STAR

In Anderson's lighter-than-air debut, our titular heroine bears more than a passing resemblance to the author herself. Aspiring cosmetologist Esther Wood Leigh, nicknamed "Star" as a kid for her irresistible charm, is impossibly naïve, untenably good-hearted and utterly pneumatic when a marketing exec from Zax beer discovers her, um, magnetism at a football game. In remarkably Anderson-like fashion, Star goes on to grace the cover of a Playboy -like magazine, land a role in a Baywatch -like television series and get entangled with a string of Tommy Lee– and Kid Rock–like rock stars. Naturally, her path to A-list celebrity is punctuated by a steady stream of lighthearted, cringe-inducing sexual adventures with actors ("not the most imaginative lover, but like a favorite dildo, he was always ready to go"), moguls ("the strained notes of the aria trailed up and concluded in concert with their own activity"), mechanics (" 'So which of these has the most comfortable backseat?' she asked, ad-libbing wildly") and the occasional gang of naked strangers ("Star was still having sex, but she no longer had any idea with who"). Anderson's range is predictably limited, and she abandons quite a few unrealized plot threads along the way. This thinly veiled novelization of her own life doesn't pretend to be anything but trashy and cheesy, which gives it an amiable charm. (Aug.)

Forecast: Anderson is a media magnet, of course, and this book should reach previously untapped readerships. Those who can't get enough will be happy to learn that she's writing a second novel, also a roman à clef.