Category: Stu’s Reviews

Genre: Book

Grade: A-/B+

Notable People: Dawnie Walton

Title: The Final Revival of Opal & Nev

Review: Dawnie Walton’s very ambitious debut novel, is a sweeping and thought-provoking look at the meteoric rise and fall of a 1970s-era music duo told from the first person perspective of the first African -American woman editor of a major rock magazine. She also happens to be the daughter of a black drummer murdered at the 1972 Opal and Nev inaugural show by a racist-redneck mob. Confused? This challenging book is tricky to keep up with- the story is told through 30 plus years of interviews (fictitious) with all the key players, but mostly focused on Nev Charles, a prototype British soft rock star, and Opal Jewel, a performance artist/singer/fashion queen form Detroit. The book tackles both gender and race inequality head on- and hits you over the head with it at times. Pretty powerful stuff, though I thought the story drifted at times in the telling through the years of interviews. Another in a long line of books my daughter has gotten me to expand my cultural horizons, which I think is working.

Genre: Book   

Grade: A/B

Notable People: Chris Hillman

Title: Time Between

Review: So you want to be a rock and roll star?????? Hillman’s autobiography is a stunning history of the last 50 years of rock, country, bluegrass and all forms of Americana music. Hillman is the Forrest Gump of the music biz, having been around for many of the breakthrough explorations of late 20^th century popular music, as second fiddle to Roger McGuinn (Byrds), Gram Parsons (Burritos) and Stephen Stills (Manassas)…and then going on to be a star in his own right with the Desert Rose Band in the 80s-90s, and as a still active solo act. A consummate pro telling wonderful stories about the times they are a changin’. If you are a lover of these genres of American music, this is must read “A”. If not, well, Hillman is a fair to middling writer (kudos that he actually wrote it himself) and an Evangelical, which is a bit much for me…..and makes it a “B” read……. Take me on a trip upon your magic swirlin’ ship. My senses have been stripped. My hands can’t feel to grip. My toes too numb to step. Wait only for my boot heels to be wanderin’.

Genre: Book 

Grade: A-

Notable People: Alice Hoffman

Title: The World That We Knew

Review: Hoffman’s 28^th standalone novel is a wonderfully written story of three separate woman escaping from Nazi occupied Berlin to France in 1939. Full of terror, heroism and mysticism, the book details their amazing quest to survive during those times of unspeakable atrocities, with the aid of many true underground heroes, amazing fortitude and faith and shared courage…..along with the assistance of the mythical protective Golem. Riveting book, as well it should be. Not always pleasant, but hard to ignore.

Genre: Book 

Grade: A-

Notable People: Archer Mayor

Title: Marked Man

Review: The extraordinary 33^rd consecutive annual installment in Archer’s long running series finds our hero, Joe Gunther, and his crew alternating between a hard to describe, eccentric and dangerous family in Brattleboro, Vermont, and, a host of low level mobster types in Providence Rhode Island (Little Rhody to the initiated). The long running cast of character is back (not aging, though Joe must be close to 110 by now given that he fought in the Korean War….…guess that is literary license), and Archer does his usual bang up job of exposing and initiating us all to the obscure nooks and crannies of Vermont life. The alternating between two seemingly disembodied storylines was a bit distracting for me in this one, but it all comes tighter eventually. Well written, great dialog, amazing sense of place. I hear number 34 is already written and getting ready for Fall release. You go, Archer!!!!