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Book Review: Sideways by Rex Pickett
May. 18th, 2006 10:14 pmTitle: Sideways
Author: Rex Pickett
Published: New York: St. Martin's Press, 2004
Page Count: 354
Total Page Count: 17,078
Text Number: 47
Read For: My own "enjoyment"
Short review: I read this book out of a desperate need to read something/anything (my bookshelf is sparse right now), and it wasn't even worth it under those circumstances. Sideways is a book about a week-long bachelor party as the protagonists goes on a road-trip with his soon-to-be-married best friend to visit the vineyards in the Santa Ynez valley. Miles, the protagonist, is a divorced, failed writer with anxiety problems; his friend Jack is a shallow, successful, womanizing bastard. Throughout their journey, Miles comes to terms with his divorce and Jack comes to terms with his impending marriage while they bond and prepare to part ways after Jack's marriage. The writing is readable but unremarkable, the plot is uninspiring and sickeningly mundane, and the characters are despicable. The gritty, anti-social, imperfect realism is no doubt intentional, but it doesn't really matter—no matter the intent or excuse, the book is still bad. I don't recommend it and I never have plans to pick it up again.
( Long review. )
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
Author: Rex Pickett
Published: New York: St. Martin's Press, 2004
Page Count: 354
Total Page Count: 17,078
Text Number: 47
Read For: My own "enjoyment"
Short review: I read this book out of a desperate need to read something/anything (my bookshelf is sparse right now), and it wasn't even worth it under those circumstances. Sideways is a book about a week-long bachelor party as the protagonists goes on a road-trip with his soon-to-be-married best friend to visit the vineyards in the Santa Ynez valley. Miles, the protagonist, is a divorced, failed writer with anxiety problems; his friend Jack is a shallow, successful, womanizing bastard. Throughout their journey, Miles comes to terms with his divorce and Jack comes to terms with his impending marriage while they bond and prepare to part ways after Jack's marriage. The writing is readable but unremarkable, the plot is uninspiring and sickeningly mundane, and the characters are despicable. The gritty, anti-social, imperfect realism is no doubt intentional, but it doesn't really matter—no matter the intent or excuse, the book is still bad. I don't recommend it and I never have plans to pick it up again.
( Long review. )
Review posted here at Amazon.com.
