Sparkle Life

In this ambitious debut, Kara Lindstrom weaves together the tales of Liv, Joy, and Sara — thirtysomething women tenuously linked by the film industry and the men in their lives. Liv, a successful director, remains haunted by her time as a reporter in war-torn Azerbaijan and her family’s escape from Armenia. Joy, an aspiring producer, gives Orthodox Judaism and marriage a try, while Sara quits her copy-editing job and ditches her therapist to start afresh. Author Lindstrom, who’s worked as an art director and production designer on films, applies an almost cinematic approach to her characters, panning across their experiences. But apart from Liv, her heroines lack depth and focus. Despite some shining sequences, Sparkle Life doesn’t add up to a glowing whole.