From Publishers Weekly
Clara Bow, star of numerous silent films and early talkies, personified sex as fun, earning the sobriquet "The It Girl." Notoriety ended her career before she was 30. "In this sensitive biography, readers will find a vibrant woman to empathize with, as well as an engrossing history of early picture-making," praised PW. Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.


Entertainmant Weekly, May 12, 2000
"Stenn's operatic chronicle of Bow's life never loses sight of the scared working-class girl trying to escape her past." Grade: A.


Book Description
Silent screen goddess Clara Bow was the embodiment of the Roaring Twenties, Hollywood's first sex symbol and a natural talent with an independent heart.

FROM OUR EDITORS

Before there was Marilyn Monroe, there was Clara Bow, the original "It" girl. The story of Bow's transformation from a Brooklyn kid with a family history that included insanity and alcoholism into the silver screen's first sex symbol is truly the stuff that movies are made of.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Silent screen sensation Clara Bow (1905-1965), the greatest box-office draw of her day, was the embodiment of the Roaring Twenties, Hollywood's first sex symbol, and a natural talent with an independent spirit. Raised in the slums of Brooklyn by a family plagued with alcoholism and insanity, Clara catapulted to fame after winning Motion Picture magazine's 1921 "Fame and Fortune" contest. Despite her overwhelming popularity - she once received 45,000 fan letters in a single month - the onscreen vitality and allure that beguiled millions would be her undoing off-camera. David Stenn captures the 'It' girl's legendary rise to stardom and fall from grace, her success marred by studio exploitation and sexual scandals.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Clara Bow, star of numerous silent films and early talkies, personified sex as fun, earning the sobriquet ``The It Girl.'' Notoriety ended her career before she was 30. ``In this sensitive biography, readers will find a vibrant woman to empathize with, as well as an engrossing history of early picture-making,'' praised PW. (July)

C. Winecoff - Entertainment Weekly