Fell a bit flat for me, though beautifully written

⭑⭑⭑  It's the late 60s and the trio in question include an actress, Anny Viklund; a film producer, Talbot Kydd; and novelist, Elfrida Wing. Anny and Talbot are working together in Brighton whilst Elfrida is loosely connected through Reggie, her husband, who is directing the film. As you would expect the writing of this book is superb. Great insight, here, into the manifest pitfalls and the diplomacy required to make a film. Lots of horse trading and ego soothing makes for brilliant dialog. Hand in hand with cajoling actors and script writers to fly blind in order to make the fruits of diplomacy look intended - excellent stuff.

Of the characters I couldn't really form a connection to any of them but I found Elfrida enchanting in a disconnected, drunken way. Talbot was next highest on the level of esteem I felt but only in the way you might feel for a co-worker you pass in the halls and know well enough to smile and say hello to but not much else. Anny didn't register for me at all. She felt as shallow as you may expect an actress to be.

As beautifully written as this novel was, I didn't feel compelled to see this book through. There just wasn't a drive on my part to invest in the story to examine how the events unfolded. Elfrida's arch was unexpected while, conversely, Anny's seemed rather pointless. Standing back I can see Trio is well crafted but populated with bits and bobs of little to no interest to me. Perhaps that's the point and this story is meant to reflect the fruitlessness of the entertainment industry - lots of effort for minimal returns and no real substance?