of the woman Fleur becomes. Jake is such a hero in more ways than one and I loved to hate Fleur's mother and her part in the Jake and Fleur debacle.

Glitter Baby is a true coming of age story full of secrets, mistakes and heart break. Ms. Phillips has a true fan in me. I love what she can do with a story by bringing it to life and making me fall in love with the characters.

Jambrea
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

This was a darker story than we're used to from SEP, I found it a fascinating accounting of human nature, at times at it's worse, and at times the human spirit shone through.
People have mentioned the women as victims. I didn't see that. The mother was spineless, immature and needy, yes, but Fleur was a worthy advisory for her father once she grew up. And Fleur had a wonderfully smart, feisty friend in Kissy.
Someone mentioned pedophile: no, she was 19 when this incident took place. And her father had incestuous ideas, but he wasn't her biological father, and had never been a father figure through her growing up years. He was disgustingly creepy, manipulative, cruel and perverted, though.
Keeping in mind that it was first published in 1987, you have to allow for how the times have changed in how books and the modern woman are written. I think it's weathered the time well, though, and found it to be an engrossing read.
I loved the story and the very interesting characters.

I think HOT SHOT's one of my favorite of SEP's of all times....but I still absolutely love Glitter Baby. The title bothered me a little because it seemed to imply something superficial or shallow about the characters and story? Which is so wrong. The story's about wonderful, complex characters, and just reads like a joy...loved every word.

I feel bad writing a negative review for a SEP book, since she 's one of my favorite authors (based on 3 recent books I've read by her). But, this old one, gave me the creeps, I had to stop reading it and return it to the library.

I think the plot of this book may have been attractive back in the days when it was originally written. But, reading it now, all I could see is a coupld of young women being taken advantage of by 2 old pedophiles. The stupid part about the plot that I can't get over is why the Mom didn't tell Fleur earlier that the Count is not her real father. Fleur could have guessed that since she knew that the Count was the reason why she was never allowed to go home (she was raised at a convent) and only allowed to spend a month with her Mother per year at a vacation spot, and even then they had to lie about their relationship to strangers. Oh and the fact that she never spent time with her 'Dad' until she was a teenage beauty attending her grandmother's funeral. Then all of a sudden, pedophile 'Dad' found her beauty fascinating. GROSS! Maybe the plot got better in the middle of the book, but I didn't have the stomach for the potential ick factor. I didn't get far enough into the book for anything really gross to happen so I don't want to imply that anything did happen, but just knowing that the guy was a pedophile and he stalked Fleur and her Mother bode ill.

The only reason I gave it 2 stars instead of 1 is that SEP's writing is still great, fast paced.