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jessica12's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
h2oetry's review against another edition
4.0
American Dream Machine places a fragmented family within the tidal LA/Hollywood scene; as one of the blurbs puts it, LA "pulses" underneath the story.
It seems a little too easy to make an Entourage reference since much of the narrative swirls around talent agencies and the ups and downs of Beau Rosenwald and his friends/co-workers/enemies. It’s his quest and drive that propels the story. I love and hate Beau the way I love and hate Francis Underwood from House of Cards. My opinion of those two shifts every page or scene. They both make great characters.
A few eras are at play while characters grow, age, stagnate, disappear, or all of the above. Some endings serve as beginnings. At times it felt to me that perhaps heroin-induced short-term memory was synecdochic of the story’s structure. I’d like to read it again with that in mind to see if it was merely a fleeting, short-term thought.
I’ve only been to Hollywood a few times, but Specktor seeps his pages with the area. It makes me want to visit, even though I pretty much hate the place. On my first visit there I blasted Tool’s “Ænima” on Sunset Boulevard. I listened to the song quite a bit while reading the book; it served as a decent soundtrack, as did Bill Hick’s comedy routine “Arizona Bay”(which influenced the song). I will end the review with a few of those Tool lyrics, which apply:
_________
ps: I also noticed a missing period between sentences on page 376 I don't find the missing period problematic -- I enjoy finding small errors in published books.
It seems a little too easy to make an Entourage reference since much of the narrative swirls around talent agencies and the ups and downs of Beau Rosenwald and his friends/co-workers/enemies. It’s his quest and drive that propels the story. I love and hate Beau the way I love and hate Francis Underwood from House of Cards. My opinion of those two shifts every page or scene. They both make great characters.
A few eras are at play while characters grow, age, stagnate, disappear, or all of the above. Some endings serve as beginnings. At times it felt to me that perhaps heroin-induced short-term memory was synecdochic of the story’s structure. I’d like to read it again with that in mind to see if it was merely a fleeting, short-term thought.
I’ve only been to Hollywood a few times, but Specktor seeps his pages with the area. It makes me want to visit, even though I pretty much hate the place. On my first visit there I blasted Tool’s “Ænima” on Sunset Boulevard. I listened to the song quite a bit while reading the book; it served as a decent soundtrack, as did Bill Hick’s comedy routine “Arizona Bay”(which influenced the song). I will end the review with a few of those Tool lyrics, which apply:
_________
Some say the end is near.
Some say we'll see Armageddon soon.
I certainly hope we will.
I sure could use a vacation from this
Bullshit three ring circus sideshow of
Freaks
Here in this hopeless fucking hole we call LA
The only way to fix it is to flush it all away.
Any fucking time. Any fucking day.
Learn to swim, I'll see you down in Arizona bay.
Fret for your figure and
Fret for your latte and
Fret for your lawsuit and
Fret for your hairpiece and
Fret for your Prozac and
Fret for your pilot and
Fret for your contract and
Fret for your car.
Some say a comet will fall from the sky.
Followed by meteor showers and tidal waves.
Followed by fault lines that cannot sit still.
Followed by millions of dumbfounded dipshits.
One great big festering neon distraction,
I've a suggestion to keep you all occupied.
Learn to swim.
Mom's gonna fix it all soon.
Mom's comin' round to put it back the way it ought to
be.
Learn to swim.
Fuck L Ron Hubbard and
Fuck all his clones.
Fuck all these gun-toting
Hip gangster wannabes.
Learn to swim.
Fuck retro anything.
Fuck your tattoos.
Fuck all you junkies and
Fuck your short memory.
Learn to swim.
Fuck smiley glad-hands,
With hidden agendas.
Fuck these dysfunctional,
Insecure actresses.
Learn to swim.
'Cause I'm praying for rain;
I'm praying for tidal waves
I wanna see the ground give way.
I wanna watch it all go down.
Mom, please, flush it all away.
I wanna see it go right in and down.
I wanna watch it go right in.
Watch you flush it all away.
Time to bring it down again.
Don't just call me pessimist.
Try and read between the lines.
I can't imagine why you wouldn't
Welcome any change, my friend.
I wanna see it come down.
Bring it down.
Suck it down.
Flush it down.
ps: I also noticed a missing period between sentences on page 376 I don't find the missing period problematic -- I enjoy finding small errors in published books.
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