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The Pursuit of Cool

by Robb Skidmore (Goodreads Author)

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 29 ratings · 14 reviews

A novel that uniquely captures the 1980s, The Pursuit of Cool tells the story of Lance Rally and his turbulent college years. He faces pressure to live up to his super-achieving family and is fueled by grandiose ambition. He wants to become a success but is easily distracted and obsessed with pop culture. He also has a deeply romantic nature and though inept he is sincere...more

Kindle Edition, 410 pages

Published April 16th 2012 by TMiK Press

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Jan 01, 2013 Ronald Fischman rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: all readers

Recommended to Ronald by: author

Ever need to revisit a time in your life that lives just out of the edge of imagination, in the haze of half-recalled images, song lyrics with ellipses at each end, and fragrances that blend together like the Tempera paint of out-of-control kindergarteners? You know the one – you are trying to tell the story to yourself and remember that it was more than the classes you cut, or job you lost, or the girl who dumped you? Several strategies come to mind, and fortunately for me, as a novelist and a...more Ever need to revisit a time in your life that lives just out of the edge of imagination, in the haze of half-recalled images, song lyrics with ellipses at each end, and fragrances that blend together like the Tempera paint of out-of-control kindergarteners? You know the one – you are trying to tell the story to yourself and remember that it was more than the classes you cut, or job you lost, or the girl who dumped you? Several strategies come to mind, and fortunately for me, as a novelist and a book reviewer, most of them involve story-telling.

The Pursuit of Cool, a new novel by Robb Skidmore(TMIK Press, 2012), could be counted as a coming-of-age story about three kids who bond as suite mates as freshmen in college. By the same logic, you would call The Grapes of Wrath a travel journal. The place of the novel is AnyPrepTown, USA, but the time? It is SO ‘80’s, SO Reagan, SO age of greed, and SO tinged with the dissatisfaction that living a life dictated by what your image should be rather than who you are that it just might define the decade.

You remember the ‘80’s, right? Remember those big-hair rock-pop bands that MTV sold us? I thought so. But do you remember all the alt-music that came from bands with names like Siouxsie and the Banshees or the lyrical but almost painfully dark Bauhaus? No, I thought you might have forgotten them. I began the novel riding on memory lane, in that happy storytelling mode of “Oh, yeah, I remember where I was when I heard that.” At first, I found myself hating but envying the beach-bum gorgeous Ian Lacoss, identifying with the brilliant but socially maladroit Charles Boyd, and riding the narrative wave with the inner monologue of lead protagonist Lance Rally as they make their way through their first years of collegiate liberation from parental control. Soon, however, I was buried under the cultural references. I found that it was easier to read The Pursuit of Cool with my computer open, Goodsearch.com on one tab and Youtube on another, in order to do quick lookups. In fact, the book owns “cool:” defining it, bringing it into your eyes, ears, and even your nose, and piercing you with it if you allow.

The narrator hovers over Lance like a thought translator who has a point-of view only slightly more in-the-know than Lance himself. I am reminded of the role of Nick Calloway from The Great Gatsby. Nick’s “truth” about Gatsby changes – he assets that Gatsby is a landed scion one moment and a self-made man in another – based on Calloway’s own evolving sense of reality. Lance asserts, through his narrator, an evolving sense of reality that shows a young man totally unprepared to confront a life that offers him his own independent choices. Through the first two-plus years of his college career, every interaction is about what his image is. This obsession with looking suave, sexy, caring, sympathetic, resilient – in a word, “cool” – is Lance’s way of confronting girls, friends, classes, alcohol, everything. Since his family gave him only one option of how to be in college – high GPA, Honors/Awards, Internships and all those other prerequisites to the Top 10 MBA, it is not surprising that Lance is left to his own devices when his path veers off the Gordon Gekko indenture.

Weighing in at 410 pages, The Pursuit of Cool did get slow for me by around page 300, because this is not a plot-driven novel. In fact, by following the three boys becoming men and reacting to growing up with all things Reagan, the book is a long essay on the nature of “cool,” and whether such a thing is really attainable after all. For me, the essay was too long. I would have preferred to part with some of the exhaustive, encyclopedic cultural references in order to get to the point: how do the three characters deal with the disillusionment of trying to live someone else’s life? That having been said, Skidmore does a commendable job at underscoring the existential question of an important period of American history through the prism of the coming-of-age novel.

The author gave me a copy of the book in exchange for my unbiased review.(less)

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Nov 14, 2012 Hilary rated it 4 of 5 stars

A definite 1980s inspired novel, this novel will make you love the characters. Lance, a lovable college student who's trying to figure out what he wants to do in life, goes through college meeting people and living the typical college student life. He went to college with a *study hard, work hard* mentality and ended up with a different experience. He's such a lovable character! He reminds me of a mix between Ducky and Ryan from Pretty in Pink. The lovable male character who's kinda goofy and di...more

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Apr 29, 2012 Candi rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book kept me reading! It is a novel about a boy and I am not one, but I could really identify with all the main characters I met through his journey in those angst-ridden late-teen and early-20 years. I went through my very own "pursuit of cool" in the late 80's and early 90's so it was fun to reflect on the trends, styles and music of the time. Lance tells his own story and some of his fears and thought-processes are scarily familiar. He meets several characters who I remember from my own...more

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Apr 03, 2012 Ashley rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Pursuit of Cool, debut novel by Robb Skidmore, is that book that reminds you, perfectly, that everyone was as screwed up and off kilter as you were as a young adult. Set against a fabulous soundtrack from the 1980′s, The Pursuit of Cool follows Lance Rally through his tumultuous college years.

From the book’s summary, “Lance comes from a super-achieving family and is intent on being a big success. But he is also an inept, hopeless romantic, obsessed with pop culture, and prone to distraction....more The Pursuit of Cool, debut novel by Robb Skidmore, is that book that reminds you, perfectly, that everyone was as screwed up and off kilter as you were as a young adult. Set against a fabulous soundtrack from the 1980′s, The Pursuit of Cool follows Lance Rally through his tumultuous college years.

From the book’s summary, “Lance comes from a super-achieving family and is intent on being a big success. But he is also an inept, hopeless romantic, obsessed with pop culture, and prone to distraction. Friendships with a punk rocker and a subversive scholar challenge his worldview, and relationships with a beautiful psych major and a feisty goth girl change him. This coming-of-age journey is a funny and emotional ride through album covers, dance techniques, all-nighter revelations, and corporate internships gone bad. The story comes alive with music and movies which give Lance solace as he questions beliefs and his heart gets crushed. He tries to capture that illusive quality, that magic of youth, the essence that is “cool.”"

Reading this book, I often felt I was spying on Lance, somehow privy to his innermost thoughts. Skidmore paints an awkward young man who just wants to fit in, whose bursts of confidence sometimes make him feel he is more than he actually is. At the same time, Lance is sympathetic, because he is everyone. He makes some bad decisions, he makes a fool of himself, he dreams big.

In fact, outside the excellent sonic backdrop Skidmore provides, Lance’s big dreams were my favorite part of the book. There’s a nostalgic quality to those dreams for anyone who’s been to college. I remember thinking in university that we were definitely thinking the deep thoughts, changing the world in our late night study sessions; solving world crises over hash browns and grits after partying at fraternity court. And I remember the years before that, when I thought college would be deep thoughts and good parties and intellectual discussions all around. The Pursuit of Cool centers the reader right in that hopeful era of high expectations, and jaded reality.

I’ve mentioned it a couple of times, so I have to applaud Skidmore’s use of music throughout the story. From the Clash to Joy Division, to Bauhaus, so much of the music I was too young to appreciate at the time but that I eventually discovered. It provides the perfect setting to Lance’s experience, because if you’ve ever listened to these bands (and this is not an exhaustive list) you remember realizing how a song, a band, an album could indeed change your life.

At 410 pages, The Pursuit of Cool wasn’t a fast read for me, but it was engrossing. I felt like I was on this journey with Lance, and I remember thinking “Wow! It was like this for everyone. I wasn’t the only one struggling to find my niche.” Because when you’re that age, it seems like everyone has it easier than you- you’re the only awkward one, pursuing the cool everyone else seems to have found effortlessly.

A great debut, and I can’t wait to read more from Robb Skidmore.(less)

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Jul 30, 2012 Casee Marie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, 2012

My full review on Literary Inklings

The Pursuit of Cool is a triumphant novel in author Robb Skidmore’s depiction of the 1980s and its iconic musical scene as experienced through the bright eyes of a young man coming to understand himself. Skidmore pays impeccable attention to his writing skill, effortlessly crafting his engaging story through the language of truly expressive and vibrant prose. The era comes to life instantly from the book’s opening scene at Lance’s high school senior prom and th...more

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Mar 15, 2012 Karen Attaway rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is such a wonderful book and the best one I've read this year by far. I’m totally blown away by its 80's awesomeness. Complete with mohawks, blue eye shadow, parachute pants and big shoulder pads. The Pursuit of Cool is the essence of 80’s cool with extremely intriguing & loveable characters you can’t get out of your head.

It’s very rare to find a book that will keep you up at night wondering what will happen next and this book does that and much more. The Pursuit of Cool is wonderful f...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars

Everyone, including Lance, seems to have high expectations for his future but Lance seems to be unable to translate those expectations into actions. He struggles to fit in academically and socially. Ultimately his search to find his place in the universe through his friendships and romantic encounters is played out against a backdrop of 1980s pop culture references and changing musical scenes while academics and career prospects falter in the background.

I had a difficult time connecting with Lan...more

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Jan 02, 2013 Kathy LaMee rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: my-reviews-on-tracyriva-com

This book takes me back! From the music to the clothes to the culture- this book completely took me back to the late 80's and my own college experience. While Skidmore's main character, Lance Rally, is a few years my senior, his college experiences and general outlook/ confusion on life as a young adult is easy to relate too. Skidmore is an excellent craftsman of vivid and realistic personalities. My biggest take away from this novel are the characters and the vibrant experiences he paints; you...more

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Aug 21, 2012 Mahina rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is a MUST READ! I really loved this book because the story has interesting, funny and memorable characters trying to figure out life, love and how to achieve their dreams. Yes, its a novel set in the 1980's - the decade in which I spent much of my teen years- but its story really transcends the era. For those who love the 80's (and who doesn't??), they will enjoy reading about the music, movies and pop culture that made growing up during that time unique. Skidmore does an amazing job w...more

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Jul 09, 2012 Zips rated it 4 of 5 stars

This was a great trip down memory lane. I loved revisiting all my favorite bands from the time, as if I were there again. It made me time-travel.

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May 14, 2012 Jessica rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is the first book I've won from the GoodReads Giveaways and I loved it. The book describes Lance's college experiences and his struggles in figuring out relationships and what he wants to do with his life. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading Robb Skidmore's other book.

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Sep 24, 2012 Martin Maenza rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: contemporary

For my review, see my blog Martin's View: Book Review - The Pursuit of Cool.

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Apr 23, 2012 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads

Very Entertaining, easy to get into. I loved the 80s theme and would definately recommend this book to anyone who lived through the 80s. I loved the storyline and the characters as well! I will be looking forward to reading any other books by Robb Skidmore, because I loved this one!

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Apr 26, 2012 Clayton rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: first-reads, fiction

Received this book through one of the giveaways. Fun read that reaffirms that no matter how much people act like they've got it together deep down they're likely just as crazy as everyone else. The characters are engrossing and easily relatable.

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About Robb Skidmore

Robb Skidmore writes stories that entertain and inspire. His contemporary upmarket fiction (combines the best of commercial and literary) takes a love of language and uses it to create richly original characters and intense, moving plots. His short stories have appeared in New Orleans Review, New Millennium Writings, The South Carolina Review, Oasis, and Twelve Stories. He has travelled to many pa...more

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