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Sunnyside (2009)

by Glen David Gold(Favorite Author)

3.35 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0307270688 (ISBN13: 9780307270689)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Knopf

review 1: I loved this book and didn't want it to end. I guess you could call it Historical Fiction. Set during WW1, with narrative threads follow both average people, some of whom end up in the war, and some not-so average people, like Charlie Chaplin. Really, it had me at "One day Charlie Chaplin is spotted in over 800 places simultaneously" Most of the characters and their stories are engaging. It made me cry at one point. I'm reading another book by this author, Glen David Gold, based on Will Wheaton's review that he wanted to stay in that world, and was sad when the book ended. I felt that way about this one. If you're a fan of the silent film era, I highly recommend this book!"What's the name of your next picture, Charlie?""Suicide""Sunnyside? Oh that's wonderful!" (it w... moreent something like that, anyway)I want to keep gushing about this book, but really, instead of reading my poor attempt at a review, just go read this book instead.
review 2: When this book first came out, I was very anxious to read it; but then I began to read some bad reviews, so I moved it to a virtual “back shelf.” Then, as I was browsing in Half-Price Books with a 40% off coupon in hand, I saw a practically untouched hardcover copy and decided to take the plunge. I am so glad that I did. Although it is flawed, it is a worthwhile and satisfying read.As for the flaws, this book is rambling in parts. The storyline that takes place in Russia featuring Pfc. Hugo Black is less captivating than the Chaplin and Leland Wheeler storylines. It also features some very strange scenarios, but strange in a way that cause the reader to keep impatiently charging forward to see where in the world the author is going, and why. Some of the strangeness of this novel is in the way Gold frames several scenes. They are constructed in a way that remind one of a silent movie, combining slapstick with over the top melodrama, adventure, action, and pathos. An early scene that takes place at a railroad station contains this air of silent movie slapstick violence. When a crowd waiting at the station expecting Charlie Chaplin to be aboard the train realizes that he is not disembarking, mayhem ensues, culminating in the throwing of portmanteaus, valises, Dutch satchels, neckties, trousers, refreshments, beer, and ultimately, even a pie. Another scene slightly later in the book features a crooked Girl Scout who pilfers a jewelry store while her uncle, posing as a rabbi, stalls the police and points the finger at an innocent bystander. Shades of Chaplin’s The Kid? This silent movie feel is particularly apt, as the worldwide adoption of the Hollywood cult of celebrity, as embodied in Charlie Chaplin, is one of the main themes of the book. The novel seemed to me to be a reflection on how life encompasses the same ups and downs, blacks and whites, sad times and good times and funny times as a movie; but we are left to consider that there are really no endings or beginnings. The ending with the hero walking hand in hand with the heroine is really just another beginning, and there will be more ups and downs, and sad and good times to come. There is so much going on in this novel that at times it does not flow particularly smoothly. However, for most of its 500+ pages, it is a very entertaining and absorbing read. less

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