Rock Star

by Jackie Collins

FEEL THE HUNGER. THE BEAT. THE HEAT. THE SEX AND DRUGS.

Rock Star International bestselling sensation Jackie Collins “the queen of glamour fiction” (San Antonio Express-News) captures the raw electric thrill of life in the spotlight in this pulse-pounding novel. Three talented ambitious dreamers have struggled for super-stardom — and lived hard and fast in a mind-bending whirl of parties drugs and sex. Now their fates collide at the plush Los Angeles estate of a powerful music industry magnate where one man’s secret vendetta will trap them in its sudden murderous heat…

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Chick Lit, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Novels, Adult Fiction

497 pages, ebook

First published August 1, 1987

About the author

There 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

Reviews

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"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!

[Aղցela W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Lisa of LaCreeperie · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorites. I call it "fast food" glamour fiction trash and happily come back for a re-read every decade.

[~Sofia~ · Rating 3 out of 5]

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!

[Sati Marie Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Zhuojun · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Stina Westberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pleasantly surprised 😂 it’s a fun story with sex, drugs, death and rock n roll.

[Heather Blair · Rating 4 out of 5]

More like a 3.5 but brought back a lot of memories! :)

[Biswaranjan · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

[Leonore · Rating 1 out of 5]

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.

[Ukume · Rating 5 out of 5]

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".

[Hazeanni · Rating 3 out of 5]

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

[Carol Gibbons · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.

[Layla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, it’s stil my favourite book by Jackie Collins. Worth more then 5 stars.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Sharyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

More Jackie Collins fluff at its best

[Celine · Rating 1 out of 5]

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?

[Darinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun summer read. Sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll, and murder.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

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!

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Shoshana · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Elizabeth Rebecca Shaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Rhonda Hicks · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Sweko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trash media at its finest! If you are a fan of reality tv like the Kardashians or Real Housewives, this is basically the literary form of that. Compulsively readable, these 506 pages fly by. However, this novel is a time capsule of a less enlightened time. Spanning three decades over the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s, consent is lacking in a few of the many sexual encounters detailed in this book. Also fatphobia, homophobia, and misogyny is rampant. I literally tried to count how many times women’s breasts were mentioned but I lost count after 22 times in the first 125 pages.
The characters, main and minor, are all pretty unlikable but that’s kind of the appeal, as this feels like a peek behind the curtain of the rich and famous.
But if you can turn off your brain, the story is entertaining enough.

[Snow White · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Jackie Collins I ever read. The blurb is misleading, there are three storylines centering about each of the three main characters, who only meet up at the very end and when they do they all like each other so so far for the promise of the female protagonist "who comes between the two male protagonists with a vengeance"... 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 !

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

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!

[Jessica · Rating 2 out of 5]

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? The suspense being a random robbery/hostage situation...honestly could have been left out. My biggest hangup was the ending and the insinuation that Kris and Raf get together, but she still has never told him he's the father of her child? Yeahh I see that going over real well. I'm giving it two stars because it kept me interested enough to finish it.

[Anwesh Ganguli · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Laurie · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.