The Chateau on Sunset, by Natasha Lester (REVIEW) — Loneliness, Love, Loss, & Hope... A Classic Tale, Reimagined for Today

 A newly-orphaned girl finds her happy life upended when she’s unceremoniously shipped off to an irritable aunt whom she’s never met. 

Both are relieved when the young woman is old enough to get a job as governess to another unwanted girl... and when she winds up falling in love with her boss, it feels like a fairy tale come true.

The fairy tale takes a nasty turn, though, when she discovers that the man has been keeping a very big secret from her... and once again, she’s all alone.

And it’s there, in the void, that she finally finds herself.

Sound familiar? 

(Hopefully that’s a rhetorical question, and you instantly recognized the plot of Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre.)

But it’s also the basic premise of a clever reimagining of the Gothic classic, in Natasha Lester’s mesmerizing novel, The Chateau on Sunset.

 

When young Aria Jones finds herself abruptly dumped on the sidewalk outside of an imposing hotel on L.A.’s Sunset Boulevard in 1957—so foreign to her after the long flight from the only home she’d ever known, in New York—she’s flummoxed.

And walking into the lobby of the famous—and infamous—Chateau Marmont does little to allay her fears. 

She’s suddenly surrounded by impossibly beautiful people—flirtatious starlets, all sparkling eyes and giggles... handsome young men, following the starlets... older men, exuding power and influence... and real, honest-to-goodness Hollywood stars straight from the big screen. 

While she—small, insignificant, lonely, and plain Aria Jones—sticks out like a sore thumb.

But two of the roaming starlets—stunning Calliope and cheeky Flitter—take pity on the sad, shy girl... showing her the ropes in this strange, rarefied world that is the Marmont and befriending her.

They explain about her aunt, the reclusive actress who never leaves the grounds of the hotel. They caution her against some of the older men—agents and producers with an eye for unwary young women. 

They also share some of the Chateau’s lore—crazy parties that last for days, epic deals that are done... and more than a few tragic endings.

The only real rule? Whatever happens at the Marmont, stays there. No photos, no leaking stories to the eager press.

And it’s within those secretive, sometimes-scary walls, that Aria makes a safe place for herself... and even figures out how to make enough money to leave, once she’s of legal age and no longer bound to her aunt.

Until, that is, the day the Marmont is sold to a new owner—rock star Theo Winchester—and everything changes.

Aria agrees to be his daughter Adele’s tutor, putting her constantly in his orbit... a place she never dreamed of being.

Nor could she ever have imagined she’d fall for the rock star... and he, for her.

But even as she watches her long-held dreams of freedom changing into something very different, Aria is forced to question what she really wants... and what she’s willing to forgive.

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The Chateau on Sunset both surprised and touched me, because I didn’t know what to expect. 

The book alternates time periods each chapter—between 1957 and 1964—so it takes a minute, at the beginning, to understand where you are in Aria’s story. 

Once that sinks in, though, her tale unfolds in a fascinating way, as you watch a shy young girl forging a place for herself, all on her own.

You see her making real friends... and soon maturing beyond her years, because of the things she has to deal with in her new home. 

She watches as starlets go from hopeful ingenues to sad young women, having spent too much time on casting couches in a place where men enjoy all of the power... and none of the downsides to the Hollywood lifestyle.

(The Chateau on Sunset is a more-overtly feminist take on the classic story—which works beautifully in the time period and setting, grounding the modernized tale in a reality quite different than the early 1800s English moors of the original work.) 

Although love interest Theo (the Mr. Rochester character from Brontë’s book) is well-drawn, it’s all of the various women who run throughout Lester’s story who truly matter.

Aria, her friends, her aunt, and numerous other female characters playing smaller parts, are all brought to vivid life... so that their words, their conversations—and their actions—always feel believable.

I also really enjoyed how the author was able to imbue genuine personality onto the Chateau Marmont. It’s such a deliciously-Gothic touch, showing how the building holds its treasure trove of secrets... and how it sighs from disappointments, or rumbles when a situation requires a bit of shaking up.

(I've been to Chateau Marmont, a handful of times... and can attest to the ever-present feeling of Secrets Hiding in the Walls and Behind the Drapes.) 

As for the ending, when it finally arrives? It lands perfectly, feeling earned.

For all the women who were once little girls with hopes and dreams in their eyes—only to face disappointments, loss, and other hardships that had to be navigated—The Chateau on Sunset feels like a gift.

It gives readers all of the heartache and growing pains of Jane Eyre... but looks at them through a more contemporary lens.

This one’s going to stick with me for a long time—and will be one I’ll definitely revisit.
~GlamKitty

[My sincere thanks to Ballantine Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are, as always, entirely my own.]