Scan barcode
A review by readingwithana
Bummed Out City by Scott Burr
1.0
(Review thanks to an Ebook copy from The Artless Dodges Press)
David is an aspiring writer trying to make ends meet in Cleveland. He never went to college because he thought having a few works published in high school was enough indicator that all he needed to do was to write the next big thing and he would be published. Now he is almost thirty years old, has a struggling relationship with his girlfriend and has not been published. He has given up on life. He has nothing going for him and he knows it.
There really is not much to say about this book because nothing happens. There is no plot whatsoever. There was not much to expect. At many points throughout the book, I just wanted to stop reading and forget about this book. It’s really that bad.
David is not a likable character. At the beginning, I tried to be sympathetic because he is pretty much going through a crisis and trying to figure out what he wants to do next. After awhile though, he just became very unlikeable. He expected everything to work out without him even trying and working for what he wanted. It is as if he expected to one day wake up and everything would be like he always dreamed of it being. And that is just not how life works. Also, whenever people tried to help him, like giving him a job at a grocery store because he lost his former job, instead of humbly accepting, he accepts it with such an ungrateful attitude. David really hates his life and you know it.
Other characters were also very annoying. For example, David’s girlfriend, Carol. She was very pushy and would pout and complain when things would not go her way. There were also other characters that were also extremely unlikeable and some that I don’t even remember how they are connected to the story.
Another thing that I did not like was how it was writing. I understand that it was a stylistic choice to write it in the way that it was written but, the dialogue was chunky and nothing really stood out to me. It was just very poorly written.
Nothing really special about this book. I feel it was trying to make a statement of what it is like to live today in this kind of society and economic state but, it was very poorly executed.
David is an aspiring writer trying to make ends meet in Cleveland. He never went to college because he thought having a few works published in high school was enough indicator that all he needed to do was to write the next big thing and he would be published. Now he is almost thirty years old, has a struggling relationship with his girlfriend and has not been published. He has given up on life. He has nothing going for him and he knows it.
There really is not much to say about this book because nothing happens. There is no plot whatsoever. There was not much to expect. At many points throughout the book, I just wanted to stop reading and forget about this book. It’s really that bad.
David is not a likable character. At the beginning, I tried to be sympathetic because he is pretty much going through a crisis and trying to figure out what he wants to do next. After awhile though, he just became very unlikeable. He expected everything to work out without him even trying and working for what he wanted. It is as if he expected to one day wake up and everything would be like he always dreamed of it being. And that is just not how life works. Also, whenever people tried to help him, like giving him a job at a grocery store because he lost his former job, instead of humbly accepting, he accepts it with such an ungrateful attitude. David really hates his life and you know it.
Other characters were also very annoying. For example, David’s girlfriend, Carol. She was very pushy and would pout and complain when things would not go her way. There were also other characters that were also extremely unlikeable and some that I don’t even remember how they are connected to the story.
Another thing that I did not like was how it was writing. I understand that it was a stylistic choice to write it in the way that it was written but, the dialogue was chunky and nothing really stood out to me. It was just very poorly written.
Nothing really special about this book. I feel it was trying to make a statement of what it is like to live today in this kind of society and economic state but, it was very poorly executed.