Rating: 
Summary: Too many errors
Review: This is a great idea for a book... but it'll only work if the information is accurate. I found numerous mistakes in the section on Canada. Some information was outdated (by years!); some other things were just plain wrong. According to one of the maps, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia now sit on an isolated island. That's news to me! If this is indicative of the research done by the authors, I would be wary of using any of the information in the book.I would say that if you want to use "Writer's Guide to Places," use it with caution. Decide on the setting for your story and use this book as a starting point... but do LOTS more research yourself before you start to write.
Rating:
Summary: Too many errors
Review: This is am amazing compilation of places from all over. You can practically use it as a travel guide yourself. I especially love the way the book will suggest places "if your character is interested in this...". It's great for anyone who has not been to every state in the Union but is sick of only writing about the places they've been. Of course, write what you know, but if you don't, this book is a great help!
Rating: 
Summary: Great book!
Review: This is am amazing compilation of places from all over. You can practically use it as a travel guide yourself. I especially love the way the book will suggest places "if your character is interested in this...". It's great for anyone who has not been to every state in the Union but is sick of only writing about the places they've been. Of course, write what you know, but if you don't, this book is a great help!
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: This is am amazing compilation of places from all over. You can practically use it as a travel guide yourself. I especially love the way the book will suggest places "if your character is interested in this...". It's great for anyone who has not been to every state in the Union but is sick of only writing about the places they've been. Of course, write what you know, but if you don't, this book is a great help!
Rating: 
Summary: Ambitious
Review: To the author's credit, he presents a lot of information in what is a very ambitious book. However, readers definitely need to manage their expectations about what it can deliver. If you're looking for a city to use as a setting, this book is a good catalog to browse for a general geographic look-and-feel that might work for your story. After you've selected a place, though, you MUST do real, in-depth research on your own because this book can't help you there.
Rating:
Summary: Seemed like a good idea at the time
Review: What a good idea;a guide that lists both the chamber of commerce facts (like "the city was founded in...") and great local information (where to hang out, what the neighborhoods are like). What a shame the author has clearly never been to some of these places and that much of the information is wildly inaccurate. The Jacksonville [Florida] section for example lists Orange Park as a family oriented suburb, yet makes no mention at all of one of the main drivers of the local economy, Dog Racing at the big track on Kingsley. That's like describing Elmont, NY and not mentioning that little Triple Crown/Belmont Stakes thing. And imagine my horror on reading the Los Angeles [California] section, which tells me that my cute San Pedro home is like a third-world country! That will be news to the Mayor of LA, who also lives here, and to the literally dozens of movie and TV shoots that happen in San Pedro every year. I shudder to think of the thousands of copies of this "guide" out there being used as reference, with people assuming that the information is correct, just because it's in a book. It just goes to show you, there's no substitute for real research.
Rating:
Summary: Seemed like a good idea at the time
Review: What a good idea;a guide that lists both the chamber of commerce facts (like "the city was founded in...") and great local information (where to hang out, what the neighborhoods are like). What a shame the author has clearly never been to some of these places and that much of the information is wildly inaccurate. The Jacksonville [Florida] section for example lists Orange Park as a family oriented suburb, yet makes no mention at all of one of the main drivers of the local economy, Dog Racing at the big track on Kingsley. That's like describing Elmont, NY and not mentioning that little Triple Crown/Belmont Stakes thing. And imagine my horror on reading the Los Angeles [California] section, which tells me that my cute San Pedro home is like a third-world country! That will be news to the Mayor of LA, who also lives here, and to the literally dozens of movie and TV shoots that happen in San Pedro every year. I shudder to think of the thousands of copies of this "guide" out there being used as reference, with people assuming that the information is correct, just because it's in a book. It just goes to show you, there's no substitute for real research.
Rating: 
Summary: Skip it
Review: Writer's Digest comes out with a lot of helpful books, but this one isn't one of them. I'm glad the book description here explains that the book only covers the United States and Canada. In the Writer's Digest ads, it doesn't. So if you want to set a story in Venice or Cairo, you'll get no help. A lot of the information the book does have seems more appropriate for a rather unexciting history book about the states than something that helps create a setting. I don't see myself writing anything where a character says "Virginia is the second largest seafood processor in the nation" or "The Pennsylvania Turnpike was begun in 1940 and completed in 1956." If this is the kind of information you need, it's available on the internet. There does seem to be some helpful information about some cities that would tell you which neighborhood your character would live in if he's rich or middle class. However, after looking at information that I know a bit about, there's a lot that's wrong or out of date. For example, the book describes New York City's "Hell's Kitchen" as bombed out and full of gangs when actually it's gentrified to the point that realtors have renamed it Clinton and it's pretty upmarket. On the other hand, the book says Houston's Sharpstown is a good place to raise a family. Nope, it's dangerous to the point that people are warned not to go to the mall. It makes one wonder what one can trust in this book. I might still use this book to help me find information elsewhere about settings. But since there are no international settings (except Canada) and the internet is going to be more current, I don't think I'll use it much.
Rating:
Summary: Skip it
Review: Writer's Digest comes out with a lot of helpful books, but this one isn't one of them. I'm glad the book description here explains that the book only covers the United States and Canada. In the Writer's Digest ads, it doesn't. So if you want to set a story in Venice or Cairo, you'll get no help. A lot of the information the book does have seems more appropriate for a rather unexciting history book about the states than something that helps create a setting. I don't see myself writing anything where a character says "Virginia is the second largest seafood processor in the nation" or "The Pennsylvania Turnpike was begun in 1940 and completed in 1956." If this is the kind of information you need, it's available on the internet. There does seem to be some helpful information about some cities that would tell you which neighborhood your character would live in if he's rich or middle class. However, after looking at information that I know a bit about, there's a lot that's wrong or out of date. For example, the book describes New York City's "Hell's Kitchen" as bombed out and full of gangs when actually it's gentrified to the point that realtors have renamed it Clinton and it's pretty upmarket. On the other hand, the book says Houston's Sharpstown is a good place to raise a family. Nope, it's dangerous to the point that people are warned not to go to the mall. It makes one wonder what one can trust in this book. I might still use this book to help me find information elsewhere about settings. But since there are no international settings (except Canada) and the internet is going to be more current, I don't think I'll use it much.
Rating:
Summary: Writer's Guide To Places
Review: Writer's Guide To Places authored by Don Prues and Jack Heffron is an extraordinary useful guide for writers, who wish to discover a sense of many places unfamiliar to them. An astonishing number of lesser-known tidbits are included in the book pertaining to many of the well-known cities located throughout all fifty states, Canada and its territories and the people who reside within these geographical areas.
For example, if an author is interested in building a character from Orlando, he or she will be provided with brief overall information concerning this city as well as some facts and peculiarities the character might know. Other useful data would indicate how to paint a more accurate picture of a character portraying one of more of the following traits: a trendsetter, a culture maven, a theme park guru, a family man, a down-and-out individual, someone who works in the citrus industry and a recent immigrant from elsewhere in the world, and myths and misconceptions. All of these are placed within the context of the particular city or state, and point out such information as to where might these people live, a description of the area and the industries situated within this locale and exceptionally grand things the character may be proud or sad about. The writer is also exposed to a variety of interesting and peculiar places to set a scene.
In Orlando, the guide points out eight different possibilities: Beacham Theatre (a 1920 movie house), a walk on the campus of Rollins College in Winter Park, Orange Avenue, Orange Blossom Trail (known as the red light district), a boat in Lake Harris, a rodeo, Walt Disney World and a hot air balloon ride over the theme parks. Other handy information provided are insights into characters, from his or her rivalries to what she or he is proud or ashamed of to local slang, local food, basics that a character may take for granted, that can be injected into a story. One of the great pleasures of travel is learning about all about the idiosyncrasies of a particular country or city.
When an author provides interesting background information he can transform even the most undistinguished scene, building or character into something fascinating.
This meticulously researched and easy-to-read book will certainly prove to be a catalyst in generating ideas as well as creating an effective sense of locale to pass onto an author's readers.
The authors have also included various useful suggestions as to where to seek out further information concerning a particular locality
This review first appeared on the reviewer's own site
www.bookpleasures.com
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