The Fabulous Dreams of Maggie de Beer

By Andrew Crofts

Fifteen year-old Maggie arrives in London on the run from her humdrum suburban life, determined to make it big in show business.

For more than thirty years she is exploited by both men and the media. She struggles against endless set-backs and disappointments, always remaining optimistic, always believing that this time her big break has come.  Then, when most of us would have given up all hope, the celebrity circus rockets her to bizarre and unexpected pinnacles of fame. 

Starting in 1970 Maggie de Beer’s journey mirrors the rise of celebrity culture and the growth of the media which ruthlessly created it, exploiting and destroying the lives of girls like Maggie who willingly offered themselves up, happy to make any amount of personal sacrifices in exchange for a chance to live the dream. She is determined to make herself “interesting” and only when she finally achieves her goal, at enormous personal cost, does she discover, under the full glare of the media spotlight, that the family she was running away from was never as humdrum as she had believed.

“This, I thought as the chauffeured car slid me back from Park Lane to Earls Court behind darkened windows, is what life must have been like for party girls like Christine Keeler in the sixties. I had found my Xanadu, the place where I was meant to be …”

Read more about The Fabulous Dreams of Maggie De Beer on the Maggie De Beer and Steffi McBride website.

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It's an amazing story about an incredible woman, and has a very moving ending.

The brilliance in this `show and tell all' story is the character of Maggie, a strong and, in her way, courageous woman. She talks about `paying her dues' in the business, working for years in various aspects of show business waiting for her big break. She capitalises on her sex appeal and has stints as a Benny Hill girl - for those of you who are too young to know who Benny Hill is, he was a comedian whose show featured a lot of buxom young woman showing a lot of skin - and roles in revues and pantomimes. When show biz is slow, she pays the rent by being an escort, one perfectly willing to provide extras.

Maggie's story is of the seedier aspects of show business and she gives up a lot to keep the dream alive. Sometimes, I thought she was in the unfortunate position of the untalented thinking herself talented, but I always admired her single minded pursuit of her goals. She was one of the many in show business who just missed out on the better opportunities - like authors who almost get published - and had to take the lesser work or give up. But she didn't give up as most in her situation do. Even as she grew older, she kept her faith that one day her time would come. As a reader, I wasn't so sure, but I also realised that however it ended for Maggie this was still going to be a great story.

The end blew my mind because, not only was it totally unexpected, it was about much more than making it or not making it in show business. It was about an older woman discovering her place in the world, the real reasons for her family's reclusive nature, and what is really important in life. This really is a `must read'. I give it 5 stars and a place in the Awesome Indies listing.

Five Star Amazon Review

I wouldn't hesitate in recommending this read to anyone, whatever your reading habits: From the really gritty writing to the clever twists and turns, and the believable characteristation and highly entertaining wit. I can't imagine anyone wouldn't enjoy a trip to the inner world of Maggie de Beer.

And by the end, I wasn't ready to say goodbye and was even hoping there might be a follow up ...

Words with Jam