Book Review
When The Stars Come Out by Famous Author Rob Byrnes
(Kensington Publishing, $15.00)
We all know the old saying about how you can't judge a book by its cover. That adage applies perfectly to the latest title by Famous Author Rob Byrnes. (Disclosure: I have known this author for years and flatter myself to call him a friend.) I still am confused by the cover of this book and how the cartoonish figures have anything remotely to do with the book. If you find yourself hesitant to buy this book because of the cover, get over it because you will be rewarded with a wonderful novel that is even better than the blurbs on the back of the book claim.
The judges of the Lambda Literary Award got it right with this book. It won the prize during its hardcover version and it is well-deserved. Rob Byrnes' nicotine-stained fingers show us once again their skill in tapping out a yarn on his computer's keyboard. He avoids falling into a formulaic routine, and that results in a refreshing story.
In a nutshell, When The Stars Come Out is the tale of a once-grand actor who is persuaded to come out of the closet by an idealistic writer whose career is stumbling. A theme of love, both old and new, along with rich character development make this book a joy to read. As well, I was able to learn a new word: senescence.
One odd thing about the book is that "moisturizing" is mentioned at least three times in the story and once in the author blurb on the inside back cover. I don't know why that stuck out to me, but it did remind me to moisturize this morning before coming to work.
There are some creative literary features employed in the book that make it fresh. So, in spite of the cover that is juvenile, unrelated to the book, and simply confusing, I recommend this book without reservation and encourage you to read it at your first opportunity. When you do, you will get a well-developed story, characters that will elicit all known emotions from your psyche, make you laugh, make you cry, and make you want to read the earlier works of this author.
Another fine job, Mr. Byrnes.
(Kensington Publishing, $15.00)
We all know the old saying about how you can't judge a book by its cover. That adage applies perfectly to the latest title by Famous Author Rob Byrnes. (Disclosure: I have known this author for years and flatter myself to call him a friend.) I still am confused by the cover of this book and how the cartoonish figures have anything remotely to do with the book. If you find yourself hesitant to buy this book because of the cover, get over it because you will be rewarded with a wonderful novel that is even better than the blurbs on the back of the book claim.
The judges of the Lambda Literary Award got it right with this book. It won the prize during its hardcover version and it is well-deserved. Rob Byrnes' nicotine-stained fingers show us once again their skill in tapping out a yarn on his computer's keyboard. He avoids falling into a formulaic routine, and that results in a refreshing story.
In a nutshell, When The Stars Come Out is the tale of a once-grand actor who is persuaded to come out of the closet by an idealistic writer whose career is stumbling. A theme of love, both old and new, along with rich character development make this book a joy to read. As well, I was able to learn a new word: senescence.
One odd thing about the book is that "moisturizing" is mentioned at least three times in the story and once in the author blurb on the inside back cover. I don't know why that stuck out to me, but it did remind me to moisturize this morning before coming to work.
There are some creative literary features employed in the book that make it fresh. So, in spite of the cover that is juvenile, unrelated to the book, and simply confusing, I recommend this book without reservation and encourage you to read it at your first opportunity. When you do, you will get a well-developed story, characters that will elicit all known emotions from your psyche, make you laugh, make you cry, and make you want to read the earlier works of this author.
Another fine job, Mr. Byrnes.
posted by Michael Vernon at Thursday, December 13, 2007
2 comments
