This novel’s protagonist may not be the most relatable, but his story offers an informative take on modern political madness.
A roaring political novel about an unlikely U.S. Senate candidate in Nevada.
Debut author Avrashow presents the story of rock singer Tyler Sloan’s quest to become a politician. Sloan, the son of a former governor of California, is world-famous for his music, and although he may not be able to hit the high notes like he used to, he still commands quite an audience. Following the death of one of Nevada’s senators, there’s a special election with two major candidates: a Republican who flails whenever she has to go off-script, and a Democrat who puts people to sleep with his long-winded speeches. If there were ever room for an independent in American politics, it’s in this race. But why would Sloan bother to get involved? Because, as he says, “Washington is poisoned with hyper-partisan B.S. Nothing gets done. Nothing.” But the question driving the novel isn’t whether Sloan can do away with the “hyper-partisan B.S.”—it’s whether he can convince voters that he’s the man for the job. Hurdles arise as his campaign progresses, not the least of which is the existence of a sex tape featuring Sloan and a political opponent. Readers may find, though, that rooting for Sloan isn’t particularly satisfying. As a wealthy, famous entertainer who’d “met three presidents before his twenty-first birthday,” he’s hardly an everyman—nor does it seem likely that he could relate to one. What instead gives the book its intrigue are the many details that candidates must face in such a campaign. Sloan gets a primer on handshaking, for example, and how the pasts of his own staff members can sometimes prove to be more hindrance than help. However, the political tough guy speak can feel clichéd (“You knew that enviro whack job would demand further studies in Congress on our gaming bill!”), and the final outcome of the book is somewhat predictable. That said, the journey there will force readers to take a hard look at what it takes to get elected.
This novel’s protagonist may not be the most relatable, but his story offers an informative take on modern political madness.Pub Date: Nov. 28, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-946143-32-7
Page Count: 330
Publisher: Fiery Seas
Review Posted Online: Nov. 9, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
BOOK REVIEW
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
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
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