Little Known Facts: A Novel

By Christine Sneed

Life as one of Hollywood's most handsome, charismatic and critically-acclaimed movie stars seems like a glitzy fairytale to the people who orbit around Renn Ivins. But for his grown children, Anna and Will, their father's fame threatens to permeate every aspect of their lives. For Anna - a diligent medical student with a promising future ahead of her but not so promising romantic prospects - the exploits of her celebrity father are a source of embarrassment and, at best, bemusement. Her brother Will, on the other hand, is floundering in a quarter-life crisis. The only thing to outlast his directionless career and failed relationships is his trust fund, but while he and Anna may be happy to use their father's money, they're less happy to use his influence.

As the family, lovers and hangers-on of Renn Ivins struggle to forge their identities in the colossal shadow of his celebrity, Christine Sneed deftly unravels the secrets they tell each other and themselves. Little Known Facts is a multi-layered, deftly observed novel of the fallout of fame and fortune.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Jan 17, 2013
• ISBN: 9781408833469

Christine Sneed

Christine Sneed is the author of Little Known Facts. She has a creative writing MFA from Indiana University and teaches creative writing at DePaul University, Northwestern University and Pacific University. Portraits of a Few of the People I've Made Cry won AWP's 2009 Grace Paley Prize in Short Fiction, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, first-fiction category, was named the Chicago Writer's Association Book of the Year, and the recipient of Ploughshares' 2011 first-book prize, the John C. Zacharis Award. It was also long-listed for the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award and named one of the seven best books of the year by Time Out Chicago. Her stories have appeared or are forthcoming in Best American Short Stories, PEN/O. Henry Prize Stories, Ploughshares, Southern Review, Massachusetts Review, New England Review, Notre Dame Review, and a number of other journals. Visit her website at http://www.christinesneed.com.

Reviews for Little Known Facts

[jbd1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A well-written take on the perils of celebrity, both to the famous person and to those around him. I had trouble putting it down once I started reading, sort of like one of those magazines full of Hollywood gossip picks up in the waiting room at the dentist's office. Movie star Renn Ivins is at the center of the novel, but we also get parts of the story from his son and daughter, their various romantic interests, Renn's much younger, movie-star girlfriend, and his two ex-wives. This lively cast of characters are almost all utterly detestable, however - I found myself just shaking my head at the complete selfishness of the whole lot of them, with the exception of Ivins' first wife, who comes across as basically the only decent person in the book. Sneed's done an excellent job, though, and her writing makes this tale of celebrity and its consequences a compelling read.

[thereaderscommute · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was lucky to get a e-book copy of Christine Sneed's Little Known Facts courtesy of NetGalley.

I was intrigued by the premise of this book - a book narrated by the various people in a movie star's life. I imagined a tell-all with tons of fun gossip, and impossible wealth and picture-perfect scenarios. There is some of that here, sure; however, there is also a lot of good old-fashioned family drama. "Normal people problems," if you will. Because, at the end of the day, a movie star like Renn Ivins is still just a man dealing with his children and ex-wives and a new (young) girlfriend.

This was nice, and unexpected. Little Known Facts was not the flashy read I expected it to be, but something sad, funny, and worth thinking about. How do individuals deal with fame? How does it feel to live on the fringes of that fame, or to be in the same orbit as a celebrity? Everyone seems to handle it differently.

My main issue with this book was that it was difficult for me to really connect to any one character. Jumping around in perspectives from chapter to chapter did not give me the time to settle into any one character's mindset. It also felt difficult to pin down Renn Ivins - to really know anything real about him other than the fact that he is a famous man. Maybe that's the point; I don't know.

[slavenrm · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

As is usual, I received this book because my fiancee won the title in a drawing and was kind enough to pass it along to me after her own perusal. Despite the book's low-low price of nothing, I will provide my candid opinion below.I tend to try to start out the review of any book with a bit of a teaser or summary of the beginning seed of the plot. That goal becomes difficult in this case simply because there isn't really a plot to speak of. Sneed's novel has plenty to say but it doesn't rely on any silly conventions like evolving story lines to draw the reader along. Instead, Little Known Facts provides us with an insightful snapshot of four very unhappy people who by the standards of society should abundantly grateful for their positions of wealth and fame.When my fiancee passed this along to me she did it with a bit of reticence suspecting that I would dislike it. I'm not a typical "guy" reader who needs lots of drama and action but I do like to feel at the end of the novel that I've learned something and Sneed's latest doesn't fail at that. She paints a lucid picture of the darker aspects of life as one of Hollywood's monied elite. Her narrative revolves in viewpoint from one character to the next as we hear not only how it feels to be the famous and renowned actor but also how it feels to be his son, his daughter, his wife, his ex-wife and everyone in between. Seldom is a single aspect of human existence put on display for us with such completeness and rendered with such skill.In summary, Little Known Facts does have an important message to share and it is written in a wonderfully readable style. It falls short for me only because the topic in question is a bit outside my immediate realm of interest. I can name about 5 movie stars and I have no clue what they're doing when they're not on the screen. Those who desire more insight into their personal lives will be well served to peruse this novel. If nothing else, it will quench any vestiges of green-eyed envy one might have about life as a movie star.

[pattylouise_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Little Known FactsbyChristine SneedMy " in a nutshell" summary...Famous father...dysfunctional children...success and relationships and what they might do to a family.My thoughts after reading this book...The story is told by people who are involved with Renn...famous actor father...the man everyone loves except perhaps his ex wives and son. Renn has led a rather charmed life...women, career, money...he has everything that he has ever wanted. His children...Anna and Will...are not clearly dysfunctional but it seems as though they can be...especially Will. The story of this family unfolds with every chapter. With each chapter I understood more and more about the lives of each of them. Will...probably the most troubled one...runs to excess, hasn't a clue what to do with his life, and seems to have the most exasperating relationship with his father. Relationships in this novel are confusing...mixed up...and crossover into the kinds of relationships they should not be. This is the kind of novel that is utterly fascinating and at the same time almost impossible to explain. It unfolds with each chapter...the relationships become clear and near the end you will finally understand...sort of...the relationships within this family. No one is rude or excitable or outwardly argumentative. Every issue is handled by not really talking about it!What I loved about this book...I loved the story. I loved the writing. I was not anxious to turn and speed read every page but I rather just wanted to relax and enjoy this book. The author did an immeasurably lovely job of explaining this family...what fame does...how this family works...and how Renn's choices affected every one. It is also a glimpse at what having no boundaries will do to relationships. I am not just speaking of Renn. What I did not love...I really did not like the ending. I don't think it was clear and it left me befuddled.Final thoughts...I found this book to be a fascinating look at an interestingly unusual family.