Honestly, most "novelizations" are trash. They are usually cheap, 150-page cash grabs written by ghostwriters who barely saw a rough cut of the film. But the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood book is different. It’s written by Quentin Tarantino himself, and let me tell you, it’s not just a retelling of the 2019 movie. It’s a total overhaul.
If you loved the film, you might think you know the story of Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth. You don't. Tarantino uses the 400-odd pages of the mass-market paperback to dig into the weird, gritty, and often hilarious psyche of 1969 Los Angeles in a way a two-and-a-half-hour movie simply can't. It’s sprawling. It’s messy. It’s brilliant.
Rick Dalton is a Much Bigger Mess in Print
In the movie, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Rick Dalton as a lovable, stuttering alcoholic who is just a bit past his prime. In the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood book, Rick is... well, he's kind of a jerk. But a fascinating one.
Tarantino spends a massive amount of time detailing Rick's filmography. We get deep dives into fictional (and real) Westerns like Lancer and Hell’s River. You learn that Rick didn't just lose his career because he drank too much; he lost it because he was perpetually insecure and made terrible choices. The book explains his "bipolar" nature—though it wasn't called that then—and how his mood swings dictated his performance on set.
There’s this one specific section where Tarantino describes Rick’s time in Italy making Spaghetti Westerns. In the film, it’s a quick montage. In the book, it’s a saga of professional resentment and bad haircuts. You realize Rick isn't just a hero struggling; he’s a man who barely understands the world changing around him.
The Cliff Booth Backstory is Dark. Really Dark.
Everyone wants to know: Did Cliff Booth kill his wife?
The movie teases it with that brief, ambiguous flashback on the boat. The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood book stops playing games. It tells you exactly what happened. It doesn't just answer the "if," it answers the "how" and the "why." I won't spoil the grisly details here, but let’s just say Cliff is a far more dangerous man than Brad Pitt’s cool-guy persona let on.
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Tarantino writes Cliff as a true cinephile. He spends chapters describing Cliff’s favorite movies—mostly foreign films and Kurosawa flicks—which adds a weird layer of depth to a guy who mostly fixes roofs and beats people up.
He’s a war hero, sure. But he’s also a stone-cold killer who feels almost no remorse. The book establishes that Cliff has killed multiple people and gotten away with it. He lives by a code, but it’s a scary one. You start to see his relationship with Rick differently; Cliff isn't just a stuntman, he's a babysitter for a man-child, and he’s the only thing keeping Rick’s world from collapsing.
The Manson Family Isn't the Main Event
If you’re expecting the book to build up to that massive, gore-filled finale at Rick’s house, you’re in for a shock.
Tarantino flips the script.
The "ending" of the movie happens about two-thirds of the way through the book, and it’s handled almost as an afterthought. It’s a footnote. Why? Because to Tarantino, the Manson murders aren't the point of the story. The point is the culture of 1969.
We get way more insight into Charles Manson himself. There’s a fascinating, cringey scene where Manson goes to a record producer’s house trying to get a deal, and he’s portrayed as this pathetic, failed musician rather than some mystical cult leader. It strips away the legend and shows the Family for what they were: drifters and losers.
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Why the Pacing is Totally "Wrong" (and Why it Works)
This book hates traditional structure. It jumps back to the 1950s. It fast-forwards to the 1970s. It stops everything to give you a three-page biography of a dog.
Yes, Brandy the pit bull gets a backstory.
She was a fighting dog. Cliff won her in a shady deal. The way Tarantino describes their bond makes you realize that Brandy is probably the only living being Cliff actually respects.
This non-linear approach might frustrate some readers. If you want a tight plot, go watch a Marvel movie. This is a "hangout" book. It’s meant to be read slowly, like you’re sitting in a dive bar on Sunset Strip listening to an old-timer tell tall tales.
The Sharon Tate Chapters are Pure Heart
One of the criticisms of the film was that Margot Robbie didn't have enough lines. The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood book fixes this, though maybe not in the way people expected.
We get to see Sharon Tate as a person, not just a symbol. We follow her around L.A. as she runs errands, goes to the movies, and interacts with people. There’s a beautiful, melancholy vibe to these sections. Tarantino clearly loves Sharon—not in a creepy way, but as a representative of an innocence that was about to be lost.
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The book emphasizes her talent. It talks about her future in the industry. It makes the reality of what happened in 1969 even more tragic because you’ve spent 300 pages getting to know her as a girl who just liked folk music and being famous.
Technical Details You Probably Missed
If you’re a gearhead or a film nerd, this book is a goldmine. Tarantino goes into exhaustive detail about:
- The specific lenses used on 1960s TV sets.
- The transition from black-and-white to color broadcasting.
- The exact cigarette brands everyone smoked (hint: it's a lot of Old Golds).
- The radio DJs who actually ruled the airwaves in 1969.
It’s an immersive experience. You can almost smell the stale beer and the smog.
How to Actually Enjoy the Book
Don't read this right after watching the movie. Your brain will try to sync them up, and they don't sync. They are parallel universes.
Think of the movie as the "fairytale" version (hence the title) and the book as the "gritty reboot." The book is more cynical, more violent, and much funnier. It’s a deep dive into the obsession of a filmmaker who clearly thinks about the 1960s every waking second of his life.
Actionable Insights for Readers
- Get the Audiobook: Seriously. Jennifer Jason Leigh narrates it, and she nails the gritty, noir-ish tone that Tarantino was going for. Her "Rick Dalton" voice is spot on.
- Keep IMDB Open: You will come across names like Aldo Ray, Pete Duel, and James Stacy. These were real people. Looking up their real-life tragedies makes the fictionalized versions in the book hit much harder.
- Watch "Lancer" episodes: You can find clips of the actual show Lancer on YouTube. Seeing the real James Stacy helps you appreciate how Tarantino wove fictional Rick Dalton into the real fabric of Hollywood history.
- Read the "Cinema Speculation" book next: If you dig the way Tarantino talks about movies in this novel, his non-fiction book Cinema Speculation is the natural next step. It’s basically the "director’s commentary" for his entire worldview.
The Once Upon a Time in Hollywood book isn't just a companion piece. It's the definitive version of the story. It proves that Tarantino is just as good with a pen as he is with a camera—maybe even better, because on the page, he doesn't have a budget or a runtime to worry about. He can just let it rip.