Crowned heads cover

Crowned heads

by Thomas Tryon

Fedora is dead, and movies will never be the same. A star since the early days of Hollywood, she survived the business for an unprecedented four decades before retiring to Crete. As the years wore on and her costars turned wrinkled and worn, Fedora’s perfect features never faded. Now that she has finally passed, the secret to her longevity will be told—a shocking revelation that will raise her to the level of myth. These four novellas tell the story of Fedora and three of her costars in 1955’s infamous The Miracle of Santa Cristi. Alongside the ageless beauty are William Marsh, whose days as a leading man are numbered; Bobbitt, a former child star still trading on his boyish good looks; and Lorna, a dim bulb who’s too sexy for her own good. When the film was shot, they were headed in different directions, but all ended up in the same place: forgotten, loathed, and unlamented.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?