Book cover of From Dust to Stardust: A Novel

Book description

From the bestselling author of Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk comes a novel about Hollywood, the cost of stardom, and selfless second acts, inspired by an extraordinary true story.

Chicago, 1916. Doreen O'Dare is fourteen years old when she hops a Hollywood-bound train with her beloved Irish grandmother. Within a…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked From Dust to Stardust as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This fictionalized story is about one of Hollywood’s biggest silent film stars (Colleen Moore), on whom the three movies entitled A Star is Born are based.

Yes, it’s rags to riches for Doreen O’Dare, a determined teenager who follows her dream and makes it to the top, but who also sees the writing on the wall with the transition to talkies. She’s been sharp about her money, and changes course to follow another dream--making it to the top again, this time her way. 

In the process, Rooney reveals fascinating details about the making of silent films-- how actors and directors…

If you love From Dust to Stardust...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Want books like From Dust to Stardust?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like From Dust to Stardust.

Browse books like From Dust to Stardust

Book cover of The Moonlit Murders
Book cover of Mystery by the Sea
Book cover of The Saltwater Murder

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,340

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like From Dust to Stardust, you might also like...

Book cover of Foxfire in the Snow

Foxfire in the Snow by J.S. Fields,

It's a time of change, between magic and alchemy.

Born the heir of a master woodcutter in a queendom defined by guilds and matrilineal inheritance, nonbinary Sorin can’t quite seem to find their place. At seventeen, an opportunity to attend an alchemical guild fair and secure an apprenticeship with the…

Book cover of The Main Gate

The Main Gate by Yvonne Kjorlien,

Dr. Elise Marquette has spent years burying the past—until the past refuses to stay buried.

Hired to join Earth’s first interstellar contact team, she hopes the vastness of space will finally offer distance from the ghosts of war and the wounds left by a mother who never let her be…

5 book lists we think you will like!