snslayer's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
gretel7's review
2.0
I received this from Netgalley.com for a review.
"This indelible romance begins with a daring conceit—that the author’s grandfather may have had an affair with Lucille Ball. Strauss offers a fresh view of a celebrity America loved more than any other."
This was mostly fiction with the only fact being that Lucy and Desi were real people. I was expecting an autobiography, this book is not that. This was not an easy read, I struggled a bit with the flow of the story and then spent way too much time fact checking when in reality, there were no facts.
2☆
"This indelible romance begins with a daring conceit—that the author’s grandfather may have had an affair with Lucille Ball. Strauss offers a fresh view of a celebrity America loved more than any other."
This was mostly fiction with the only fact being that Lucy and Desi were real people. I was expecting an autobiography, this book is not that. This was not an easy read, I struggled a bit with the flow of the story and then spent way too much time fact checking when in reality, there were no facts.
2☆
lindak0412's review
3.0
The unique thing about this book is that it is a crosses genres. It is part memoir and part fiction. The bulk of the story is fictional, but the author explains that this book is based on a "what if" scenario - what if his grandfather had been in an affair with Lucille Ball? After all, there were real rumors for many years, none confirmed, that Isodore had strayed from his wife's side here and there (although not necessarily with Lucille Ball). And he had loved watching "I Love Lucy" every Tuesday night. He might have even met her. So why not write a "what-if" story? I didn't love this book unfortunately. The premise is interesting enough, non-fiction mixed with fiction. You don't see that very often. And it is humorous which you could expect in a story about a comedienne. But I didn't connect with any of the characters. Not Lucille, not Desi, not Isodore. There are several appearances by other names we know - Vivian Vance and William Frawley, Nanette Fabray, and even Fred Trump. I did enjoy some of those interactions. The opening scene, based on a real event, sent me to Google to find out that it really did have it's place in history (although it was fictionalized) which was something I didn't know. So there are some good things (hence the three stars). Thank you to Town Crier for the advance copy. Pub date is August 18.
mgleeson's review
1.0
I had a lot of trouble getting thru this book and ended up not finishing after reading about 65%. I didn't like the storyline. I had trouble deciding what was Fiction and what wasn't. I didn't like any of the characters and wasn't rooting for anyone. I found myself doing things so I wouldn't read.
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