A great concept with an intriguing ending that would have been better served if the four volumes had been condensed into two.
The fourth and final volume of Mae’s fictionalized, unauthorized biography of psychedelic rock band Too Cubed.
Mae (Too Cubed Unauthorized Volume 3, 2011, etc.) concludes a four-book endeavor to chronicle two decades in the life of fictitious jam band Too Cubed. The final installment spans from 1995 to 2000, where readers are left off to ponder the aftermath of the band’s untimely demise. Not much differentiates this volume from the previous three: the story rambles, lacking a narrative arc that could have lent tension to the tale. Trip goes to rehab and relapses, fans come and go, and Max’s girlfriend is even more self-absorbed than him. The biggest differences here are that the band has finally stopped recycling bass players and keyboardist Bert’s behavior seems to have settled down with age. Other, more subtle changes do not serve the book as well: The narrator interferes more frequently, offering unwanted opinions and repetitive musings that distract readers. Descriptions of events that end with “It was so much fun!” are far too frequent. Meanwhile, long sections leading up to the band’s demise tend to drag with too many nonessential characters. After spending over 1,000 pages with the band and their fans, readers should have a solid grasp of these characters; sadly, the author’s superficial treatment of the sprawling tale’s cast leads to a lack of emotional connection. There’s potential for even more excitement in the band’s constant struggle to grow and bring their music to an increasingly large audience. Instead, the recurring escapades can become tiresome. Many readers will be sucked in by the unsolved mystery of how a band with this much road experience could end so spectacularly. But the ending falls short of expectations; it’s glossed over, to the point where many readers will seek comfort in the climatic opening pages of Volume 1.
A great concept with an intriguing ending that would have been better served if the four volumes had been condensed into two.Pub Date: May 30, 2011
ISBN: 978-0984598137
Page Count: 458
Publisher: Lonna Mae Enterprises
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2012
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A first novel, this is also a first person account of Scout's (Jean Louise) recall of the years that led to the ending of a mystery, the breaking of her brother Jem's elbow, the death of her father's enemy — and the close of childhood years. A widower, Atticus raises his children with legal dispassion and paternal intelligence, and is ably abetted by Calpurnia, the colored cook, while the Alabama town of Maycomb, in the 1930's, remains aloof to their divergence from its tribal patterns. Scout and Jem, with their summer-time companion, Dill, find their paths free from interference — but not from dangers; their curiosity about the imprisoned Boo, whose miserable past is incorporated in their play, results in a tentative friendliness; their fears of Atticus' lack of distinction is dissipated when he shoots a mad dog; his defense of a Negro accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell, is followed with avid interest and turns the rabble whites against him. Scout is the means of averting an attack on Atticus but when he loses the case it is Boo who saves Jem and Scout by killing Mayella's father when he attempts to murder them. The shadows of a beginning for black-white understanding, the persistent fight that Scout carries on against school, Jem's emergence into adulthood, Calpurnia's quiet power, and all the incidents touching on the children's "growing outward" have an attractive starchiness that keeps this southern picture pert and provocative. There is much advance interest in this book; it has been selected by the Literary Guild and Reader's Digest; it should win many friends.
Pub Date: July 11, 1960
ISBN: 0060935464
Page Count: 323
Publisher: Lippincott
Review Posted Online: Oct. 7, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 1960
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with...
Talk-show queen takes tumble as millions jeer.
Nora Bridges is a wildly popular radio spokesperson for family-first virtues, but her loyal listeners don't know that she walked out on her husband and teenaged daughters years ago and didn't look back. Now that a former lover has sold racy pix of naked Nora and horny himself to a national tabloid, her estranged daughter Ruby, an unsuccessful stand-up comic in Los Angeles, has been approached to pen a tell-all. Greedy for the fat fee she's been promised, Ruby agrees and heads for the San Juan Islands, eager to get reacquainted with the mom she plans to betray. Once in the family homestead, nasty Ruby alternately sulks and glares at her mother, who is temporarily wheelchair-bound as a result of a post-scandal car crash. Uncaring, Ruby begins writing her side of the story when she's not strolling on the beach with former sweetheart Dean Sloan, the son of wealthy socialites who basically ignored him and his gay brother Eric. Eric, now dying of cancer and also in a wheelchair, has returned to the island. This dismal threesome catch up on old times, recalling their childhood idylls on the island. After Ruby's perfect big sister Caroline shows up, there's another round of heartfelt talk. Nora gradually reveals the truth about her unloving husband and her late father's alcoholism, which led her to seek the approval of others at the cost of her own peace of mind. And so on. Ruby is aghast to discover that she doesn't know everything after all, but Dean offers her subdued comfort. Happy endings await almost everyone—except for readers of this nobly preachy snifflefest.
The best-selling author of tearjerkers like Angel Falls (2000) serves up yet another mountain of mush, topped off with syrupy platitudes about life and love.Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-609-60737-5
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2001
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