- Paperback: 336 pages
- Publisher: Plume (Sep 18 1997)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0452278686
- ISBN-13: 978-0452278684
- Product Dimensions: 20.4 x 13.6 x 2.2 cm
- Shipping Weight: 286 g
- Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #1,417,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Amazon
Screenwriter Bruce Wagner, writer for the "Nightmare on Elm Street" series and of the TV mini-series "White Palms," has set his second novel, like his first, Force Majeure, in the hip world with which he is intimate--Hollywood, as in Babylon writ large, a world of dreams shattered or grotesquely corrupted. Arranged in short sections, each written from the viewpoint of some 20 alternating characters, without a clear plot line, the book's style is as disorienting as the drug-dazed sexually abusive lifestyles of the players. Wagner pulls no punches in his descriptions of these pitiable losers and vile winners; indeed parts of the book are hard on the stomach. The book is unrelentingly powerful, and occasionally downright revolting.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
More soap opera than satire, screenwriter Wagner's wildly uneven second novel (after Force Majeure) presents a wide spectrum of loosely connected characters and situations. Set in contemporary Hollywood, the novel's ensemble cast ranges from budding movie stars and high-powered agents to ambitious masseuses and a New Age homeless woman, with such real-life celebrities as Alec Baldwin and Richard Dreyfuss making cameo appearances. Disparate tales are partially connected through several Hollywood dynasties that interact throughout the novel as Wagner performs a ruthless and occasionally quite sharp dissection of Hollywood's caste system. He is at his best when delineating the hierarchy and competitive paranoia of Tinseltown, and there are occasional moments of pathos in his presentation of the psychic toll of ambition. But many of Wagner's characters are stock types who never rise above cliche, and much of his humor is correspondingly obvious: it takes more than contempt for one's characters to make an effective satirist. He also takes the low art of name-dropping to new depths, with such obsessive cataloging of celebrities and pop-culture icons that the book begins to read more like a fan magazine than a novel. Likewise the vast cast and lack of central incident, reminiscent of Robert Altman's film Short Cuts, which are unredeemed by any overarching vision.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most helpful customer reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Scary but worthy,
By A Customer
This review is from: Im Losing You (Paperback)
This is a page-turner, a reading in the car even though it makes you carsick book. Fascinating, Day of the Locust kinds of characters develop in divergent and converging arcs that will make your head spin. But caution to the casual reader: major themes are physical violence and Buddhist thought. The reader welcomes the voluminous Buddhist current as somewhat of a check againt the horrific violence. Give it a try if you can handle more than a bit of darkness, or are fascinated by LA. The popular culture references alone make the book a worthwhile read.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Dense,
By
This review is from: I'm Losing You (Hardcover)
I like reading novels of Hollywood and this book was recommended. But about 60 pages in this I had to put it down and move to another book. This is not a light novel to read at the beach without full attention. Each sentence is written in complex structure like reading a college textbook. That's OK if there is enjoyment. But 60 pages in I couldn't find the entertainment or characters to attach to. It's rare I can't finish a book. Check my 250 reviews and you'll see it's only happened one other time. And I'm not a skimmer. I read completely what I write about. But this book was not worth further time commitment. Maybe this book was worth the commitment and I just didn't get it. But don't say you weren't forewarned.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Where have I been all his life?,
By
This review is from: Im Losing You (Paperback)
After reading the first of Bruce Wagner's Hollywood trilogy, I was reluctant to close "I'm Losing You" and tell myself it was really over. As multilayered as a Napoleon, this novel is strong, flaky, and sweet in unexpected places.Wagner is not an easy read, but he's a major literary force to be reckoned with. I look forward to reckoning with him in the future--say, ten minutes from now.
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