Metro Mama Reviews: Cease to Blush

I’ve just finished Billie Livingston’s second novel, Cease to Blush. A mother-daughter tale, and a story about rebirth, Cease to Blush is fast-paced and provocative. The novel thrusts the reader into two different worlds, narrated by two voices: that of Vivian, actress and internet pornographer, and her recently deceased mother, Celia. When Vivian’s mother dies, she discovers her life was very different from the one she knew. Vivian follows the clues her mother left behind to unravel her mysterious past and both she and the reader are launched into the sixties: the glittering, fascinating world of Rat Pack Vegas; the worlds of the entertainers, politicians, and showgirls. The reader is quickly invested in Livingston’s complicated heroines: Vivian--cynical, carnal, vulnerable; Celia--ambitious, nervy, and ingenuous.

I highly recommend this book.

Livingston’s first novel, Going Down Swinging, was critically acclaimed. She was born in Toronto and presently lives in Vancouver.