Hollywood Boulevard

Rating:
Summary: A ROLLER COASTER OF EMOTIONS
Review: John Gilmore's writing style, like the subject matter he chooses for his novels, is distinctive. Past accomplishments include Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder; Live Fast-Die Young: Remembering the Short Life of James Dean; and Manson: The Unholy Trail of Charlie and the Family. In his tenth novel, the author shows us Hollywood Boulevard of the present day. With unblinking honesty, Gilmore reveals tinseltown's raw truths. It's not all glitter.

Eli Woodrow is divorced, living alone in a tiny apartment, pursuing his dreams at a snail's pace. In a world of auras, zodiac signs, and the fast deal, Eli is a quiet straight arrow. He knows his world is garbage and accepts it. His gift as a photographer has been mostly lost in the shuffle. The closest he has come to fame is the porn films he shoots, but his hopes are pinned on the coffee table book of photos shot on Hollywood Boulevard. Through his eyes, the pimps and prostitutes, drug addicts, transients, and bottom feeders along the boulevard become grist for the camera's lens. When Shana Sands crosses his path, she's like a dream come true for the lonely Eli.

Shana Sands is the epitome of Hollywood beauty. Blonde, with a figure to die for, Eli is captivated by her from day one. She has a childlike vulnerability he finds endearing, and an unselfconscious sexuality that possesses him completely. And best of all, Shana wants him in her life. She talks of love, of having babies and making a home together in the Hollywood hills. Even when his dream girl turns out to be a nightmare, Eli stays hooked. Trying to follow Shana's flight of ideas in every conversation is exhausting. She spends money like water. Suffering from narcolepsy and catalepsy, she conks out at the most inopportune times you can imagine, and is addicted to so many medications Eli loses count. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. As their relationship progresses, Eli discovers that Shana's beautiful appearance hides a selfish, faithless woman.

True love and solace is eventually found in the person of Joey, aka Joy, a long time friend of Eli's. It's a most unlikely union - the heterosexual Eli and transsexual Joy - but somehow it works out for the best.

There was a lesson to be gained in Hollywood Boulevard: Along the boulevard, some people remain true to what they've always been in their heart, but most lose the dream and their humanity in the bargain. Beneath the Hollywood glamour, always, is the grit and smog, but sometimes those with strength and hope rise above it. Recommended only for mature adults due to strong sexual content, language, and situations.

Rating:
Summary: Midwest Book Review
Review: John Gilmore's writing style, like the subject matter he chooses for his novels, is distinctive. Past accomplishments include Severed: The True Story of the Black Dahlia Murder; Live Fast-Die Young: Remembering the Short Life of James Dean; and Manson: The Unholy Trail of Charlie and the Family. In his tenth novel, the author shows us Hollywood Boulevard of the present day. With unblinking honesty, Gilmore reveals tinseltown's raw truths. It's not all glitter.

Eli Woodrow is divorced, living alone in a tiny apartment, pursuing his dreams at a snail's pace. In a world of auras, zodiac signs, and the fast deal, Eli is a quiet straight arrow. He knows his world is garbage and accepts it. His gift as a photographer has been mostly lost in the shuffle. The closest he has come to fame is the porn films he shoots, but his hopes are pinned on the coffee table book of photos shot on Hollywood Boulevard. Through his eyes, the pimps and prostitutes, drug addicts, transients, and bottom feeders along the boulevard become grist for the camera's lens. When Shana Sands crosses his path, she's like a dream come true for the lonely Eli.

Shana Sands is the epitome of Hollywood beauty. Blonde, with a figure to die for, Eli is captivated by her from day one. She has a childlike vulnerability he finds endearing, and an unselfconscious sexuality that possesses him completely. And best of all, Shana wants him in her life. She talks of love, of having babies and making a home together in the Hollywood hills. Even when his dream girl turns out to be a nightmare, Eli stays hooked. Trying to follow Shana's flight of ideas in every conversation is exhausting. She spends money like water. Suffering from narcolepsy and catalepsy, she conks out at the most inopportune times you can imagine, and is addicted to so many medications Eli loses count. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. As their relationship progresses, Eli discovers that Shana's beautiful appearance hides a selfish, faithless woman.

True love and solace is eventually found in the person of Joey, aka Joy, a long time friend of Eli's. It's a most unlikely union - the heterosexual Eli and transsexual Joy - but somehow it works out for the best.

There was a lesson to be gained in Hollywood Boulevard: Along the boulevard, some people remain true to what they've always been in their heart, but most lose the dream and their humanity in the bargain. Beneath the Hollywood glamour, always, is the grit and smog, but sometimes those with strength and hope rise above it. Recommended only for mature adults due to strong sexual content, language, and situations.

Rating:
Summary: A ROLLER COASTER OF EMOTIONS
Review: The ups and downs of the emotional ride in John Gilmore's recent novel, is like riding a wild roller coaster. The writing is hard-hitting, direct, lively and strong, yet a poignancy is felt; an undercurrent of saddness. The previous reviewer has covered keys points of the story, but an impact is felt in the subtle manner in which John Gilmore delivers his tale, ranking with the very best writing that is being published today. I was swept up in reading this book that doesn't for a moment sway from the vision the author has wedded or intended. Unique in a world soaked with genre and formula offerings. The characters are vivid, especially the goofy but pitiful Shana, and then the hero's "femme fatale" in "drag" (though this character is far more feminine than male). The hero is remarkably existential in his resignation over the events of his life; a solid-ringing statement about our culture, shocked into moral and psychological ennui. I have become a devoted John Gilmore fan. A powerful literary achievement; highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: THE PURE, PULSE-BEAT OF L.A.
Review: What's more at the heart of L.A. than Hollywood Boulevard? John Gilmore captures the beat. A crazy, upside-down relationship drama of love, allure, sexual obsession and transsexual romping in right-now, struggling-to-make-it Hollywood. Eli Woodrow, a young, aloof photographer bounced between his "art" and shooting porn for a cheap producer using rooftops instead of studios.
Eli appears stuck between the self-sufficient and street people, crowded by cons, hookers and hustlers, describing his life as "living in a mayonnaise jar" since a divorce. Occupying a single apartment in an earthquake-damaged building, he finds comfort in his offbeat photos and videos from noir and to silent films. Surviving by part-time photography, part-time lab work, part-time cameraman and part-time pizza slinger in a Boulevard take-out, Eli hungers for "full-time" commitment.
He meets blonde, wannabe-star Shana Sands, arguing over a slice of pizza, and mistaking her green contacts for real eyes, chases her for a photo. Shana consents, not wholly agreeable, and what starts as a simple shoot sends Eli spinning into a world he never dreamed of.
Tall, beautiful, like Daryl Hannah "in that old movie Blade Runner," with a touch of Britney Spears, glamourous Shana has an unseen side: she suffers a dangerous, incurable sleep and brain disorder called narcolepsy. Drastically hampered in activities we take for granted: working, driving, cooking, laughing, crying, getting scared, shocked or surprised, Shana lives on amphetamines to combat blackouts, and wages an uphill battle against addiction. Frequent withdrawal leave her zombie-like, plagued with kooky hallucinations like slimy aliens entering her body to inseminate her.
Celibate since his divorce, Eli explodes sexually with Shana. Supercharged by the drugs plus a staunch constitution, Shana's lovemaking is nonetheless risky: possible blackouts awaiting every orgasm, as Eli discovers. Events become almost surreal, Shana claiming she's pregnant the morning after their first night together. She also claims she's been raped several times, even by her brother. Eli wonders if she had dreamed this on her roller coaster of illness-real and otherwise, from her body's inability to handle the medications she cannot do without. The narcolepsy is further complicated by another disorder-cataplexy, a rigor mortis stiffening that leaves the sufferer appearing almost dead.
Shana's star-chase through tinsel-town is underwritten by wealthy folks in Nevada, but she bucks against their contributions as an attempt to control her life. We see the chaos she faces (like escaping another relationship Eli knows nothing about), rests with her erratic behavior and demands for "total love"--no compromises.
Sensing Eli's "hunger" and desperation, Shana bonds with him, creating a "savior", a role not unappreciated by Eli. She rapidly fills his Spartan life; the apartment crowding with her thrift-shop bargains and flea-market possessions, her vintage clothes and grab-bag duds from dancing shoes to a moth-eaten coat once worn by Joan Crawford. Eli and Shana swear "openness and truth," even as her secrets form an undertow in the "piglet" life they concoct. They toy with names for their baby, yet Shana side-steps Eli's insistence on marriage. His guardian angel role escalates as her chaotic world swallows his. She swears as long as he loves her "totally" he'll never have to struggle for money, shoot porn or sling pizzas. He can focus on "art" and his dream of directing movies.
His sense of self-sufficiency rankles, but believing he loves Shana intelligently and honestly, he accepts the terms, even as nurse or watchdog. They plan a family, dream of a Hollywood hills house, fancy furniture charged by Shana, even as she shies from Eli's streak to "make it legal."
The baby who would've looked so cute on a Mickey Mouse stool in McDonalds, is lost following a miscarriage in the bathroom. This mishap is quickly followed by more uncertain pregnancies (both knowing any offspring are likely to be narcoleptic).
Connecting with a gay, hotshot agent, a stream of TV work opens for Shana, and agendas with Eli entangle. Their sex life peters out as she pursues fame by secretly bedding for opportunity, and a confused Eli seeks solace in old bowling pals. He finds only shadows, except for one. Joey, the youngest, once an astonishing pretty-boy, is now a gorgeous, punk-rocker transsexual named Joy. But "her" sights are set beyond rock; her Liza Minnelli voice and high-camp pizazz as a retro "chanteuse" gigs, aim towards Madonna-like fame-or so she believes.
A look-alike for silent film star Louise Brooks (Eli's epitome of femme fatales), Joy seduces him during a photo shoot, swears she loves him and instantly creates a highly-charged triangle. Torn by secrets and suspicions, neither Shana or Eli seem able to prevent the sinking of their "piglet" Hollywood life
Shana is not the "serious actress" she wanted to be, but discovers she is unintentionally a kooky, television comedian rapidly in demand. Her unpredictability and secrets abound, sending Eli into unpredictability and secrets himself-his irresistible affair with transsexual Joy, and while he orbits this unchartered territory, Shana, despite her incurable afflictions, goes for the gold against seemingly hopeless odds.
This is a Hollywood unseen from the tour bus windows. John Gilmore, in brilliant depth and scope, focuses through these complex characters into a right-now pulse beat, a pure L.A., tragicomic tale. Biting and relentless, this novel never flinches from it's theme or lets the reader drift from these portraits of fame-hungry people flapping their wings to fly above the gritty, glitzy stretch of Hollywood where they seem so hopelessly entrapped. This tour-de-force is sure to amuse, shock, anger, probe to the point of pain, and bring one closer to a the heart of an L.A. world rarely portrayed.

Rating:
Summary: THE PURE, PULSE-BEAT OF L.A.
Review: What's more at the heart of L.A. than Hollywood Boulevard? John Gilmore captures the beat. A crazy, upside-down relationship drama of love, allure, sexual obsession and transsexual romping in right-now, struggling-to-make-it Hollywood. Eli Woodrow, a young, aloof photographer bounced between his "art" and shooting porn for a cheap producer using rooftops instead of studios.
Eli appears stuck between the self-sufficient and street people, crowded by cons, hookers and hustlers, describing his life as "living in a mayonnaise jar" since a divorce. Occupying a single apartment in an earthquake-damaged building, he finds comfort in his offbeat photos and videos from noir and to silent films. Surviving by part-time photography, part-time lab work, part-time cameraman and part-time pizza slinger in a Boulevard take-out, Eli hungers for "full-time" commitment.
He meets blonde, wannabe-star Shana Sands, arguing over a slice of pizza, and mistaking her green contacts for real eyes, chases her for a photo. Shana consents, not wholly agreeable, and what starts as a simple shoot sends Eli spinning into a world he never dreamed of.
Tall, beautiful, like Daryl Hannah "in that old movie Blade Runner," with a touch of Britney Spears, glamourous Shana has an unseen side: she suffers a dangerous, incurable sleep and brain disorder called narcolepsy. Drastically hampered in activities we take for granted: working, driving, cooking, laughing, crying, getting scared, shocked or surprised, Shana lives on amphetamines to combat blackouts, and wages an uphill battle against addiction. Frequent withdrawal leave her zombie-like, plagued with kooky hallucinations like slimy aliens entering her body to inseminate her.
Celibate since his divorce, Eli explodes sexually with Shana. Supercharged by the drugs plus a staunch constitution, Shana's lovemaking is nonetheless risky: possible blackouts awaiting every orgasm, as Eli discovers. Events become almost surreal, Shana claiming she's pregnant the morning after their first night together. She also claims she's been raped several times, even by her brother. Eli wonders if she had dreamed this on her roller coaster of illness-real and otherwise, from her body's inability to handle the medications she cannot do without. The narcolepsy is further complicated by another disorder-cataplexy, a rigor mortis stiffening that leaves the sufferer appearing almost dead.
Shana's star-chase through tinsel-town is underwritten by wealthy folks in Nevada, but she bucks against their contributions as an attempt to control her life. We see the chaos she faces (like escaping another relationship Eli knows nothing about), rests with her erratic behavior and demands for "total love"--no compromises.
Sensing Eli's "hunger" and desperation, Shana bonds with him, creating a "savior", a role not unappreciated by Eli. She rapidly fills his Spartan life; the apartment crowding with her thrift-shop bargains and flea-market possessions, her vintage clothes and grab-bag duds from dancing shoes to a moth-eaten coat once worn by Joan Crawford. Eli and Shana swear "openness and truth," even as her secrets form an undertow in the "piglet" life they concoct. They toy with names for their baby, yet Shana side-steps Eli's insistence on marriage. His guardian angel role escalates as her chaotic world swallows his. She swears as long as he loves her "totally" he'll never have to struggle for money, shoot porn or sling pizzas. He can focus on "art" and his dream of directing movies.
His sense of self-sufficiency rankles, but believing he loves Shana intelligently and honestly, he accepts the terms, even as nurse or watchdog. They plan a family, dream of a Hollywood hills house, fancy furniture charged by Shana, even as she shies from Eli's streak to "make it legal."
The baby who would've looked so cute on a Mickey Mouse stool in McDonalds, is lost following a miscarriage in the bathroom. This mishap is quickly followed by more uncertain pregnancies (both knowing any offspring are likely to be narcoleptic).
Connecting with a gay, hotshot agent, a stream of TV work opens for Shana, and agendas with Eli entangle. Their sex life peters out as she pursues fame by secretly bedding for opportunity, and a confused Eli seeks solace in old bowling pals. He finds only shadows, except for one. Joey, the youngest, once an astonishing pretty-boy, is now a gorgeous, punk-rocker transsexual named Joy. But "her" sights are set beyond rock; her Liza Minnelli voice and high-camp pizazz as a retro "chanteuse" gigs, aim towards Madonna-like fame-or so she believes.
A look-alike for silent film star Louise Brooks (Eli's epitome of femme fatales), Joy seduces him during a photo shoot, swears she loves him and instantly creates a highly-charged triangle. Torn by secrets and suspicions, neither Shana or Eli seem able to prevent the sinking of their "piglet" Hollywood life
Shana is not the "serious actress" she wanted to be, but discovers she is unintentionally a kooky, television comedian rapidly in demand. Her unpredictability and secrets abound, sending Eli into unpredictability and secrets himself-his irresistible affair with transsexual Joy, and while he orbits this unchartered territory, Shana, despite her incurable afflictions, goes for the gold against seemingly hopeless odds.
This is a Hollywood unseen from the tour bus windows. John Gilmore, in brilliant depth and scope, focuses through these complex characters into a right-now pulse beat, a pure L.A., tragicomic tale. Biting and relentless, this novel never flinches from it's theme or lets the reader drift from these portraits of fame-hungry people flapping their wings to fly above the gritty, glitzy stretch of Hollywood where they seem so hopelessly entrapped. This tour-de-force is sure to amuse, shock, anger, probe to the point of pain, and bring one closer to a the heart of an L.A. world rarely portrayed.