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How I discovered this book: it was submitted to Rosie's Book Review Team, of which I am a member.
In a Nutshell: character drama spanning several decades, dealing with sociopolitical issues of mid-twentieth century America.
I was attracted to this book because of the great title, the great cover, and the blurb that spoke of the 1951 campaign to root out communists in the US film industry, something that interests me greatly. Mr Levitt writes well, and the book flowed along nicely. I did like much of it, hence the 4 stars, although it was not the book I expected.
The anti-communist witch-hunt is dealt with in a brief fashion in the first ten per cent, after which the novel is about the life of Sophie Hearn, the daughter of Larry, who suffered under the HUAC (House Un-American Activities Committee) campaign. Running alongside Sophie's story is that of Steve, whose parents were also involved; I found his early development one of the most compelling parts of the book, especially as it took place in a time when developmental disorders went unrecognised. Mr Levitt creates the atmosphere of 1960s California so well, I would imagine from personal experience, and many of the incidental characters come alive immediately, particularly in their dialogue. The reason I didn't enjoy the book quite as much as I had hoped is that there was not much actual plot; it is more of a biographical account of Sophie's life, with chapters dedicated to the social issues of the time. Throughout, I kept waiting for some real conflict, or suspense; opportunities for drama were missed, with any problems (one character's excessive use of marijuana, and, later, the logistics of a mixed race marriage) being resolved quickly and easily, within a page or two, almost as if the author had a checklist of issues to be mentioned.
I enjoyed reading Steve and Sophie's experience at their student parties (and the ridiculous dialogue of the hippie idealists was extremely well done), but few of the scenarios tied together, events happening in isolation. I wonder if there was perhaps too much material for one book; the author has dealt with not only the HUAC campaign, but also the newly permissive 1960s, sexism, drugs, the women's lib movement, living in a commune, new teaching methods, racism, the difficulties of mixed race marriages, employment problems—all this is crammed into one medium-length novel, whereas any one of those subjects would make a great basis for a story all on its own. This is a debut novel, and I know it can be a temptation to play all your cards straight away!
The bulk of the book is about Sophie running an experimental school, and her subsequent difficulties in finding a post in a 'public' school. Sadly, I never got a sense of who Sophie was, though Steve was a rounded, three-dimensional character. What kept me turning the pages was the writing style, which is extremely readable, the entertaining snapshots of particular aspects of the era, the fact that the author clearly knew his subject matter so well, and the excellent dialogue in the portraits of incidental characters. In the last fifteen per cent, too, there is more of a coming together of Sophie and Steve's lives, a little more suspense, and an explanation of why and how they were affected by what happened to their parents at the beginning of the book. To sum up: as a fictional account of the sociological history of the era, this is a most fascinating book; for those who are looking for a plot-driven novel about the HUAC campaign and its affects, though, not so much.
How I discovered this book: I watched the film (starring James Franco, excellent) and had to read it! Genre: Memoir, show business
The Disaster Artist is about Greg Sestero's life with his friend, Tommy Wiseau, a strange, deluded figure of unknown nationality (some think he is Polish), unknown age (rumoured to be over 60), who was in possession of a vast fortune of unknown origin with which he made the 2003 film The Room, that has now gained a cult following. It's not even so bad it's good, though it is known as the best bad film ever made; this is one of the better trailers for it that I found on Youtube, featuring its 'highlights'.
Greg Sestero meets Tommy Wiseau at a San Francisco acting class, and they strike up a friendship; there is something about the stranger that fascinates Greg. His acting is terrible; he doesn't understand basic technique, and will take no direction. But Greg envies him his confidence and (outward) lack of concern about what anyone thinks of him. The books traces their path through many disappointments in their quests to become great Hollywood stars, culminating, after a few small successes on Greg's part and much emotional turmoil on Tommy's, in the making of The Room.
The book's chapters alternate between the chronological story of Greg and Tommy, and the making of the film itself. This structure worked very well as it slowly builds up a picture of the whole, and eventually the story of Tommy's past comes out in fragments, though how much is a product of Wiseau's imagination is not known. This book probably answers more questions than any other speculation I've seen; most of it seems pretty feasible, too.
I think this book is best read after seeing the film, and preferably after watching The Room, too, as many of the scenes are referred to, though this is not essential. Throughout, you will sometimes feel sorry for Tommy and at other times wonder why someone has not landed him a fatal punch or two. At first I thought Greg was just using Tommy for his money, but as the book progresses he is honest about the fact that he had to share the flat in LA with Tommy because he couldn't afford to live anywhere else; essentially, I think his friendship probably kept Tommy going when he had no one else. That he was Tommy's only companion did not take long to dawn on him. On the whole, I don't think Greg painted himself in too glowing a light, and the way he and Tom Bissell have presented Tommy is at times quite touching. The book is great, the story itself fascinating. The film is excellent. The Room is ... a hilarious disaster. I recommend all three, most highly - start with the James Franco film, and I guarantee you will have to watch The Room once you've seen it!
'The past is a stone - you can carry it around with you, or you can step up on it to see what's coming over the next hill'.
The Last Meridian is a crime novel set in the 1960s, in the 'noir' sub-genre; it's not one I've explored before, and somewhere near the beginning I realised I should read it out loud, leaning against a lamp-lit wall down a dark alley, wearing a fedora and smoking a French cigarette. I imagined this; it really did make the dialogue work! In the first chapter in 1948, a girl drives away from Illinois, along Route 66, heading for LA. We don't know why, but Lynn becomes Nina, and starts a new career as an interior designer for the stars. Meanwhile, back in 1965, a man associated with the underworld is murdered, and the murder is witnessed by the teenage son of the victim's girlfriend. Nina's involvement in this is one I didn't guess at all, and, as the mother of the boy tries to save her son, a private detective called CS and a journalist/writer called Jimmy are brought in, centre stage. The book took a short while to gel for me as there are a lot of characters to remember, at the beginning, but before 10% I'd settled into the back-and-forth-in-time structure, and begun to really enjoy it. Mr Hefferon is masterful at creating atmosphere, and I loved the cynical, seedy crime/Hollywood characters. I especially liked some of the short backstories; that of CS, and mother Larissa, in particular. The character I found the most interesting was Jimmy, and I liked the extracts from his manuscript, and his philosophical pondering... 'in some cross-layered way, each of us is the supporting cast for all of us ... how do we arrive at the places where our lives mesh with the people we need for our own narrative?'.
...I liked the observations about the people, fashions and culture: 'Beards, shaggy hair and abraded clothing were just becoming the craze of the anti-establishment, yet this juvenile bandito remained stuck in 1958, unconcerned with change. He had chosen his look ... he would wear it proudly until time and prison sucked the black from his mane'. ...about the locations: 'No one with any style lives in Bakersfield ... it's all money and no pizazz. What kind of claim is 'Halfway to Fresno'?' ....and about Nina's dysfunctional marriage: 'In
a lovers' paradox, they found each other attractive at different times,
but never at the same time... it was a marriage of inconvenience'.
Joe Hefferon is an intelligent and talented writer, and I hope he is as proud of this clever and delightfully atmospheric novel as he should be.
The novel ends at around 90%, after which there is an author's note, acknowledgements, and an excerpt from another novel from the same publishing company.
