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It's All True: A Novel of Hollywood    by David Freeman Amazon.com order for
It's All True
by David Freeman
Order:  USA  Can
Simon & Schuster, 2004 (2004)
Hardcover
* * *   Reviewed by David Pitt

Here's a novel about a Hollywood screenwriter written by a Hollywood screenwriter, but don't start yawning yet: unlike many inside-Hollywood books written by insiders, this one's actually quite good.

Years ago, Henry Wearie wrote a few scripts that, while they never got made, gave him a reputation around Hollywood as an up-and-comer. When one of his scripts finally got produced, and became a hit movie, he was golden. Now his career is spiraling down, and soon Henry's going to be just another has-been.

Then things start looking up: an old girlfriend, now in a position of some influence at a major studio, expresses interest in one of Henry's off-the-cuff pitches. Can Henry climb back up to the top – and, if so, will he be able to retain some small shred of dignity and self-respect?

Freeman is a graceful writer, and he fills the novel with enough inside-Hollywood detail to satisfy the most eager of film buffs. The story is entertaining, the characters are interesting, the dialogue is pithy. Only the author's tendency to belabor the point – does he really need to call his tired, seen-it-all screenwriter Wearie? – mars this otherwise excellent novel.

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