Author: Michaela Carter
Format: ARC
Publisher: William Morrow
Publish Date: August 5, 2014
Source: TLC Book Tours
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "In the Neverland that is Los Angeles, where make-believe seems real, three dreamers find themselves on the verge of transformation. Twenty-five-year-old poet Gwendolyn Griffin works as a stripper to put herself through graduate school. Her perpetually stoned boyfriend Leo dresses in period costume to hawk his music downtown, and seems to be losing his already tenuous grip on reality. And their flamboyant best friend and neighbor, nightclub crooner Count Valiant, is slowly withering away.
When the city explodes in violence after the Rodney King verdict, the chaos becomes a catalyst for change. Valiant is invigorated, Leo plans a new stunt—walking into east L.A., naked, holding a white flag—and Gwen, discovering she is pregnant, is confronted by troubling questions. Can Leo become a good, dependable father? Can she leave the club life behind, or will the city’s spell prove too seductive?"
My Two Cents:
In "Further Out Than You Thought," Gwen wants to become a poet. She knows that it is going to require a lot of work and she has started taking steps towards her dream. Meanwhile, she is stripping to make a living. The book takes place in Los Angeles in the 1990s right around the time of the famous riots that would change the city and its citizens.
This is definitely a story of growth and change. Gwen wants so badly to change her life and to live the life of her dreams but there seem to be a lot of stumbling blocks, as we see in this story. The story also centers on Leo, Gwen's boyfriend as well as Leo and Gwen's friend who just happens to go by the name Count Valiant. They are all struggling in different ways and they want to leave everything that is going on around them behind. In a lot of ways, they all want to escape from their own lives. They take a trip that they hope will give perspective or at least allow them to get out of their heads.
This book is gritty and raw and it definitely pulled me in! The book does take a little while to get going but once we get to know all of the major characters in the book, the story really begins to change and flow.
I was quite young when the Los Angeles riots happened and I actually don't really remember them all that well so it was interesting to see how Gwen and those around her saw the riots and how they affected and changed their lives. We get to see this rapidly changing landscape through Gwen's eyes and we see why she thinks she needs to get away. This is a fascinating look at characters who just want something else!
Follow the Rest of the Tour:
Tuesday, August 5th: Turn the Page
Wednesday, August 6th: Love at First Book
Thursday, August 7th: More Than Just Magic
Friday, August 8th: BooksAreTheNewBlack
Monday, August 11th: The Written World
Wednesday, August 13th: A Bookish Affair
Thursday, August 14th: Bibliotica
Friday, August 15th: Books and Bindings
Monday, August 18th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Tuesday, August 19th: Conceptual Reception
Wednesday, August 20th: cupcake’s book cupboard
Thursday, August 21st: Books on the Table
I have vague memories of the riots but nothing more than that. It would be interesting to see how these characters react to them.
ReplyDeleteThanks for being a part of the tour.