Now Starring Vivien Leigh Reid: Diva in Training

by Sandy Rideout and Yvonne Collins

Book Overview

Moments after arriving in L.A., Vivien Leigh Reid is already questioning her decision to spend another summer with her mother, actress Annika Anderson. Last summer's family reunion on a film set in Ireland may have turned out okay, but Annika is still a grade-A diva. Living in L.A. does have its upside. Leigh is taking classes at one of the city's best acting schools, and she scores a role on a hot TV soap, Diamond Heights. Better yet, her cute Irish...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312338392
• ISBN13: 9780312338398
• Release Date: January 2006
• Publisher: Griffin
• Length: 242 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 13 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 8 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

And actress mother and Hollywood put pressure on daughter Vivien

Vivien no sooner arrives in L.A. when she questions her decision to spend yet another summer with her actress mother. Her decision to take classes at acting school results in a role on a TV show, but Leigh finds her new summer home challenging not because of her mother, but because of Hollywood's pressures. Here's a novel billed as a teen novel but which should reach into adult circles with its swift action, mature themes, and zany atmosphere.

You can't put it down

After visiting, Annika Anderson, on the set of her movie Danny Boy, Leigh doesn't think she'll ever be like her overdramatic diva mother. As she enters Hollywood for the first time, she doesn't know what to expect. Her first acting class turns out to be a disaster and she makes friends with Karis, the strange girl in the class. But Leigh wants more than that, and soon she's offered a role on a popular soap, Diamond Heights. Acing isn't as easy as it looks, and as Leigh gets into the rythm of things on set, she also begins to develop diva like tendencies. Her behavior tends to be the downfall of her relationship with her boyfriend, her friendship with Karis, and her newfound acting career. And Leigh has to do something to fix everything before leaving Hollywood. This book was a great continuation to Introducing Vivien Leigh Reid. It's not often that a sequel is as good or even better than the original. Vivien again offered enough laughs and adventures throughout the book. I love the way the story is written and it's really fun to read. It goes by so fast, and once you start it, you can't put it down. I know that I'm looking forward to reading the third book about Leigh when it comes out. Reviewed by a student for Flamingnet Book Reviews www.flamingnet.com Preteen, teen, and young adult book reviews and recommendations.

Wonderfully funny

I had been looking forward to the second book in this series and it has lived up to my expectations. While this is a "teen" book, I am an adult and find this book to be well written from both the perspective of the daugther and the mother. I admit that the Annicka character could be a little better fleshed out. We only ever see her through the eyes of her daughter, but you can still get a good feel for the relationship between the two. Of course, Leigh is still completely self-absorbed and sure that the whole world revolves around her (to be a teenager again!). The basic storyline remains the same wherein Leigh is trying to figure out if acting is what she really wants to do - as her mother tries to incorporate herself into her daughter's life - while still maintaining that she is too "young" to have a daughter. While I have mentioned in my review of the first book that really, this story is sad (mother and child trying to figure where they fit into each other's life), the authors manage to write it with a funny slant and although you "get" the point, it does not have to be slammed into you. I really enjoy this series. One note, I HATE trying to read the cell phone messages that Leigh keeps sending her friends. Please stop abbreviating every word - I know its probably very "cell phone" acceptable etiquette, but it is impossible to decipher the texts. BUY THIS SERIES....

Now Starring Vivien Leigh Reid Book Review

Authors Yvonne Collins and Sandy Rideout have followed up their teen novel Introducing Vivien Leigh Reid: Daughter of the Diva with Now Starring Vivien Leigh Reid Diva in Training. In this sequel, Vivian is now living in Los Angeles with her C list actress mother Annika. It seems that her small role in the film Danny Boy has sparked the acting bug in our young heroine as she has enrolled in a Los Angeles based acting class, thus the reason she is now living with her mother. Vivien isn't too much feeling the acting class at first. The exercises seem inane to her and she feels like she learned much more during her time in Ireland than in the class. Vivien makes a few new friends and she still pines for her boyfriend Rory. You can't tell Annika that she isn't A list because she truly believes that she is. Her diva like behavior is a bit over the top at times. Vivien Leigh Reid expresses a form of cynicism far beyond her sixteen years when it comes to her day to day relationship with her mother. It's really not cute at times. Their relationship seems storybook forced and lacks an authentic tone. It just doesn't seem real, for instance in one chapter after griping about her mother's habits Vivien says to her mother, "Did you change your lipstick? Your teeth look yellow." It's clear that Annika is trying to be a better mother after years of absence. What isn't quite so clear is if Vivien is still mad at her mother for being gone from her life for so long, or is this just the way she relates to her mother. Things become especially interesting when Vivien lands a sweet acting job while her mother is still looking for the perfect work opportunity. Overall, Now Starring Vivien Leigh Reid Diva In Training is a really hip books that teens interested in the entertainment world may enjoy. It paints a vivid picture of the L.A. scene and the writing is so on point when it comes to the acting world that you will feel like you are in new actor boot camp when reading the book. The book ends on such an amazing high you almost smell another sequel. Teens who are into magazines like Teen People and tabloids will probably especially dig this book. Teen Editor Bellaonline