Monday, December 3, 2012

Book Review - Phillywood

Phillywood

By: Scott Martin
Publisher: Daylight Books
Publishing Date: 2012
ISBN: 978-0-9632177-4-5
Reviewed By: Amy Lignor
Review Date: November 2012

For those who love to ‘walk the streets’ with an author, this is one book that will take you through Philadelphia during times of historical and economic strife, unemployment issues, suspense, and…the ups and downs of love. Set during the American bicentennial period, all different areas of life are approached by the main character as he looks into the problems with book publishing and the incredibly hard work that comes from finding one’s way in the art and literature realm.

Hoagland is the man we follow, living in the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ and listening to whisperings from a woman named Igla (who readers will wonder right off the bat whether or not she’s a real person or a ‘muse’ who speaks to Hoagland about surviving.) As a novelist, Hoagland compares his work with that of a horse show versus a horse race: The dynamic between the sleek creatures who run like the wind and the ones who walk, trot and basically win ribbons and accolades for doing nothing but remaining beautiful. This is the comparison used when speaking about authors and the editors/publishers out there who both help, support – yet also judge, the sleek creature that has done the work.

Hoagland leads readers from Pennsylvania to New York – with stopovers in Washington D.C. and Boston - in this suspenseful tale. Although this journey is told in a very poetic way, readers will find that they have to pay very close attention to the story and the detail, because the scenes jump from location to location at a moment's notice. Riots, law enforcement, black history and women, such as Andrea, who gave Hoagland a hard time during his ‘walk through life,’ truly make the reader think.

Jack Kerouac’s famous On the Road may enter your mind as you take the journey with Hoagland. And whether or not you agree with some issues and disagree with other opinions – either way it is a journey written with a great deal of passion and soul. The only negative I can offer on this one is the spelling errors, yet I would encourage you to look over them and take the journey.

Quill Says: An interesting take on the cities we love and the transformation of ‘Corporate America’ that many of us hate.

For more information on Phillywood, please visit the publisher's website at: www.daylightbooks.net

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