What do you think?
Rate this book
Rock Star
Music was their business - pleasure was their game.
Rock Star blows the lid off the hard-driving lifestyles of today's music superstars.
Kris Phoenix - The legendary and wildly sexy guitar hero,
Bobby Mondella - Black soul superstar with a past,
Rafealla - An exotically beautiful girl who comes between them with a vengeance.
Rock Star takes you on a dangerous trip through the jungle of broken dreams and blackmail, hit records and hit men...a jungle of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.
Rock Star is a love story that burns.
Feel the heat...
Rock Star blows the lid off the hard-driving lifestyles of today's music superstars.
Kris Phoenix - The legendary and wildly sexy guitar hero,
Bobby Mondella - Black soul superstar with a past,
Rafealla - An exotically beautiful girl who comes between them with a vengeance.
Rock Star takes you on a dangerous trip through the jungle of broken dreams and blackmail, hit records and hit men...a jungle of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll.
Rock Star is a love story that burns.
Feel the heat...
463 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1987
About the author
Jackie Collins
191 books2,572 followersThere have been many imitators, but only Jackie Collins can tell you what really goes on in the fastest lane of all. From Beverly Hills bedrooms to a raunchy prowl along the streets of Hollywood; from glittering rock parties and concerts to stretch limos and the mansions of power brokers-Jackie Collins chronicles the real truth from the inside looking out.
Jackie Collins has been called a "raunchy moralist" by the late director Louis Malle and "Hollywood's own Marcel Proust" by Vanity Fair magazine. With over 500 million copies of her books sold in more than forty countries, and with some 30 New York Times bestsellers to her credit, Jackie Collins is one of the world's top-selling novelists. She is known for giving her readers an unrivalled insider's knowledge of Hollywood and the glamorous lives and loves of the rich, famous, and infamous. "I write about real people in disguise," she says. "If anything, my characters are toned down-the truth is much more bizarre."
Jackie Collins died of breast cancer Saturday, September 19, 2015. Jackie Collins, who had kept her illness secret, said recently that she believed in an afterlife, that she had no regrets and that she had emulated Frank Sinatra in that “I did it my way.”
Visit Jackie's website: www.jackiecollins.com
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/JackieJCollins
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/jackiecollins and Pinterest:
www.pinterest.com/jackiejcollins
Jackie Collins has been called a "raunchy moralist" by the late director Louis Malle and "Hollywood's own Marcel Proust" by Vanity Fair magazine. With over 500 million copies of her books sold in more than forty countries, and with some 30 New York Times bestsellers to her credit, Jackie Collins is one of the world's top-selling novelists. She is known for giving her readers an unrivalled insider's knowledge of Hollywood and the glamorous lives and loves of the rich, famous, and infamous. "I write about real people in disguise," she says. "If anything, my characters are toned down-the truth is much more bizarre."
Jackie Collins died of breast cancer Saturday, September 19, 2015. Jackie Collins, who had kept her illness secret, said recently that she believed in an afterlife, that she had no regrets and that she had emulated Frank Sinatra in that “I did it my way.”
Visit Jackie's website: www.jackiecollins.com
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/JackieJCollins
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/jackiecollins and Pinterest:
www.pinterest.com/jackiejcollins
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
February 11, 2019
Instagram || Twitter || Facebook || Amazon || Pinterest
This is currently free for Kindle!
I read this book for the Unapologetic Romance Readers' New Years 2017 Reading Challenge. For more info about what this is, click here.
I needed to read a "rock star" romance for this romance reading challenge I'm doing, and I figured what better way of accomplishing that than to revisit the first vintage novel I ever read? Jackie Collins's ROCK STAR. You know you're getting into something good from the very moment you crack open the cover and see the author's full cover 80s glamor shot, looking like the world's greatest bad-ass with teased hair and a denim jean jacket. RIP, Jackie Collins.
I read ROCK STAR for the first time almost ten years ago and it holds up pretty well. This book is an epic that is nearly 500 pages long that takes place mostly in the late 70s, early 80s. It is about three rock stars. There's Rafaella, who is a quarter black, a quarter French, a quarter English, a quarter American, and an amazing lounge singer. Born to wealth, she suffered many tragedies, including the death of her father, and rose to fame after having her heart broken for the second time. There's Bobby Mondella, a black soul singer, who started out life overweight and impoverished and later became a best-seller and international sex symbol, only to lose his sight in a terrible accident. Lastly, there's Kris Phoenix, the ultimate stereotype of the 80s rocker, cast in the mold of Mick Jagger and Bruce Springsteen. He sleeps around, and talks like a Valley Girl, but he's 100% all about that rock life.
The thing that these three stars have in common is a creepy European dude named Marcus Citroen and his wife, Nova Citroen. Both of them are 100% about that creep life, and have invested mind, body, and soul into these stars for their own personal means. Now, in 1987, all of them are about to come together in a final showdown at the Citroens's benefit concern. Only, things are about to be explosive, because there's this random group of criminals planning a heist to end all heists, too.
ROCK STAR is so over-the-top, so 80s, that it's absolutely amazing. It's the ultimate sleazy adventure. Everyone wears too much makeup. Everyone does cocaine. Everyone's a shallow jerk. The characters play musical beds. The word 'b*tched' is used as an actual dialogue tag. Even the written-out phonetic accents and racial stereotypes are done so unapologetically that it's almost not offensive. Almost. Is this book dated? Oh, God yes. The only thing more dated would be a guy wearing silver parachute pants and a mullet, dancing around in the street with a giant boombox to "In Your Eyes" by Peter Gabriel while his Chrysler idles in the street. On the other hand, it's pure fun, and written just smartly enough that you won't be filled with morning-after regret the next day.
I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ALL, OBVIOUSLY.
3 stars
January 29, 2021
"The biggest critics of my books are people who never read them."
Jackie Collins
My review:
RIP Jackie Collins.
OK now....I read so many of her books in my youth. And even as an adult when I travel....and it's been a long time..I usually take a Collins book to help me unwind.
And what better book to talk about then Rock Star?
This is the ultimate guilty pleasure. And honestly not that guilty because it is GOOD. So good! 500 pages of good!
Probably one of the most fun books on rock-N-Roll out there!
The story revolves around three rock stars. Bobby Mendola. Chris Phoenix. Raffealla.
It follows them from their young lives to their fights for success in the industry.
And these three are all linked through the cruel and brutal Marcus Citroen, head of the record label that has signed these three. Marcus is a killer. Literally. He is ruthless in getting what he wants. One way or another all three of our rock stars pay a price for doing business with him.
Rock Star is sweeping and garrish, delicious and sleezy, fan....so much fun....that I cannot imagine anyone finding it "boring". It's just electrifying.
Lots of fun and loopy characters, lots of sex and drugs and rock-n-roll. But the characters flawed as they maybe, are all to human and one cannot help but root for them. Except Marcus of coarse.
If you've been thinking of venturing into the Jackie Collins territory..might I suggest this one to start with? Read it! It's a rock-N-Roll extravaganza!
Jackie Collins
My review:
RIP Jackie Collins.
OK now....I read so many of her books in my youth. And even as an adult when I travel....and it's been a long time..I usually take a Collins book to help me unwind.
And what better book to talk about then Rock Star?
This is the ultimate guilty pleasure. And honestly not that guilty because it is GOOD. So good! 500 pages of good!
Probably one of the most fun books on rock-N-Roll out there!
The story revolves around three rock stars. Bobby Mendola. Chris Phoenix. Raffealla.
It follows them from their young lives to their fights for success in the industry.
And these three are all linked through the cruel and brutal Marcus Citroen, head of the record label that has signed these three. Marcus is a killer. Literally. He is ruthless in getting what he wants. One way or another all three of our rock stars pay a price for doing business with him.
Rock Star is sweeping and garrish, delicious and sleezy, fan....so much fun....that I cannot imagine anyone finding it "boring". It's just electrifying.
Lots of fun and loopy characters, lots of sex and drugs and rock-n-roll. But the characters flawed as they maybe, are all to human and one cannot help but root for them. Except Marcus of coarse.
If you've been thinking of venturing into the Jackie Collins territory..might I suggest this one to start with? Read it! It's a rock-N-Roll extravaganza!
September 22, 2015
This was a bitter sweet read for because Ms. Collins lost her battle with cancer a day after I bought a couple of her books. This book was well written like all of the books that I have read by Ms. Collins with no errors in grammar or spelling. This book was good and I may or may not have read it years ago I can't remember. Three rock star the story starts with an impending event in 1987 involving 3 of the world's biggest musicians. It then goes back and tells each of their stories one of the comes from a wealthy family the other two had to struggle and fight to reach the top. Kris Phoenix is a legend and wildly sexy guitar hero with an ex-wife. Bobby Mondella is a Black soul superstar with a dark past and then there is bad boy Marcus Citroen who is the typical bad boy rocker. This book was hot with some really good sex scenes and I love reading about bad boy rock stars. Jackie Collins you will be missed.
February 15, 2024
One of my favorites. I call it "fast food" glamour fiction trash and happily come back for a re-read every decade.
April 14, 2020
Jackie Collins in world renowned for her glitzy, salacious and theatrical novels. Rock Star is up there with the best. Being one her earlier novels this would have been fresh and striking when released. It still has the same impact now as many of her books do.
I am making my way through the collection of Collins’s books, and I am beginning to near the end having around 3 novels left. Having said that they are getting a bit repetitive. Same sort of plot just different characters. You get used to the style of writing and the twists and explosive endings after a while. To me, nothing is a shock anymore. I find myself being able to predict the endings earlier and earlier the more of her books I read.
So what draws me back time and time again? What makes these books so hard to put down? The characters. They are so exquisite. So wonderfully flawed. I despise them all but they keep me entertained for hours. Collins is a creative genius at making characters that you love to hate. As the title suggests this one is all about Rock Stars and the fame, fortune and groupies it brings. As you get drawn into the world of Kris Phoenix, Bobby Mandella and Rafealla, you will find be careful what you wish for rings throughout.
As each characters world intertwines for a fiery ending you wont be disappointed in picking this novel up. Collins writing cannot be beaten and there will never be an author quite the same. Escape into the world of Rock and Roll, Enjoy!
I am making my way through the collection of Collins’s books, and I am beginning to near the end having around 3 novels left. Having said that they are getting a bit repetitive. Same sort of plot just different characters. You get used to the style of writing and the twists and explosive endings after a while. To me, nothing is a shock anymore. I find myself being able to predict the endings earlier and earlier the more of her books I read.
So what draws me back time and time again? What makes these books so hard to put down? The characters. They are so exquisite. So wonderfully flawed. I despise them all but they keep me entertained for hours. Collins is a creative genius at making characters that you love to hate. As the title suggests this one is all about Rock Stars and the fame, fortune and groupies it brings. As you get drawn into the world of Kris Phoenix, Bobby Mandella and Rafealla, you will find be careful what you wish for rings throughout.
As each characters world intertwines for a fiery ending you wont be disappointed in picking this novel up. Collins writing cannot be beaten and there will never be an author quite the same. Escape into the world of Rock and Roll, Enjoy!
June 24, 2015
I read this entire book in one afternoon. 450-some pages of glorious tackiness. It was a good way to spend a day off. :)
Rock Star chronicles the rise to fame of three singers: Bobby Mondella, a smooth soul singer who's trying to make a comeback after being blinded in an accident; Rafealla, an overnight sensation with a sultry lounge-singer's voice; and Kris Phoenix, rock idol second only to Springsteen.
The book is set in the afternoon and evening of a big party where the three protagonists are performing, but told mostly in flashbacks arranged chronologically that detail the last twenty years of each character's life. I found this structure very effective - the flashback chapters really give you a feel for the characters and their struggles, while the current-day chapters provide a framework for the flashbacks. The reader knows where everyone is going to end up, but not how they get there or why they feel the way they do about each other - allusions to past events are made during the current-day chapters, and then explored further in flashbacks later in the book - so there's quite a few mysteries that kept me intrigued.
A lot of people slate Jackie Collins, and call her untalented and her books trashy. Well, they are trashy, but untalented is an unfair accusation, IMO. Her books are easy to read, pleasant junk food for the brain, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. And she certainly has a talent for drawing the reader in, making you root for the heroes and hiss at the villains, making you care about these people - even though you'll probably forget all about them the next day. I don't find her books memorable, but I certainly find them entertaining at the time, and this one more than most. 3.5 - 4 stars.
Rock Star chronicles the rise to fame of three singers: Bobby Mondella, a smooth soul singer who's trying to make a comeback after being blinded in an accident; Rafealla, an overnight sensation with a sultry lounge-singer's voice; and Kris Phoenix, rock idol second only to Springsteen.
The book is set in the afternoon and evening of a big party where the three protagonists are performing, but told mostly in flashbacks arranged chronologically that detail the last twenty years of each character's life. I found this structure very effective - the flashback chapters really give you a feel for the characters and their struggles, while the current-day chapters provide a framework for the flashbacks. The reader knows where everyone is going to end up, but not how they get there or why they feel the way they do about each other - allusions to past events are made during the current-day chapters, and then explored further in flashbacks later in the book - so there's quite a few mysteries that kept me intrigued.
A lot of people slate Jackie Collins, and call her untalented and her books trashy. Well, they are trashy, but untalented is an unfair accusation, IMO. Her books are easy to read, pleasant junk food for the brain, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. And she certainly has a talent for drawing the reader in, making you root for the heroes and hiss at the villains, making you care about these people - even though you'll probably forget all about them the next day. I don't find her books memorable, but I certainly find them entertaining at the time, and this one more than most. 3.5 - 4 stars.
November 9, 2020
No one really serves glamour, gloss and scandal the way Jackie Collins does.
This is my fourth novel of her collection and it's just as juicy and naughty as I wanted & expected it to be.
Don't get me wrong, her books are not the golden pages of their century's literature, but they make for amazing reading material for warm months with the sea behind you and a cocktail or two beside you.
Loved it and love her.
Rest in peace lady.
This is my fourth novel of her collection and it's just as juicy and naughty as I wanted & expected it to be.
Don't get me wrong, her books are not the golden pages of their century's literature, but they make for amazing reading material for warm months with the sea behind you and a cocktail or two beside you.
Loved it and love her.
Rest in peace lady.
July 4, 2016
A tale of jerks who don't think they are jerks because they become famous jerks. About two hundred pages too long and five thousand characters too many.
July 26, 2019
Pleasantly surprised 😂 it’s a fun story with sex, drugs, death and rock n roll.
March 24, 2019
More like a 3.5 but brought back a lot of memories! :)
November 4, 2014
This is not the type of book I usually read, but it was my early days into reading and my librarian ma'am at my college suggested me that i should read it. At that point of time i was bit curious having gotten a suggestion from a person who happens to be a librarian. But then after having read it i realized it was quite the opposite of what i was expecting. I found a several parts of the book, including the ending, to be a predictable and lame. Not what the synopsis was suggesting but it does contain a great deal of profanity (language, sexual and drug content, etc). For me it was another trashy shit that shouldn't have been published in the first place, so that at least some trees could have been saved.
September 15, 2022
I was given this book and told to give her books a chance. I couldn't stand the way she wrote it. Jumping around with different characters and different years kept confusing me. All I got was a headache. I haven't and won't read anything else by her.
September 15, 2018
I loved it. Some will, too, while others won't even bother to give it a chance. As Kris Phoenix said "it's only rock'n roll".
December 13, 2021
Heavily laden with rock n rolls, sex and drug. As what should be expected. Though sometimes, I had problems to believe how easy those women being laid and seducing to be laid. Same went to men. Didn't they get bored? Considering it set from the free love era, this might be what it was back then. Through Kris Phoenix's eyes, we knew it got toned down considerably due to HIV scares. Collins fictionalized her characters from real people she knew in Hollywood. After all, she said if we think that's too wild, believed that it had been toned down. The reality was much more bizarre.
In plots involving Zella, the live-in girlfriend of Bobby, it mentioned freebasing as Zella's breakfast or supper. I couldn't help being reminded of White Lines song by Melle Mel and it's cover song by Duran Duran a decade later.
Collins built up chronicles of 3 main stars, Kris Phoenix, Bobby Mondella and Rafealla on their way to super stardom and how in the end, their destiny intermingled with the hated boss of Blue Cadillac Record, Marcus Citreon. Marcus was cruel and ruthless, but he kept his part of bargain to make one's a superstar.
How to revenge your boss? Fuck his wife.
How to make your biggest star pay for fucking your wife? Throw him off the balcony.
For Bobby Mondella, Sara his blind care assistant and Kris Phoenix; their character got sufficient depth and matured in plots. Of Bobby's, quite inspirational for his comeback after comeback.
The others seem shallow to me. For Rafealla, even though her journey being chronicled in fair shares, still the storyline feels like something lacking and get repetitive. Of Olivier, her Latin lover and guitar partner. His impostor's past obviously made up just to fulfill the storyline.
Much attention being given to raunchy details, blitz and blings. Just treat this as a glamorous gossipy novel. That's what it intended. As entertainment inspired from reality
In plots involving Zella, the live-in girlfriend of Bobby, it mentioned freebasing as Zella's breakfast or supper. I couldn't help being reminded of White Lines song by Melle Mel and it's cover song by Duran Duran a decade later.
Collins built up chronicles of 3 main stars, Kris Phoenix, Bobby Mondella and Rafealla on their way to super stardom and how in the end, their destiny intermingled with the hated boss of Blue Cadillac Record, Marcus Citreon. Marcus was cruel and ruthless, but he kept his part of bargain to make one's a superstar.
How to revenge your boss? Fuck his wife.
How to make your biggest star pay for fucking your wife? Throw him off the balcony.
For Bobby Mondella, Sara his blind care assistant and Kris Phoenix; their character got sufficient depth and matured in plots. Of Bobby's, quite inspirational for his comeback after comeback.
The others seem shallow to me. For Rafealla, even though her journey being chronicled in fair shares, still the storyline feels like something lacking and get repetitive. Of Olivier, her Latin lover and guitar partner. His impostor's past obviously made up just to fulfill the storyline.
Much attention being given to raunchy details, blitz and blings. Just treat this as a glamorous gossipy novel. That's what it intended. As entertainment inspired from reality
June 28, 2024
Just ok! Too many characters. About 3 main ones and going back and forth with them and all the characters they encountered made it hard to follow. Also book went back and forth between years which made it also hard to follow. Understand the connection between all of them but didn’t help. Ending kinda anticlimactic.
April 30, 2019
I loved this book, it’s stil my favourite book by Jackie Collins. Worth more then 5 stars.
May 3, 2011
I read this when it first come out. I found a copy recently and decided to re-read. I hope it is as good as I remember...
All done and I glad I read it again. It is strange the things I remember and don't remember from reading it the first time, but then again that was over 20 years ago. A great potboiler/beach read.
All done and I glad I read it again. It is strange the things I remember and don't remember from reading it the first time, but then again that was over 20 years ago. A great potboiler/beach read.
February 29, 2016
More Jackie Collins fluff at its best
August 31, 2017
Surprisingly well written but super tacky and annoying. Can you tell I'm desperate and reading at the "bottom of the barrel" of my book shelf?
May 29, 2023
Fun summer read. Sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, and murder.
January 6, 2019
I'm working my way through a stack of books on-hand and this seemed like an entertaining way to spend a bit of time. I was not disappointed! This chronicles the lives of three musicians: Kris Phoenix, a legendary rock star; Bobby Mondella, a soul singer who's just starting to get his career back on track; and Rafaella, a semi-young rising star. All three have been called to perform at a private show hosted by someone they mutually hate, but you're not entirely sure why. The narration then goes back and forth in time, showing how each star grew to where they were, interrupted by short snippets of what happened the night of the party.
I'd read one Jackie Collins novel before and remembered it being like a soap opera - thoroughly entertaining, with outlandish characters, and a well put together plot, but also slightly trashy. I figured it'd be the same with this book, and I was right. This was well-written and kept me hooked, with one thing after another that made me want to continually read on, but I was also thoroughly aware that while this had high entertainment value, it probably wouldn't win any award for content. But who cares? Sometimes you need a book to just entertain you, nothing more. And this definitely kept me entertained!
The characters in here all felt larger than life, which seems fitting, as it's about rock stars. I liked the glimpse of how each came to fame and the ways that they slowly but surely changed over the years, shedding their old skins and even their old values. I was riveted by all the crazy drama in each person's life, and I was equally as curious how everything would come to a head at the party. I loved how certain supporting characters would disappear and then reappear later, making them an important fixture in someone else's life, and how the lives of the three main characters overlapped in different ways throughout the years.
The ending seemed like it could have used a little more something, as it seemed to finally wrap up semi-quickly, but this might just be because I'd spend hundreds of pages watching lives unfold in larger-than-life ways and expected the end to be even bigger somehow. But, I was kept entertained throughout the book and think it did what it set out to do: keep me hooked and entertained. Sure, this wasn't one of the greatest books of all time, but it was filled with drama and entertainment, and that made it a great read!
I'd read one Jackie Collins novel before and remembered it being like a soap opera - thoroughly entertaining, with outlandish characters, and a well put together plot, but also slightly trashy. I figured it'd be the same with this book, and I was right. This was well-written and kept me hooked, with one thing after another that made me want to continually read on, but I was also thoroughly aware that while this had high entertainment value, it probably wouldn't win any award for content. But who cares? Sometimes you need a book to just entertain you, nothing more. And this definitely kept me entertained!
The characters in here all felt larger than life, which seems fitting, as it's about rock stars. I liked the glimpse of how each came to fame and the ways that they slowly but surely changed over the years, shedding their old skins and even their old values. I was riveted by all the crazy drama in each person's life, and I was equally as curious how everything would come to a head at the party. I loved how certain supporting characters would disappear and then reappear later, making them an important fixture in someone else's life, and how the lives of the three main characters overlapped in different ways throughout the years.
The ending seemed like it could have used a little more something, as it seemed to finally wrap up semi-quickly, but this might just be because I'd spend hundreds of pages watching lives unfold in larger-than-life ways and expected the end to be even bigger somehow. But, I was kept entertained throughout the book and think it did what it set out to do: keep me hooked and entertained. Sure, this wasn't one of the greatest books of all time, but it was filled with drama and entertainment, and that made it a great read!
May 7, 2022
I read this book the first time back in junior high (secondary) school and it introduced me to Bossa Nova and classics like "Girl from Ipanema".
Lawd, the underage sexual activities rife among the lifestyle of the upcoming, the rich and the famous. It was normalized and makes me wonder that if this is how the showbiz lifestyle really was back in the 60s and 70s then very few if any of our older stars are innocent of underage sexual activities and statutory r*pe. It was really off putting and I am a lover of grimdark fantasy.
The female characters were made to be dependent on men for either their success, their sustained success and/or their happiness. And the men were all rapey assholes, even the so-called hero of the book, Kris. He seemed to get away with being a horrible and absentee dad who gave the barest minimum attempt at marriage and fatherhood and his unhappy wife was made the villain. This was a recurring theme here, the cool asshole comes out smelling like roses and the "boring" square comes of as being the cause of the cool person's assholery.
It was also full of racial stereotypes - like the biracial star seen as "exotic" because of her black and European genes. Like WTF is that about? LOL. The main villain of course had middle Eastern roots (in my mind I kept picturing him as David Suchet) while the white girl who was racist to a main character somehow repented and became her close friend (LOL).
I planned to write more but I am already over the book. I guess it was a page turner during its time and gave folk a "peek" into the so-called lifestyle of the Hollywood elite. I wonder if it is that easy to guarantee your artiste number 1 chart status in real life. Oh well.
Not too bad.
Lawd, the underage sexual activities rife among the lifestyle of the upcoming, the rich and the famous. It was normalized and makes me wonder that if this is how the showbiz lifestyle really was back in the 60s and 70s then very few if any of our older stars are innocent of underage sexual activities and statutory r*pe. It was really off putting and I am a lover of grimdark fantasy.
The female characters were made to be dependent on men for either their success, their sustained success and/or their happiness. And the men were all rapey assholes, even the so-called hero of the book, Kris. He seemed to get away with being a horrible and absentee dad who gave the barest minimum attempt at marriage and fatherhood and his unhappy wife was made the villain. This was a recurring theme here, the cool asshole comes out smelling like roses and the "boring" square comes of as being the cause of the cool person's assholery.
It was also full of racial stereotypes - like the biracial star seen as "exotic" because of her black and European genes. Like WTF is that about? LOL. The main villain of course had middle Eastern roots (in my mind I kept picturing him as David Suchet) while the white girl who was racist to a main character somehow repented and became her close friend (LOL).
I planned to write more but I am already over the book. I guess it was a page turner during its time and gave folk a "peek" into the so-called lifestyle of the Hollywood elite. I wonder if it is that easy to guarantee your artiste number 1 chart status in real life. Oh well.
Not too bad.
June 9, 2022
Rock Star is not a book I would usually read (it was recommended by a friend), but I'm glad I did because it reminded me what reading was like as a young person. Saying that about a "trashy" novel may seem weird but reading this felt like a YA novel for adults--fast-moving story, simple sentences that make you want to read the next sentence, relationship entanglements. Definitely a lot of sex scenes, most of which were a little silly. What I really enjoyed was following the main characters through their music careers. Two of them--Kris and Bobby--were well-drawn, interesting characters, and the other, Raffealla (what kind of a name is this? Like what is the origin? I think she took the name Raffaella and switched the letters around.), less so. I think because she was younger than the other two so her career didn't get going until 2/3 through the book. Another critique is that the chapters would flip back and forth between the past and present day, with present day being a big concert where something was going to go down. But other than seeing where our characters ended up, those present day chapters were these quick flashes with characters we barely knew and a vague sense of something being planned, which didn't become clear until close to the end. I would have rather known more about those characters and plans throughout or just not had those chapters at all. But, overall, a fun book that used words like "Bazoombas" and I would definitely read more of this style every so often as a treat.
May 11, 2018
This is a very confused book about not just one but three singing stars Even though one becomes big in the US, one big in the UK and one, even though born in France and growing up in the UK, becomes big in South America, these people all have friendly interactions with each other. The world is too big to believe that would happen. The girl even has a child with one of the two men from a previous one night sexual encounter. They all end up being managed by one man and are at his party to perform while it is being robbed by the disaffected son of one of his criminal partners. The robbery is botched and they are taken hostage by the thief and he kills the manager that they all hate and then everything ends happy. Total rubbish as far as too many coincidences and happenings but there are some good parts in this book and there might be some truth about some of the incidents.
April 20, 2019
I've recently finished a Rock Star book and was let a little unsettled by it. In that frame of mind, I wanted to go back to a book I had previously read and enjoyed. An author I knew and was familiar with their work. Perhaps that's a little unfair, but in my mind I needed to put things in perspective. New vs Old you could say. Although Rock Star is absolutely, definitely dated back in the 70s and 80s I'm intimately familiar with that time period so have a better frame of reference. The story was rather intimate and pulled me in with all the trials and tribulations of these three performers. There's action, heartbreak, over the top talent and of course, the rock persona. We also have the sleazy promoters. Even though it's dated and so NOT politically correct, it is a portrayal of it's time and has obviously stood the test. I would still recommend the book as a great read.
March 18, 2023
First Jackie Collins I ever read. The blurb is misleading, there are three storylines centering about each of the three main characters, who ... nope... never happens.
Aside from that I never saw so much stylistic errors combined, the characters weren't really engaging, and the plot is, as mentioned, almost non-existent. Still, mysteriously, one reads on. It's just so effortless to do so. Collins' words are full of sparkle, humor and fun.
What can I say? She has that certain "je ne sais quoi", I guess !
Aside from that I never saw so much stylistic errors combined, the characters weren't really engaging, and the plot is, as mentioned, almost non-existent. Still, mysteriously, one reads on. It's just so effortless to do so. Collins' words are full of sparkle, humor and fun.
What can I say? She has that certain "je ne sais quoi", I guess !
May 22, 2018
The one thing I give Collins the biggest points for: She based her leading lady on Sade. She could have used any number of ‘80s female music celebrities as her template - brassy (Madonna), eccentric (Cyndi Lauper), punky (Blondie), tough chick (Joan Jett) or porn-star-turned-singer (Samantha Fox), but she chose to go with a true class act. (Far as I can tell, her male leads are Rod Stewart mashed up with Eric Clapton and Marvin Gaye crossed with Stevie Wonder). Otherwise, this is your typical rollercoaster ride through ‘80s excess, with a heist plot as a sideshow. Good mindless beach reading for anyone nostalgic for music-still-on-MTV and Dynasty!
September 3, 2017
Not a fan. The characters were all a-holes or just incredibly dumb. I picked it up thinking it was going to be a romance, and it was more... lifestyles of the rich and famous with a little bit of suspense? I'm giving it two stars because it kept me interested enough to finish it.
September 24, 2018
I always wondered how it was living life on the edge. In the crazed nights of sweat, high octane guitar riffs, cocaine infused parties and orgy filled after parties. The Rock Star by Collins is a fantastic book taking you to the inner depths of the Music Industry based in the 70s n 80s. The characters and the chemistry with powerful conversations are just too good. It will actually make you feel like one sex crazed, music loving celebrity life style getting Rock Star. After all is just about Rock n Roll.
January 7, 2022
When I started this book, I thought “trashy novel “. However, the storyline quickly captured my attention as it told the story of three rock stars rise to fame. This book could easily be called a “guilty pleasure “ book. True to the world of rock and roll, this book talked about drugs, booze, sex, etc, as part of the life of the rock stars. The stories of the 3 rock stars highlighted in the book go back and forth in time— an interesting writing tool— culminating in a surprise but neatly completed denouement.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews