NA

Starr's histories of California are well-written and interesting. This volume focused almost exclusively on Los Angeles, with some forays into the Central Valley and San Francisco; the previous book was almost all about San Francisco. Kevin Starr deeply explores the idea of LA/Hollywood as a dreamy ideal, and how that evolved over time from the Mission Revival phase to the last chapters, about the beginnings of the movie industry and Hollywood. I was hoping for a somewhat different angle for research purposes--more specifics about physical changes and expansion--but it remained an intriguing read. ( )