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Hollywood Sinners
Karin Panotchitch, raised on a sheep farm and married off to a drunken loser, finds her way to 1939 Hollywood at the tender age of sixteen. Along the way to stardom, she meets up with Ramon Classic, who with his many brothers is ready for a hostile takeover of MGM, Mama Gravy, the colorful and opinionated proprietor of the run-down Gold Rush brothel, and Sister Agatha, the mysterious nun who seems to turn up every time Karin rides the trolley. Hollywood history, flying bullets, and big dreams make for a lively story about what happens when a sheep farmer’s daughter tries to make her dreams come true.
190 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 20, 2012
Only got through 1/2 of the book. Might be worst book I've ever read!
October 6, 2012
This book popped up on my Amazon recommendations, and since it was so cheap for Kindle, I thought I'd give it a go.
Wow. Just wow.
This is quite possibly the worst book I've ever read, and I've read some real stinkers in my time. After the first couple of chapters, I was about to just put in for a refund, but then I started to enjoy it for how bad it was. You know like sometimes a movie is so bad it's good? This is kind of the literary equivalent.
I saw the reviews at Amazon.com before I bought this, and thought this book sounded interesting, in a "Jackie Collins" kind of way, as I'm interested in classic Hollywood. Now, I can only assume that the reviewers are friends and family members of the author, since nobody who has read a book more complex than The Very Hungry Caterpillar could possibly consider this as anything other than complete and utter garbage.
First of all, it's absolutely FULL of typing/spelling errors. Barely a page went by without finding something. That's before you get to the sentences that have got words missing from them, meaning that they make no actual sense, though you could work out what was supposed to be there. That's not to mention words that have been completely misused, as in they made no sense whatsoever in the context the author tried to use them.
Then you get to the actual plot and characters, which are about as deep as a steamrollered thin crust pizza. There's just no rhyme or reason as to why most of the events in the book happen; they just happen. To paraphrase:
And then they decided to get married (after knowing each other for a paragraph). And then he was shot in the face. And then she wanted to be a nun. And then she was in jail.
In short, if you want a masterclass in how NOT to write a book, or a bloody good laugh at how bad bad writing can be, then buy this immediately. I'm very tempted to buy the next book in the trilogy, purely for the unintentional comedic value of the thing.
Wow. Just wow.
This is quite possibly the worst book I've ever read, and I've read some real stinkers in my time. After the first couple of chapters, I was about to just put in for a refund, but then I started to enjoy it for how bad it was. You know like sometimes a movie is so bad it's good? This is kind of the literary equivalent.
I saw the reviews at Amazon.com before I bought this, and thought this book sounded interesting, in a "Jackie Collins" kind of way, as I'm interested in classic Hollywood. Now, I can only assume that the reviewers are friends and family members of the author, since nobody who has read a book more complex than The Very Hungry Caterpillar could possibly consider this as anything other than complete and utter garbage.
First of all, it's absolutely FULL of typing/spelling errors. Barely a page went by without finding something. That's before you get to the sentences that have got words missing from them, meaning that they make no actual sense, though you could work out what was supposed to be there. That's not to mention words that have been completely misused, as in they made no sense whatsoever in the context the author tried to use them.
Then you get to the actual plot and characters, which are about as deep as a steamrollered thin crust pizza. There's just no rhyme or reason as to why most of the events in the book happen; they just happen. To paraphrase:
And then they decided to get married (after knowing each other for a paragraph). And then he was shot in the face. And then she wanted to be a nun. And then she was in jail.
In short, if you want a masterclass in how NOT to write a book, or a bloody good laugh at how bad bad writing can be, then buy this immediately. I'm very tempted to buy the next book in the trilogy, purely for the unintentional comedic value of the thing.
February 1, 2012
I think this book was written by a 12-year old.
February 17, 2009
I wasn't sure about reading "Hollywood Sinners." It's about Hollywood - not something I'm particularly interested in. But Peter Joseph Swanson’s Hollywood turns out to be a strange, exciting and curiously thought-provoking place, and I'm glad I took the time to visit there.
"Hollywood Sinners" is not a terribly long book. At 188 pages, it probably didn’t matter that I didn't identify with the protagonist, so I started reading without needing to decide where my sympathies lay. Soon I recognized and appreciated the delightful craft in the writing – hardly a spare scene or sentence anywhere. And I noticed a feeling of fable and sense of the surreal that, I suppose, is rather appropriate for a novel set in Tinsel town.
Not that Peter’s depiction is unreal. But it had never occurred to me beforehand to wonder what Hollywood would be like, just before World War II, or where the sympathies of Americans would lie, not just about the war. I absorbed a feeling for a strange foreign place as I read, and found myself looking through a new lens at the present. Karin’s mishaps had me laughing, even as I saw them coming. The sense of timing, as well as the sense of time, is very satisfying to the reader. And, though I couldn’t agree with Karin’s aims, I could delight in the resonance of her misfortunes.
By the end of the novel I was simultaneously pleased and searching back through pages to see what I’d missed. I felt contentedly bemused, and could happily have read further. So maybe I’d better start looking out for the "Joan Crawford Murders" - next in the trilogy.
"Hollywood Sinners" is not a terribly long book. At 188 pages, it probably didn’t matter that I didn't identify with the protagonist, so I started reading without needing to decide where my sympathies lay. Soon I recognized and appreciated the delightful craft in the writing – hardly a spare scene or sentence anywhere. And I noticed a feeling of fable and sense of the surreal that, I suppose, is rather appropriate for a novel set in Tinsel town.
Not that Peter’s depiction is unreal. But it had never occurred to me beforehand to wonder what Hollywood would be like, just before World War II, or where the sympathies of Americans would lie, not just about the war. I absorbed a feeling for a strange foreign place as I read, and found myself looking through a new lens at the present. Karin’s mishaps had me laughing, even as I saw them coming. The sense of timing, as well as the sense of time, is very satisfying to the reader. And, though I couldn’t agree with Karin’s aims, I could delight in the resonance of her misfortunes.
By the end of the novel I was simultaneously pleased and searching back through pages to see what I’d missed. I felt contentedly bemused, and could happily have read further. So maybe I’d better start looking out for the "Joan Crawford Murders" - next in the trilogy.
March 29, 2009
I was immediately intrigued by the interesting diverse characters spanning the book, including a mysterious nun and a madame of a dance hall/brothel. The story is set in 1939 and follows the struggles of an young woman trying to become something more. Unfortunately for her, she has pretty bad luck.
What I really enjoyed about this book was the witty dialogue from discussing the "health benefits" of tobacco [remember 1939:] to the great Hollywood stars to nylon stockings to basil flavored chewing gum. This was a fun romp that I think most people would greatly enjoy.
As the main character Carol says, 'Welcome to Hollywood.'
What I really enjoyed about this book was the witty dialogue from discussing the "health benefits" of tobacco [remember 1939:] to the great Hollywood stars to nylon stockings to basil flavored chewing gum. This was a fun romp that I think most people would greatly enjoy.
As the main character Carol says, 'Welcome to Hollywood.'
June 30, 2012
Comical and a slightly weird and wonderful concept for a story, chronicling the life and movements of a wannabe actress, its a funny little story.
February 7, 2012
The only good things I could say about this book - it was a quick read, and at the time I got it, it was free.
This book needs serious editing. It's riddled with typographical errors and misspellings. Sometimes there are entire words missing from sentences.
The plot reads like something out of an entry-level creative writing class. Or, a B-movie one would see lampooned on MST3k. Ridiculous scenes follow ridiculous scenes, and the ending . . . completely slapdash and nonsensical.
I recommend this book to absolutely no one. It's really not worth the time.
This book needs serious editing. It's riddled with typographical errors and misspellings. Sometimes there are entire words missing from sentences.
The plot reads like something out of an entry-level creative writing class. Or, a B-movie one would see lampooned on MST3k. Ridiculous scenes follow ridiculous scenes, and the ending . . . completely slapdash and nonsensical.
I recommend this book to absolutely no one. It's really not worth the time.
January 25, 2012
!!!!!CONTAINS SPOILERS!!!!!
I feel like I was just in a hit-and-run with every single cliche from the 1930's.
People died right and left, with Karin/Carol not as much as checking to see if people were really dead. I feel like she had a psychotic break, and doctors would have really gone into that, if the last part of the book had been the main focal point. I feel like this book went into the wrong details.
On the up side, it was a short, fluffy read.
I feel like I was just in a hit-and-run with every single cliche from the 1930's.
People died right and left, with Karin/Carol not as much as checking to see if people were really dead. I feel like she had a psychotic break, and doctors would have really gone into that, if the last part of the book had been the main focal point. I feel like this book went into the wrong details.
On the up side, it was a short, fluffy read.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews