Am incredibly bullish on this book, and here is my review, which was previously posted on Amazon and Blurb.com.
Rudolph Valentino The Silent Idol is an outstanding effort. Donna Hill has succeeded well beyond anyone’s expectations, on all levels. Her prose is very much to the point yet abundant in details, many of which could be described as revelatory. And, she tells the tale in an especially engaging manner, drawing the reader in. Not only that, I really like the fact that she divides Valentino’s lifetime into episodes, making the richness of it all easier to digest.
But the crux of the matter is in the photos, Mr. Valentino himself. In choosing which ones to use, I believe Hill made particularly wise choices. Although some are familiar and have been seen before elsewhere, the great majority are fresh, having been sourced from her own extensive collection, the vaults of other silent film buffs, various libraries and Valentino family archives. Simply put, they are all in some way spectacular, conveying, without words, the many facets of his personality, i.e. who Valentino really was. Bravo! This book is a must-have, an elegant and comprehensive look at the life of one of Hollywood’s greatest legends.
