With Tonie Behar’s latest novel, it is strongly question of love at first sight. In “You Can’t Stop A Star From Shining”, we meet Max and Sacha, a fiery couple who decide their own rules of the game regarding the couple. We will follow them from the 60s to the time of rock n’ roll until 2001. And they won’t give us time to breathe.
We will go from the Grands Boulevards in Paris to Hollywood Boulevard, from the cobblestones of May 68 to the beaches of Malibu, from the hippies of San Francisco to the upscale bathhouses and follow the destiny of these two marvelous lovers.
It is therefore a love that transcends times… and the ocean too. And then which is so strong that inevitably it shakes. Do not expect yet another romantic comedy where a happy ending way they got married and had many children. No it’s many more roller coasters that, in short, it is the story of a real passion. Tonie Behar succeeds in transporting us to different eras and tells us about upheavals in society whether in France or on the west coast of the United States.
Through Sacha and Max, we come back to feminism, the rights of homosexuals, the hippie movement. Behar also treats the secondary characters with great care and it is truly a fresco that unfolds before our eyes as readers. We are absolutely eager to know what happens next. We are also caught up in the world of sequins and TV shows because Sacha will become a famous actress.
Each period, each place is meticulously treated under the pen of Béhar. His writing is incredibly cinematic. Which also reminded me a bit of “La la Land”.