The Glitter Factory proves“All that Glitters is not Gold.” I found truth in this saying after reading the memoir of author, actress, and drama therapist Sara Lavner. I loved how the Memoir was told in five parts. The format of the book allows the reader to travel around the globe with each “Sara.” This book focuses on the issues of Female Identity. An Identity crisis ensues at each crossroads of Lavner’s Memoir. The title fits the Memoir well. I could envision all the “Saras” who demanded a voice in the dark. Though the journey around the globe to numerous places served as a window into each Sara though the Years, I pondered one question as worlds collided. Sara Schultz, Sara Picasso, and finally Sara Lavner each framed who Sara has become today. my question was when will Sara become a grounded Sara? The reader is left wanting “more.” just as Sara was searching for her own sense of wholeness and belonging in the world.

“For Richer or Poorer” has some meaning in the vows of marriage as anyone chooses to recite that commitment knows well. However, I found the memoir to be a lesson in wealth and socialite society circles, with the duality of a lesson in resourcefulness, minimalism and true love. The Glitter Factory does not match the fantasy of a Cinderella story as one might like to predict. Love is weaved in throughout the book as a dream state and a harsh hushed reality at daybreak. Through the global travels of each version of Sara there is to be told, the reader comes to the full circle conclusion that the greatest love is indeed the concept of self-love and self respect. Both concepts can take years for anyone to develop and claim in their own skin. Each version of Sara had a voice in this book. on Page 86, Sara states the following to her reading audience. “I began to explore what kind of woman I truly wanted to be. I wanted to make more of my own choices.”

Here is what matters at the end of one’s life. Kindness and compassion. Three different last names seem lackluster. Riches and fame fade away out of the limelight, both serve as only monetary and status accolades on the scale on the ladder of what the definition of success should be framed as on a societal level one could say that memories of each version of Sara could be saved, It is my belief that is why this memoir was written. Thoughts and memories are to be expressed and at times repressed in order to reach divine alignment and individual satisfaction at the end of the day. A fireside chat with the author may prove my belief to be correct.

The book reminded me of Poet Robert Frost’s The Road Not Taken “Two roads diverged in the Yellow wood and I, I took the one less traveled by. and that has made all the difference.” Each Last name paved a global yellow brick road for Each of Sara’s identities and voices. It is discovered at the end of the memoir that Sara does see a rainbow. The rainbow we all secretly wish and hope upon for ourselves. That Rainbow is created out of Sara’s own making. Sara’s experiences painted the rainbow on a canvas in her mind. The Riches each “Sara” dreamed of became the definition of a family. The Schultz Family, the Picasso Family, and the Lavner Family. Sara had many layers each version of herself learned to uncover over time. The self-work is done within this Memoir.

I met Sara through the magic of stage and screen. in addition to the Memoir she wrote about her life, Sara is featured in a Melissa Davey film entitled “Beyond Sixty.” The Beyond Sixty Project is a recently released Documentary (April 6th 2021.) that tells the stories of ten women and their secrets to resiliency in an ever changing ever challenging global economy. Sara is only one of the ten women who discusses being open to the Unknown and shares her story with a global audience of readers and viewers alike. Both The Memoir The Glitter Factory: The Making and Unmasking of Sara Picasso A memoir by Sara Lavner and Beyond Sixty a documentary film by Melissa Davey are available for Purchase on Amazon.com