TV : A Novel

Rating:
Summary: a fantastic read
Review: Brian Brown has captured the essence of what it is to live and work within the fascinating world of live television. Few authors are able to tell such an engaging story, weaving complex plotlines with such a unique brand of humor and incisive social commentary. "TV" gave me a remarkably informative glimpse behind the scenes and introduced me to one of the most compelling main characters I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. .

Rating:
Summary: A must read for all television lovers!
Review: the story of caeasar fortunato and the wonderfully bizarre cast of supporting characters kept me glued to the book. i especially enjoyed the author's use of flashbacks to explain the origin of this man's flaws as well as his (occassional) attributes. both a purely fun piece of fiction and an interesting study of the psychology of success, tv is sure to please.

Rating:
Summary: The best reality TV yet
Review: This book is unlike any other I've read. It is a one of a kind look into a world that is rarely considered- the producers and staff behind TV shows and the one man who seemed to do it all. Fast paced behind-the-scenes action puts the reader in the moment. Historical references give the book the feel of non-fiction, making it all the more intriguing as you're left to wonder..."Did this really happen?" Great Descriptions. TV has something for everyone, not just sports fans or television insiders. The main character is one you hate to love...or love to hate. Reading TV is a lot better than watching it- here you're part of the action.

Rating:
Summary: Started out great but declined ...
Review: Though giving the book only 3 stars, I would still cautiously recommend it. The book started out great and I was hoping and expecting that it would maintain that quality throughout. Thereafter, however, there was one huge flaw, which was so annoying that it caused me to take away two stars all by itself and that was incredibly annoying pinball chronology of the story. The book relentlessly bounces back and forth from one decade to another such that each time I resumed the story, I had to check: Is this little flasback/anecdote from the 60's? The 80's? the 50's? The 90's? Back and forth it went without rhyme or reason. (I noticed that Publishers Weekly refers to this as a "desultory timeline" which they found "awkward", but I would call that an understatement.) And to make matters worse, it seemed that each anecdote/flashback had the exact same two purposes. One was to show us that Caesar Forunato was 10% genius and 90% total jerk to virtually everyone who crossed paths with him, family included. In other words, he was almost completely unlikable. The other purpose of the flashbacks was to allow Mr. Brown to walk us through all the great and innovative moments in television history, crediting most of those achievements to Fortunato. All in all, it certainly had its entertaining moments (and when it was in the present it was at its best), and Mr. Brown certainly knows his terrain well, but I felt it could have been done better.

Rating:
Summary: Started out great but declined ...
Review: Though giving the book only 3 stars, I would still cautiously recommend it. The book started out great and I was hoping and expecting that it would maintain that quality throughout. Thereafter, however, there was one huge flaw, which was so annoying that it caused me to take away two stars all by itself and that was incredibly annoying pinball chronology of the story. The book relentlessly bounces back and forth from one decade to another such that each time I resumed the story, I had to check: Is this little flasback/anecdote from the 60's? The 80's? the 50's? The 90's? Back and forth it went without rhyme or reason. (I noticed that Publishers Weekly refers to this as a "desultory timeline" which they found "awkward", but I would call that an understatement.) And to make matters worse, it seemed that each anecdote/flashback had the exact same two purposes. One was to show us that Caesar Forunato was 10% genius and 90% total jerk to virtually everyone who crossed paths with him, family included. In other words, he was almost completely unlikable. The other purpose of the flashbacks was to allow Mr. Brown to walk us through all the great and innovative moments in television history, crediting most of those achievements to Fortunato. All in all, it certainly had its entertaining moments (and when it was in the present it was at its best), and Mr. Brown certainly knows his terrain well, but I felt it could have been done better.