An Accidental Cowboy

Rating:
Summary: Tall in the Saddle
Review: For many years during his long-run as A.J. in the top-rated television show, "Simon & Simon," Jameson Parker projected an image of a certain prep-school glibness. The persona he gives us in "An Accidental Cowboy," the real Parker, is something far different. This is an ironic, bemused, funny, affectionate, anquished, and ultimately enlightened, and enlightening, tale of one man's odyssey from the unreality of a Hollywood life, through the near occasion of violent death, into the light to be seen from the back of a good cow pony. And the many hands who populate the ranching world Parker encounters are never less than fascinating. By all means, do not let this horseman pass by.

Rating:
Summary: Jameson Parker fans, you'll want to read this.
Review: I heard about Jameson Parker's shooting incident from another Hollywood hunk while attending a convention in Baltimore. His comment was that "he's never been the same". Well, this book certainly confirmed that. I'd worried about him ever since. Jameson Parker writes well and retells his story about the shooting, although in a disjointed way. He tells a little more of it as he goes along. He has obviously found a new life away from Hollywood even though he occasionally returns for an audition. Even though previous reviews make it sound as though he has recovered, I wasn't left with that sense. I still think he has a way to go. Just my opinion. I do thank him for sharing his story.

Rating:
Summary: Jameson Parker fans, you'll want to read this.
Review: I heard about Jameson Parker's shooting incident from another Hollywood hunk while attending a convention in Baltimore. His comment was that "he's never been the same". Well, this book certainly confirmed that. I'd worried about him ever since. Jameson Parker writes well and retells his story about the shooting, although in a disjointed way. He tells a little more of it as he goes along. He has obviously found a new life away from Hollywood even though he occasionally returns for an audition. Even though previous reviews make it sound as though he has recovered, I wasn't left with that sense. I still think he has a way to go. Just my opinion. I do thank him for sharing his story.

Rating:
Summary: Jameson Parker fans, you'll want to read this.
Review: I heard about Jameson Parker's shooting incident from another Hollywood hunk while attending a convention in Baltimore. His comment was that "he's never been the same". Well, this book certainly confirmed that. I'd worried about him ever since. Jameson Parker writes well and retells his story about the shooting, although in a disjointed way. He tells a little more of it as he goes along. He has obviously found a new life away from Hollywood even though he occasionally returns for an audition. Even though previous reviews make it sound as though he has recovered, I wasn't left with that sense. I still think he has a way to go. Just my opinion. I do thank him for sharing his story.

Rating:
Summary: A very enjoyable read.
Review: I loved all the cowboy stories! Being a "city-slicker" it was all new to me and yet I found the stories interesting, and very, very funny at times. The parts about the shooting and the aftermath were hard to read and I was very surprised that the writer exposed himself as much as he did. I thought that was very brave and I hope it helped him to get it down on paper. I never felt the writer to be overdramatic, whiney or self indulgent. ANY shooting, whether the wounds be superficial or not, is very tramatic. I question one reviewers motives when they say that they purchased the book out of "sheer boredom". They go on to say that they had no interest in reading about life on a ranch. Wouldn't reading about something you had no interest in cause you to become more bored? Could this review be a personal vendetta? Sounded like it to me.

Rating:
Summary: A very enjoyable read.
Review: I loved all the cowboy stories! Being a "city-slicker" it was all new to me and yet I found the stories interesting, and very, very funny at times. The parts about the shooting and the aftermath were hard to read and I was very surprised that the writer exposed himself as much as he did. I thought that was very brave and I hope it helped him to get it down on paper. I never felt the writer to be overdramatic, whiney or self indulgent. ANY shooting, whether the wounds be superficial or not, is very tramatic. I question one reviewers motives when they say that they purchased the book out of "sheer boredom". They go on to say that they had no interest in reading about life on a ranch. Wouldn't reading about something you had no interest in cause you to become more bored? Could this review be a personal vendetta? Sounded like it to me.

Rating:
Summary: Save your money folks!
Review: I picked this book up out of sheer boredom one day and I've regretted it ever since. While the book is written well, there is no denying that, I found it to be a tedious read due to the overdramatic, whiney, self-indulgent tone with which it was written. Mr Parker is so clearly trying to come off as a polished writer and a human being who has had to suffer so much. If Jameson Parker had truly gone through such incredible life changes his writing would not have such a desperate "believe me, believe me" tone. I recall the news reports of Mr Parker's shooting, and unless we are living in "1984", I was under the impression the wounds were rather superficial and that he was released the same day. If that is a brush with death then the soldiers in Iraq are in the 7th circle of hell. The passages about life on a ranch are fine, if you work or live on a ranch but for the rest of the population, these passages are tedious and make you wish you were having a brush with death.
So, Mr Parker, stop trying to write a 9th grade fiction story and take the "pity me" attitude back to your shrink and spare the rest of us.

Rating:
Summary: Serious and Funny all in one!
Review: I'm not much of a book reader, but a friend said to read this book. I have been around horses most of my life and a few years back started into the 'Real Cowboy' cattle ranch scene too! Mr. Parker has done a great job at describing in wonderful and funny detail what it is really like. Add in the history he has put in there and his very personal struggles makes for some great reading and a book I could not put down until done! Great Job!

Rating:
Summary: Well-written and THOROUGHLY enjoyable!
Review: I've read a lot of books, and while many of them may be fun to read, they are not always well-written. This book is both. I grew up on a farm and thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Parker's account of ranch life. His account is witty and fun to read, as well as being right on target with how cowboy life really is. At the same time, Mr. Parker has a wonderful grasp of the English language. His descriptions are easy to visualize and some of his comparisons are poetic as well as funny/heart-rending depending on what he is depicting. All in all, this was a thoroughly enjoyable read and one that is worth reading a second time.

Rating:
Summary: What a ride!
Review: Jameson Parker invites us not only into the world of the modern day cowboy, but also on his very personal journey to reclaim what a bullet almost took away - not just his life, but his very soul.

I love this book, and recommend it highly!