Prime Time

by Joan Collins

As Prime Time begins, five actresses are vying for the coveted part of Miranda Hamilton - the scheming, sexy, glamorous temptress in "Saga", the hottest series ever to hit the TV screen, the role of a lifetime, a role to kill for...

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Chick Lit, Suspense

Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Joan Henrietta Collins, OBE is a Golden Globe Award-winning English actress and bestselling author.

Reviews

[Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Joan Collins decided to put out this fiction number in the late ‘80s I remember thinking...
https://sleaze-factor.blogspot.com/20...

[Healyf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely delicous. I can't say enough about this juicy blockbuster about ambitious woman in Hollywood. An glamourous bitchfest set in early 80's Tinseltown, this book proves that Collins can more than hold her own to her sister Jackie. Her best work to date, with perhaps Star Quality a close second. All I can say is read it!

[Nick Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nearly 30 years after she began acting Joan Collins became an "overnight" sensation, household name and capital S Star thanks to her bitchy, sensuous and spot-on portrayal of Alexis on 'Dynasty.' Capitalizing on her new found success, Joan cleaned up the raunchier bits of her late-70s, Britain-only published memoir, 'Past Imperfect', and added a happy ending reflecting her hard-won stardom which resulted in a sensational New York Times bestseller.
Hot on its heels and taking advantage of all the publicity generating, money making opportunities of superstardom, Joan borrowed a page from her sister Jackie's book (so to speak) by whipping up a sexy, soapy showbiz melodrama of scheming actresses, cigar-chomping producers and priapic leading men. Like Jackie, Joan has an insiders' view of Hollywood, a knack for creating thinly veiled celebrity characters and a love of over the top plot complications. Unfortunately, what Joan lacks is Jackie's skill as a storyteller; weaving a cohesive, consistent plot and telling it with zestful prurience.
'Prime Time' doesn't succeed as a well-constructed novel. However, it does offer its own lurid charms & sordid pleasures. And chief among these is the obvious eagerness and enthusiasm Joan clearly put into this project. Even if that eagerness and enthusiasm occasionally overwhelms minor things like editorial consistency.

[Britt Lovelady · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent book about celebrities working on a primetime drama series. It took place in the early 1980s, essentially a completely different era, so that made it a bit hard to relate to, but it was good in a juicy, Hollywood expose type way. There was bit too much sex, a few too many characters, and a subplot involving a crazy stalker that seemed sort of out of place, but all in all, it wasn't bad. I give it a C-.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

So trashy and commercial but I absolutely loved it. I borrowed it from a family memeber and now wish I had kept it so I could read it again...

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book even tho it is based way before my time it was great I felt tho that the ending was kinda rushed but was good

[Nyss · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love it. I love how I get to read about what happens in Hollywood - how actresses succeed and how they fail.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 1988, at the peak of her fame for playing the glamorous villainess Alexis Colby on "Dynasty," Joan Collins released the first of several novels. While writing was not new to the actress—she had published a successful autobiography and account of a family crisis—fiction was uncharted territory and the province of her younger sister, mega-bestselling author Jackie Collins. Many articles, including a piece by Dominick Dunne in Vanity Fair, hyped the potential rivalry between the sisters. Reading "Prime Time," it is clear to see there was never a threat. The novel follows Jackie Collins' successful formula of the doings of the Hollywood haves- and have-nots, with a crazed stalker (a staple of Jackie Collins) thrown in. What makes "Prime Time" fun, and lends it a certain authenticity, is that it concerns a night time soap opera--here called "Saga"--and the race by various actresses to play its villain. The reader has a good time wondering how much of a roman a clef "Prime Time" is, which seems to borrow certain subplots from its real-world counterpart (a young actor replaced early on; domineering producers; a closeted actor who becomes ill with AIDS). Certainly its accounts of the nuts and bolts of being on set and filming seem absolutely convincing and based on Collins' own experience, as the feeling of being considered washed up after 40. Collins shares her sister's slightly breezy tone and dry wit, suggesting a family characteristic, albeit in a less well-developed way. The novel's ending seems rushed and runs out of suspense and steam; and Collins eventually abandons all characters but her heroine, but in the meantime, it zips along and the guessing games of what is truth and what is fiction make it an amusing example of the type of escapist glitz, sex and shopping novel that seems to have vanished in the 21st century.

[Amel Armeliana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Novel Prime Time sepertinya penggambaran dr kehidupan Joan Collins sendiri. Tokoh Emerald yang merupakan seorang bintang sedari kecil dan Chloe yang seorang penyanyi dan kemudian meniti karir sebagai bintang opera sabun terkenal mirip dengan Joan Collins sendiri, yang memang terkenal sedari remaja dan juga merupakan bintang opera sabun yang diawal sampai pertengahan 80-an sangat terkenal, Dynasty. Pada tahun 80-an siapa sih yang ngga kenal tokoh Alexis, yang dibenci tapi juga dicintai dalam serial Dynasty. In fact, bahkan SAGA dan tokoh Miranda Hamilton yang diperebutkan disini adalah "jiplakan" dari Dynasty dan Alexis.
Secara keseluruhan lumayan menghibur dan bikin secara otomatis nyari2 Dynasty di YouTube 😁.

[Shannon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joan Collins wrote it, so it automatically gets a 5 from me

I am something of a Joan Collins superfan, so I decided I should read a couple of her books. This is the first of two I am reading. The book is a bit out of my element, so I was not sure what to expect. It was perfectly readable, if that makes sense. It's not Shakespeare or rocket science; it's just a trashy novel. It is probably better written than I expected it to me. I think the best parts are when she describes the Hollywood scene. She uses some of the same descriptions that she mentions in her nonfiction books, so those parts were fairly plausible. Either read this book or don't. It will not make any difference in your life if you read it or not.

[Sunni · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read the back of this book I wasn't sure I even wanted to read it. I wasn't to thrilled with the idea of reading about five actresses who were fighting over the same job, but it was the only book I could get my hands on at the time. My desire to read won.

I can even begin to tell you how glad I am I read this novel. It had my interest from the beginning. I was amazed at how well developed all of the characters were as well as how different. I found myself choosing sides with the different actresses and rooting for a winner. I would have missed out on a great book had I decided not to pick this one up after all.

[Saleha · Rating 2 out of 5]

This isn't a good book per se. It's actually quite bad. I thought as much even when I read it the first time when I was in my teens, though I enjoyed it then and had a decent time reading it this time around as well. The protagonist is in love with (and SPOILER) ends up with a dude with pretty troubling sexual predilections, for one.

But if, like me, you get cravings when you are blue for sudsy, glittery trash with purple-prosey descriptions of pretty, wealthy people and designer gowns, you could do worse, I suppose.

[Salar · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like the way she introduced the characters. I like to know them from the start, the way she kept extending the back stories bore me.
All in all, nice dtory, interesting insiders point but no.

It took me three months to finish it because it was just too boring.

[Reb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the OG of chick lit. Such a juicy story full of materialistic, self-involved and unlikeable characters. I wondered if the show 'Saga' was supposed to mirror 'Dynasty' the hit TV drama that Joan Collins herself stared in.

[Arto Mutka · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite enjoyed this book. Not as good as her follow up novel love desire and hate but still a good read. Set in TV series set which Joan would know oh so well from her dynasty days when this was written. Good first novel.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fast,fun read. It is a bit dated. Not sure younger readers will get all the references but this Gen Xer did!

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found myself feeling like I was wading my way through this book. I liked some of the characters and would have liked the ending to stretch into their lives a bit more. Miss Collins puts way too much emphasis on letting the reader know how much she knows about designer clothes, etc.

[Jackie Simons]

Read 3/96

[Christa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun- cheap fiction. A gift from HM.

[Monika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prime Time is a very emotional book according to me