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La Canción De Amor De Jonny Valentine (2013)

by Teddy Wayne(Favorite Author)

3.51 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

8494140965 (ISBN13: 9788494140969)

languge

English

genre

Humor

publisher

Blackie Books

review 1: With a great shiny cover and a dust jacket blurb that promised a look into the American obsession with fame, I thought this had the makings of a promising read. Unfortunately, the writing never lived up to the possibilities. I found this book in the adult fiction section of my library, but it seems much more appropriate for the middle and high school crowd. It's written from the viewpoint of an 11 year old, so I wasn't expecting great prose, but more could have been done. It was an interesting enough story, however, to read in one sitting. However, it was not "one of the most unforgettable child narrators since Holden Caulfield," as the jacket teased. It's ironic how slick and successful the marketing of the book is, given the commentary on marketing in the ... morebook.
review 2: I have no idea how this landed on my TBR list. But since I had a weekend away, decided to download for some light reading. This is the story of 11 year-old Jonny Valentine. An overnight musical sensation thanks to YouTube, he's on his 2nd tour, managed by his Mom-ager Jane. Written in Jonny's voice, there is a constant pull between Jonny-as-talent and Jonny-as-pre-teen. In his Talent mode, Jonny gets into his zone, knows full well that he has to move the merch, and grades his performance at every show. As a pre-teen, Jonny is a lonely kid, dealing with sexual awakening, missing his absent father, and playing his favorite video game. I enjoyed the way Teddy Wayne presented Jonny's voice. In Talent mode, he sounded older than his years, which he probably is after 2 years in the music business. As a kid, Jonny is starting to rebel against the constraints of his mom, but doesn't know how to deal with his feelings. This book definitely reads as a commentary on teen pop stars (The "Jonny" haircut is deliberate), but I'm not sure it goes far as satire. Many of the media issues presented - the label bringing in new creative, a fake romance, tv interviews - seemed more like standard tropes of a pop star, not a commentary on them. A good book for a weekend, but not one that really caught my attention. less

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