In Jillian Cantor’s The Greatest Lie of All, deception serves not merely as a plot device but as the emotional scaffolding upon which the entire narrative is constructed. Cantor, known for her thoughtful exploration of women’s lives in novels like Beautiful Little Fools and The Fiction Writer, delivers a story that is equal parts Hollywood drama, mystery, and poignant character study. This latest work weaves together two compelling female protagonists—a struggling actress and a famous romance novelist—whose lives intersect in ways neither could have anticipated, uncovering secrets that have remained buried for decades.
The novel opens with aspiring actress Amelia Grant at her lowest point: her mother has recently died, and she’s just caught her boyfriend of ten years in bed with his co-star. When offered the role of playing Gloria Diamond, the world-renowned “Queen of Romance,” in a biopic about her life, Amelia sees it as both an escape and a potential career breakthrough. Even more significant, her late mother was Gloria’s biggest fan.
Characters That Breathe Beyond the Page
Cantor’s greatest strength lies in her character development. Amelia is beautifully rendered—determined yet vulnerable, professional yet emotionally raw. Rather than portraying her as a perfect heroine, Cantor gives her realistic flaws that make her relatable. Her dedication to method acting, her grief over her mother, and her conflicted feelings about her career create a multidimensional protagonist whose journey feels authentic.
Gloria Diamond, the enigmatic novelist, initially presents as a stereotypical difficult celebrity—diamond-obsessed, bell-ringing, and deliberately unhelpful. Yet as the layers peel back, we discover a woman whose entire public persona is constructed to protect deeply painful truths. The contrast between “Mare” (her original self) and “Gloria” (her curated public identity) provides a fascinating exploration of reinvention and self-preservation.
Will, Gloria’s son and the unexpected romantic interest, offers a grounding presence. Unlike many romance novels where the love interest exists primarily to advance the protagonist’s journey, Will has his own compelling arc. His relationship with his mother, his career as an attorney, and his desire to uncover the truth about his past make him far more than a conventional love interest.
A Narrative Structure That Mirrors Its Themes
The novel alternates between present-day scenes with Amelia and flashbacks to Gloria/Mare’s past. This structure could potentially feel disjointed, but Cantor skillfully uses it to build suspense and gradually reveal how the characters’ histories connect. The past chapters, written in third person from Mare’s perspective, contrast effectively with Amelia’s first-person narration, allowing readers to understand both women’s motivations and emotional landscapes.
One particularly effective chapter is told from the perspective of Bess (Amelia’s mother), providing crucial context that neither Amelia nor Gloria possess. This single shift in viewpoint dramatically changes our understanding of events and adds emotional depth to the story.
Where the Novel Excels
The Greatest Lie of All shines brightest in its exploration of:
- The fluidity of identity – Both Amelia (who uses a stage name) and Gloria (who reinvented herself after tragedy) grapple with their authentic selves versus their public personas
- The complexity of female relationships – The friendship between Mare and Bess forms the emotional heart of the story, challenging the notion that romantic love is the most significant relationship in women’s lives
- The gray areas of truth and fiction – The novel constantly questions whose version of events is accurate, suggesting that memory and perspective shape what we consider “truth”
- Intergenerational connections – The ways in which parent-child relationships echo through time and how the past shapes the present
The relationship between Amelia and Will develops naturally, avoiding the rushed intimacy that plagues many contemporary romances. Their connection feels earned rather than imposed by plot necessity, and their conversations reveal character rather than serving as mere romantic scaffolding.
Room for Improvement
Despite its many strengths, The Greatest Lie of All occasionally falls prey to predictable plot developments. The revelation about Amelia’s parentage, while emotionally significant, follows a familiar pattern seen in other novels that explore hidden family connections. Some readers might anticipate this twist well before it’s explicitly revealed.
Additionally, while the Hollywood backdrop provides an engaging setting, certain aspects of the film industry feel simplified. The ease with which Amelia walks away from a major role without significant career consequences stretches credibility somewhat, as does the speed with which she’s replaced by another actress.
The novel also introduces several secondary characters—like Cam Crawford and Tate—who show initial promise but remain somewhat underdeveloped. Their perspectives might have added additional complexity to the story, particularly in showing how Gloria’s lies affect those beyond her immediate family.
Prose That Captures Both Glamour and Grief
Cantor’s writing style balances efficiency with emotional resonance. Her descriptions of Gloria’s diamond-studded world contrast effectively with the raw grief Amelia experiences following her mother’s death. The dialogue feels natural rather than contrived, and internal monologues reveal character without becoming excessive.
Consider this passage that encapsulates both Amelia’s acting philosophy and her emotional state:
“When Hilary Swank was preparing for Million Dollar Baby, she trained like an actual boxer for months, gained twenty pounds of muscle and even got a staph infection from a blister on her foot…. I’ve never played a real person before. I was given only six days to figure out who the hell Gloria Diamond really is. Her hopes, her dreams, her tics, even her lies, her secrets, have to become mine, so I can become her. Am I making any sense?”
This excerpt not only explains the Method acting approach Amelia follows but also highlights her desperation to find stable ground after losing her mother and her relationship. Her dedication to her craft provides structure amid personal chaos.
Thematic Richness
At its core, The Greatest Lie of All examines several interconnected themes:
- The stories we tell ourselves – Gloria’s entire career is built on romanticizing a relationship that was actually toxic
- The price of success – Both Gloria and Amelia make difficult choices in pursuit of their careers
- Grief and its aftermath – Amelia’s mourning for her mother parallels Gloria’s long-ago loss of Max
- The power of choice – “You always have a choice” becomes a meaningful refrain throughout the novel
These themes elevate what could have been a straightforward Hollywood romance into a more thoughtful exploration of identity and authenticity.
Comparison to Cantor’s Other Works and Similar Novels
Readers familiar with Cantor’s previous novels will recognize her talent for bringing female perspectives to life. While Beautiful Little Fools reimagined the women of The Great Gatsby and The Fiction Writer explored the blurred line between author and character, The Greatest Lie of All continues her examination of how women shape and are shaped by narratives—both those they create and those imposed upon them.
The novel sits comfortably alongside works like Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Delia Owens’s Where the Crawdads Sing in its exploration of how women reinvent themselves in response to trauma and societal expectations. Fans of these books will appreciate Cantor’s similar ability to create complex female characters whose choices feel simultaneously understandable and questionable.
Final Assessment
The Greatest Lie of All succeeds as both an entertaining read and a thoughtful exploration of authenticity, female agency, and the stories that shape our lives. While some plot elements follow familiar patterns, the emotional core of the novel—particularly the relationships between Gloria, Bess, and Amelia—feels fresh and compelling.
Cantor has crafted characters whose motivations feel authentic even when their actions are ethically ambiguous. The novel doesn’t offer easy answers about truth versus fiction or suggest that honesty is always preferable to protective deception. Instead, it invites readers to consider how the stories we tell—to others and ourselves—shape our identities and relationships.
For readers seeking a novel that combines Hollywood glamour with emotional depth, The Greatest Lie of All delivers a satisfying reading experience that will linger long after the final page.
Strengths:
- Complex, multi-dimensional female characters
- Thoughtful exploration of identity and authenticity
- Effective narrative structure that builds suspense
- Emotional resonance in depicting grief and connection
Weaknesses:
- Some predictable plot developments
- Simplified portrayal of the film industry
- A few underdeveloped secondary characters
For fans of Taylor Jenkins Reid, Kristin Hannah, and Kate Quinn, Jillian Cantor’s latest novel offers a compelling blend of mystery, romance, and character study that examines how the stories we tell—both true and false—shape the people we become.
