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Famous Once: A Short Story
Famous Once: A Short Story
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From New York Times bestselling author Jane Green comes an unforgettable tale of redemption and reunion, where the echoes of rock and roll fame and the secrets that came with it lead a mother and daughter back to each other.
Former model Astrid Lane lives a quiet life as a caterer, far from her days as rock star Callum Blake’s famous wife. When a retrospective about the 1970s music scene sparks renewed interest in that era, Astrid’s estranged daughter Zara reaches out about a podcast discussing her father’s career—and a long-buried tragedy that changed their family forever.
After a mysterious break-in at Astrid’s cottage, mother and daughter find themselves drawn into an unexpected collaboration. Through a collection of old recordings and shared memories, they begin piecing together a story that’s far bigger than their family’s past. What they uncover will shake the foundations of rock music history and the powerful people who shaped it.
But amid the investigation, something unexpected blooms. As Astrid and Zara work to unravel decades-old secrets, they find themselves building something they’d both given up on: the chance to be mother and daughter again, this time on their own terms.
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by Emma Welton
This was a short quick read.
Not like Jane Green’s early books, so this was different.
A quick tale of rock and roll celebrity couple in their hey day to the present day, with their daughter looking for the inside story
by Bikermum2687
A lovely and quick story of how things can change in a moment. And that the rich can always pay for things to go away till something comes along and ruins it for them. A great read.
by a reader
Yes, this was a free “short story,” but after a few pages it felt like a swoony grammar school girl’s version of a rock’n’roll love story. 50 years compressed into an outline. It reads like a 1st draft of an author’s early novel & never rises above undisguised versions of Mick Jagger right down to his fake spiritual marriage to Jerry Hall that left her without a divorce settlement and Phil Spector’s murder of a young actress. Doesn’t make me want to read anything else by Jane Green.
by The Cookster @ Reviewer ranking #31
Rating: 1.0/5
I really admire a well executed short story. There is a real skill in constructing a properly rounded story with fleshed-out characters in the space of so few pages. Sadly, that does not apply to “Famous Once” by Jane Green.
This feels more like reading chopped up extracts from a longer book. The content is simply glossy, superficial and full of rock star / supermodel stereotypes – even the prose is littered with tired clichés. When you do reach the end, the final chapter is so sickly that you might want to make sure that you have a bucket to hand. On the plus side, it takes less than an hour to read the whole thing.
by Frannie
What a perfectly beautiful story about the 70’s, fame, experimentation, success and betrayal.
My only complaint….it was too short. A quick read at 46 pages, but I wanted more.
by Stacie Hanson
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Famous Once by Jane Green
Famous Once is a super quick read at just 49 pages, but it left me wishing there was more. The secrets Astrid was holding and her daughter Zara’s mission to reveal the truth felt like the foundation for a gripping novel that would be hard to put down. I enjoyed Astrid as a main character—a former model married to a rock star—which added an intriguing layer of glamour and complexity.
While some moments were vividly descriptive, other important parts of the story felt rushed or underdeveloped. The short length made the storyline move too quickly, without enough time to fully explore what was really happening or the emotional weight behind it.
Overall, it’s a fast, easy short story read with an interesting premise, but one that would have benefited from more depth and detail.
by Debbie
This is perfect for me. Chapters are small. The storyline was very good and interesting.
by WelshDragon
As humans, we ALL make mistakes, some more than others. All we can do is hope we learn from those mistakes and move on. This is a touching story about a rock star, his super model wife, and their now journalist daughter. The characters are vivid from being such a short story, the plot is rambling, but a lot of time was covered, and the premise is finding out how an 18 yr old died while in their party. Turns out the evil was in their midst and the proof was in the tapes the husband sent home. I definitely recommend this short story.
by Rachel Green (author)
I really enjoyed this. It would be
quite possible to devour in one sitting, but I read before sleep and it too a weel. Slightly reminiscent of Espedair Street by Iain Banks.