The Writer's Life: The Writer's Life 11/3

When searching for a book to read these days, I look for an author I’ve never read and reasonable length, around 300 pages. I will make an exception if Dom DeLillo’s massive Underworld ever winds up amongst the donations to the floating book shop. Among the latest batch was Julie Berry’s All the Truth That’s in Me, a first person account of an intelligent, plucky, 19-year-old pioneer woman, told from her perspective in the first person. The first 20 or so pages were a struggle. I found them sketchy, as if they were random thoughts jotted in a diary. Then I was drawn in. Although the setting is never specified, I assume it’s early America, the Northeast, perhaps as early as the 1700’s. The narrative is in five parts, counting a brief, sort of epilog. There are many chapters, some as brief as two or three sentences. Several of the breaks seem unnecessary, as the action picks up right where it left off, but this doesn’t really hurt the work. I suspect Berry may have done it to make it easy for her target audience, young adults, to put the novel aside. Despite being geared to readers as young as 12, the broad has broad appeal. This 64-year-old male thinks it‘s outstanding. It combines romance, mystery and insight into the human condition. Its resolution is sound. The prose and dialogue are solid once the novel kicks into high gear. Its 288 pages read like considerably less. Published in 2013, this was Berry’s first attempt outside children’s books, and it’s impressive. And it seems successful commercially, currently ranked in the top 100 in both print and Kindle at Amazon, where 113 contributors have rated the book, forging to a consensus of 4.5 of five. That may be a bit high, but not far off. Kudos, madam.

Kudos to tennis pro Caroline Wozniacki, 24, who completed her first marathon in 3:26:33. The former #1 ranked player, now 8th, had never run more than a half-marathon prior to yesterday's NYC event, where 50, 000 entrants started the race. The time is so good it qualifies her for the Boston Marathon. It manifests how talented world class athletes are compared to the rest of us. Wozniacki entered on behalf of a charity, Team for Kids, raising $81, 000. Kudos also to actress Teri Hatcher, 49, who also participated and finished in the "real and spectacular" time of 5:06:42. For the record, my time in the lone marathon I ran in the mid 70's was 5:21, minus however minutes it took me to get from the rear to the starting line. It is a tough grind.

I didn't get a chance to run the floating book shop today, as I accompanied a friend to a doctor's appointment, which turned into a fiasco, as has so often been the case. The street was being paved, so parking wasn't permitted. She parked a couple of blocks away while I made sure the place was handicap accessible. Fortunately, I worked up the nerve to ask the site's safety officer if I could drive up to the entrance and drop off my friend. He said okay, bless his heart, and allowed me to pick her up on the way out. If not for that, I may still have been there, given the snail's pace at which my friend is walking these days. She belongs in a wheelchair, but pride will not allow her to give in to common sense. I imagine it is quite a psychological hurdle. Kudos to the gentleman who cut us some slack.

Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/rP7o9

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/