In 1928, Mrs. Harlean McGrew was on her way to change the face of moving pictures as Jean Harlow. PLATINUM DOLL is a fictionalised biography of the unforgettable star, and focuses mainly the a few years when she arrived in Hollywood as a 17 year-old newlywed until she achieved fame. Apart from a bout from scarlet fever, young Jean Harlow had an uneventful life. However, she remained under the thumb of her overbearing, ever-controlling mother. Jean's mother was a failed actress, who literally became famous through her daughter. I would have liked to have read more of Jean Harlow's life after she became a star along with her untimely death, which are reduced to a few lines in the author's note. But I'll admit it was an interesting idea because Jean Harlow's marriage to Chuck McGrew was not exactly typical of Hollywood, and there is very little that is known of that part of the actress's life.

Jean Harlow was a very sweet person, who never stood a chance against her mother, whom she dearly loved. Yet, one must wonder if Jean would have reached the pinnacle of success without her mother's formidable presence. Ms. Girard does a great job at making the Hollywood of the Roaring Twenties come to life, and I really enjoyed the tidbits about other great stars of the era. PLATINUM DOLL is a quick and easy read, the prose is simple but effective, and I greatly appreciated that the author used expressions according to the era's vocabulary. PLATINUM DOLL is most interesting because Jean Harlow's rise to fame bears little resemblance to most Hollywood stories.