TRUE GRANDEUR is the tale of Conrad Arlington, a young man who moves to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a great artist. Within a few short years of his arrival, Conrad’s success as a writer brings him to the attention of Gracie Garrison, a beautiful and alluring socialite whose glamorous lifestyle is just as mysterious as the rumors that surround her. After spending a spirited and … adventurous night on the town together – one fueled by an excess of beautiful people, extravagant parties, gallery openings, and the madness of a fallen director – Conrad ultimately falls in love with her, believing them to be destined. However, when he awakens the next morning to find that Gracie is gone, he is distraught, and thus embarks on his relentless journey to find her, resulting in a tumultuous spiral of passion, art, and romance as he searches his soul to try and uncover the greatest mystery of all – true love.
At its core, True Grandeur is not just a love story, but rather an in-depth study on contemporary romanticism, of how ideals shape one’s need for individuality and importance, and of how sociological factors such as fame, wealth, and social class contribute to one’s ability to receive – or not receive – true love. It’s a story of what it means to feel deeply, and attempts to accurately illustrate the internal progression of feeling that is the artist’s journey.
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In the life of luxury and fame, who determines who makes the cut and who doesn’t? True Grandeur by Cal Barnes is vividly wicked and sinfully courageous at the same time. This book will leave readers to think about the underlying message within. With such depth and passion for his characters, Barnes reflects an enigmatic ability to captivate and awe the reader into reading the tale of Conrad Arlington.
Conrad has moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dreams. He is destined to create great work of art, moving pieces that will touch the lives of those around him. Conrad has managed to get his foot into the door, but then she happens. The one who stops his heart and quickens it at the same time. Gracie Garrison, a blonde haired beauty, with tons of spirit and no commitments tying her down. She glides in and takes the stage during one of his auditions and that is when he decides that true love may very well be the ultimate price to pay for his work. That is until—she disappears as quickly as she’s come into his life.
Through Conrad’s eyes, the reader is able to see passion, vigor, lust, resentment, and desperation, and grief as Barnes shares the extent of what a life in Hollywood could be condemned to. At times, one can even state that it may be an overload of sensory aspects and emotion that can be felt. This story is not just one of romance and true love, but it is purely psychological as well. Barnes sheds light on the need for his characters to find their individuality through a world of cruel and unfair odds. It is sociological and represents the masterpiece as Conrad himself instead of his work as his personality forms over the course of the story. The novel is written quite well, with little to no errors and the pace is nice and quick. The characters are well developed, while still remain mysterious and alluring. If you are a reader of romance literary fiction and psychological fiction, you may want to pick this one up for a quick read.
A physical copy of this book was provided to Turning Another Page by the author and in no way affects the honesty of this review. We provide a four-star rating to True Grandeur by Cal Barnes.
Romance is not a genre I generally read. How many men do? But every now and again I come across a book that demands my attention. True Grandeur turned me into a voyeur in the socialite fantasy world of Hollywood, if I may describe it as such, as I have never been there. For a few chapters of flowery prose, I found it hard to suspend my disbelief, but soon found as the story unfolded, I unwittingly had.
The protagonist Conrad Arlington, although naïve and somewhat arrogant is a compelling character, as he constantly battles with his emotions and frustration. In a roller coaster ride, he tries to make sense of the stream of strange people he comes into contact with. His infatuation with the perfect Gracie, who is at the centre of a plethora of alcoholic parties, turns him inside out. When she mysteriously disappears he feels rejected and runs into the arms of her model friend Evie. Now, totally confused, Evie becomes the best thing that ever happened to him, until just as mysteriously Gracie reappears, as though nothing had happened and he dumps Evie.
On his journey Conrad confirms the plastic decadent world he finds himself in is just that, an unfulfilling, empty place inhabited by talentless dreamers. They have the money and he believes he has the talent. He doesn’t belong. Yet he sees something no-one else can in Gracie, the girl at the centre of it all. When she realises he is not like the others, who she keeps at arms-length in order to survive, she doesn’t know how to deal with it. Conrad can reveal little about Gracie, other than the superficial, to the reader, because he himself is denied access. So on the surface, the story may appear flimsy and her character, lifeless. But there is more unsaid which encourages readers to look deeper into their own imaginations, to understand the central characters emotional struggles. This draws the reader in, making the story more interesting. I won’t spoil the rest of it, save to say that the ending leaves it up to the reader to determine what happens to Conrad and Gracie. If you expect to be fed the answers on a platter you may be disappointed. Depending on your mind-set this book is either a simple love story or a thought-provoking read. I enjoyed it for the latter. Read it and find out.