Blake Fraina

Requested a copy from the author to review.

3.5 stars for me on this one.

The read is comprised of several snap shots of the MC Jimmy's life. No sunshine and butterflies for Jimmy. I had a hard time finding anything to really like about Jimmy until the end and even then I just felt pity for him, but I had a greater understanding of what made him into the man he is. Elliot who is a partner of sorts for Jimmy is downright childish, crass, a bit bent (not in a good way) and completely manipulative to the point he actually enjoys the chaos he causes. I hated Elliot with a passion. I have to give Blake points in causing such a passionate response for a side character. The read is emotionally dark but managed to not be fundamentally angsty which was a pleasant surprise.

Looking for a light romance, go somewhere else.
Looking for a more real to life story where a man finds love only too late, this is the read for you.
… (mehr)

King of Cats: A Life in Five Novellas is a tough novel to review without giving away all the secrets that make it such a fascinating, challenging and engrossing trip through the world of rock `n' roll, a trip most of us can only dream about. What author Blake Fraina manages to do in 236 pages is to create a vivid world, to conjure up an almost fairytale mythology of a band on the rise. And then she does what any good writer would do: she shatters all of our fantasies, all our preconceptions about the rock and roll superstar we've just become smitten with, the impossibly beautiful star who, even though he's a bit of a bad boy, manages to make us weak in the knees. The author strips away all the intoxicating glamor and the pretty facades. Sometimes she does it gently. Sometime she just rips the band-aid off without any warning at all. But the tool that Fraina uses to do this is real life. She picks at her characters and shows you the real people behind the "stars." And then she even makes you question how real the "real" person is. As the publisher's summary states: What makes a person fascinating? Is it what they hide or what they reveal? It's a question that Fraina asks and then gives hints about, but she never quite answers it, waiting for the reader, ultimately, to make up their minds about the characters she has created.

Now, I have to say, this novel is not going to be everyone's cup of tea. It can, at times, be a tough read. Let's just say that if you are looking for a typical romance -- boy-meets-boy, boy-gets-boy, boy-and-boy-move-to-California-to-get-married -- you will be sorely disappointed. If your tastes run more to the authentic version of life, perhaps something along the lines of messed-up-boy-meets-messed-up-boy, boy-gets-boy, boy-doesn't-want-boy-but-can't-break-away, then this may be the book for you. There is a strong sense of realism woven into this story and like real life, sometimes it just ain't pretty. For me, it was fascinating from beginning to end.… (mehr)

What is probably the first impression left by this novel is the crafted but complex writing style and the lack of chronological order of the novellas. If you want to give it it’s 2002, 2001, 1995, 2003 and 1987; the two big step in the past allow the reader to know better Jim, who is the main character around which the other two men, Elliott and Adam, gravitate.

If you are thinking this is a ménages a trois, well, you are not completely wrong even if it doesn’t actually arrive to be such “formal” relationship. From what I could put together, Jim arrived from England to New York City in 1987, a shattered dream in the past (and actually “shattered” is a very right term from what happened) and the only valued possession for him, a 1959 Les Paul Sunburst. Sometime between 1987 and 2001, Jim first meets Adam, and they are together on a rock group The Mogs, and then he meets Elliott, a street hustler.

Where actually no one of the three men has a balanced self, and so I doubt any of the possible pairing could work, I have to say my favourite was Elliott, maybe since to me he was the more fragile of them. On a logical level, it’s clear the right pairing is Jim and Adam, but Elliott was so obviously in need of someone to love him that I really hoped Jim could overcome his fear of commitment to be able to give at least a sense of security, even if not real, to Elliott. Truth be told, some of the love scene between Jim and Adam are really good, I particularly liked the one in the bus, so where from one side I cheered for Elliott, on the other side I was aware that probably Adam was a better choice. Sometime I even had the feeling that, for how much a spoiled brat Adam is, he cared for Elliott. Now I’m not saying that Jim didn’t care for him, but as we will learn on the last novella, probably Jim had his own issue to overcome, and when Elliott needed him he was not yet ready.

The author itself warned me about this novel, telling me knowing I like happily ever after, I would probably not like this one. All right, this is for sure not an HEA, but if we read carefully between the line, and an almost last sentence “He never stopped blaming me”, to never stopping blaming someone you need to be together, right? And so this means that at least one of the couple managed to be together, and even if there were regrets between them, maybe sometime they were able to put them aside to enjoy the fact they were together. Yes, the romantic in me want at any price to find a possible positive ending to this story, even if, be ready, one of this man will suffer for the sins of all of them.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0595307566/?tag=elimyrevandra-20… (mehr)

What Fraina paints for us is a multi-faceted portrait of not only the enigmatic main character, but the other players are presented as credible likenesses of people as well, often on the same quest as the reader.

What better way to draw us into this quest than inviting us to an exhibition and showing us a painting; a self-portrait by arguably the most secretive artist of the 20th century, Balthus. Yes, and there is also a cat in the painting, which not only lends its title to the book but gives us an early clue in the first of five vignettes, that, not always in chronological order, one by one add ever more attributes to the overall portrait of Jimmy Lyons, a royally cool cat. Or is he?

In order to find out, you are invited to look at many images, painted in loving detail, up to the pattern on a cherished tea pot. Not talking about the almost analytical manner in which the characters are sketched most colorfully. The only thing I miss is a soundtrack, preferably by Jimmy & The Mogs, because I am left on the guessing side of what kind of music they play.

However, it is the love of detail that makes Fraina's portrait a fascinating and engaging read that starts at MOMA , heads out onto the streets of New York City, and into the world of the King of Cats.… (mehr)