Limelight

Inspirational author Carlson, whose sales exceed 2.5 million copies, offers her fans a delightful tale of a beautiful starlet whose life in the limelight has long passed the curtain-call stage. Claudette Fioré, widow of the deceased famed director Gavin Fioré, loses her home after an accountant misappropriates the family fortune. Claudette, despondent with grief, attempts to kill herself and lands in a hospital, where she implores her gay stepson to rescue her. Once Claudette is released, she is forced to return to her mother's home and, through a comedy of errors, realizes her once glamorous lifestyle has left her bereft of any life skills. With only an estranged sister to turn to, Claudette begrudgingly pays sister Violet a call in the local retirement facility. Too bad they refuse to make amends; Claudette must suffer yet more indignities as she slowly learns that her sister has similarly suffered in her own way. Carlson's story line, though implausible, is full of keen, dry wit and will more than make up for the unlikely events. (Oct.)