Robert Dunn (1)

I have one word to describe this book, boring. The story takes place in NYC during the mid-seventies, and is narrated by an aspiring writer, Cole, who has recently moved to NYC and has begun working in the typing pool at " The New Yorker". Cole meets a group of eclectic friends who form a bad called "Savage Joy". Too much time is spent on Cole's monotonous days in the typing pool, and I found myself losing interest early on. Also, Cole continually states that he will get to the rest of the story later, but it feels like he never does. The other characters are all keeping secrets, but I found myself not caring as they weren't that interesting to begin with. Finally, all secrets are revealed in the last 50 pages or so, and I didn't feel they were worth waiting for as it was all too predictable. On a positive note, this author shows promise in his writing style.… (mehr)

Cole has just moved to New York from California, he has a job at the magazine "The New Yorker" (typing pool) and the woman, Emily, he has a crush on moves into the same building as him. Slater also moves in at about the same time. Slater's band has just broken up and he wants to find a new band. Although Cole is not part of the band, he does come up with the name and is always watching on the sidelines.
I very much enjoyed this novel and would recommend it. The characters were deep and believable. The storyline was innovative.… (mehr)

I received this book from Library Thing Member Giveaway in exchange for an honest review. This is the story of an impressionable innocent thrust into the big city at the dawn of the punk-rock era. As much as I enjoyed the setting and era, I have to say the book was rather flat and predictable. You can see the "surprise" relationship that develops at the end of the book (no spoilers, don't worry) from a mile away. Characters (at least the male characters) were well-developed and interesting for the most part. The female characters somewhat less so. The two main female characters seem very much alike, but one is less insane than the other. This may just indicate that the protagonist goes for a certain type of girl, but sometimes it was hard to tell them apart.
There were some stylistic quirks that were irritating and distracting. Emily, the main female character, is given to using expressions like "higgledy-piggeldy" and "boyo"---really? Is that how boho chicks in the 70's talked? That's not what I remember, though admittedly, I was on the west coast at the time :)
Also, why did every character's use of a three-syllable word have to drawn out into syllables: "bus-I-ness" "Bow-e-ry" "a-void-ing" etc., etc---just why?
I know I'm making it sound like it was a bad book, and it's not. It's an enjoyable read. Good, not great.… (mehr)