Time/Steps

From Library Journal Allen ( Promises , Destinies) has written a Hollywood saga of a legendary actress, Beatrice Crane, and her two lifelong loves, Bobby Bradley and Hank Donovan. Determined to be a dancer, Bea gets her start at 14 on Broadway and moves on to Hollywood musicals, teaming up with fellow hoofer Bradley. At the peak of their popularity Bea is savagely beaten by a jealous actor. Unable to dance again, she marries director Donovan, who is devoted to her despite his homosexuality. Donovan pushes her into dramatic roles, which open a new Oscar-winning career for her. Allen's attempt to evoke the Hollywood atmosphere of the 1930s and 1940s is a bit heavy-handed, but the book picks up power in the last half as Bea deals with an increasingly estranged daughter who writes a Mommie Dearest- type memoir. Sure to be popular. Marcia L. Perry, Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield, Mass.Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.