Emma Straub’s first novel is a paen to old Hollywood–both its heroines and its illusions.

Does anyone actually believe that words can never hurt you? Come on, people—we’re writers. If there’s anything we believe in, it’s that words have power: to inspire, to move, and—yes, I’m afraid, to wound.
“Mean” reviews (and their counterpart, “too nice” reviews) have been a topic of much discussion for the past few [...]