Review: Behind the scenes fun!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 5, 2012
I've been agonizing for over a month about how to write this review, or even if I should. You see, I know J. Fields. Not face-to-face, but I conversed with him on the Amazon forums for several months before I ever found out that he was an author. Since I liked his sense of humor and how he comported himself, I decided to get his book, even if it wasn't a genre that I usually read. So, I jumped in and started reading.Now, if you look at my reviews, you'll see I'm a bit of a grammar nazi. And that is one of the things that bugs me the most about indie works; too often they are rife with grammar and editing errors. So, I open the book and there it was in the second sentence - a typo that should have been "pattern" but read "patter", so it wouldn't be picked up by spellchecker (sorry, J). I steeled myself to continue, while cringing inwardly (what else was I going to find, what would I tell my friend, should I pretend that I hadn't read it yet and move surreptitiously or at least change my screen name...?). But, as I read I found so few (that weren't dialog) that I don't remember any of the others. You can tell that he put a lot of time and care into his book, trying to get it just right (whew!). And I got so involved with the story and characters that I forgot everything else...which is really what I want from a book.I knew J was a funny person on-line, and his book didn't disappoint. He knows just when to stop, as well. Nothing that was so over-the-top that you go, "Oh, come ON now!" like can sometimes happen with comedy. There are some comedians that I just can't watch, because I can't buy into their "funny" or they try too hard. This work is mostly situational, and as I read it, I could put myself in the place of the characters and understand why they were reacting the way they were. To me, this is the mark of a good storyteller.One of the best things about this tale of "behind the scenes" at the casino is that it feels real. Just about everyone has had to deal with a difficult situation or customer or patron in their life while at work. How much worse would it be for those having to cater to the rich/famous/important people who are either just trying to quietly enjoy themselves or who are behaving badly? You see both of these things with Brandon the rising rap "artist" and Shannon Moon, his current girlfriend who is a starlet in her own right. Poor Antonio Cruz has to deal with these two and all their celebrity baggage, while keeping the appearance of "everything under control, business-as-usual" with a smile and his signature bow tie. Not that I wouldn't mind seeing him out of his bow tie, he could draw me a bath any time...but I digress. I think that one of the reasons why it seemed so grounded in reality is the lack of the fairy-tale moment. There were several ways that it could have happened in the storyline, but rarely does it happen in real life. Unlike the movie "Pretty Woman", in real life the hooker gets paid (if all goes well) and is shown the door. The maid doesn't marry the millionaire, but they might have a good time. And J keeps this story of the whacked-out weekend firmly grounded, even with all of the crazy moments. And some of these moments are really crazy, such as when Antonio ends up in the shark tank in the lobby. There were numerous times I sat there, giggling, and my family looked at me as if I'd finally lost it.So, I really think this rates the five stars, even though I'm a bit worried about how it'll look since J. Fields is an on-line friend (even if I haven't heard from him in a while... :p). But I truly feel like this book deserves it, and I would have rated it as such if I didn't know the author at all. And, as I try to review every book I read, especially indie work, I felt it wouldn't be right to penalize J and NOT write him a review simply because I type with him on occasion. If you enjoy comedy, you'll probably really like this book.