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5 Werken 71 Leden 20 Besprekingen

Werken van Sam Moffie

The Organ Grinder and the Monkey (2008) 17 exemplaren
No Mad (2008) 16 exemplaren
The Book of Eli (2010) 15 exemplaren
To Kill the Duke (2012) 15 exemplaren
Swap (2007) 8 exemplaren

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This is the story of Sheldon Marsh who lives in Youngstown, Ohio. Growing up Sheldon’s passion was baseball. After playing as a Major League and then Minor League pitcher he was co-owner of a bar in Youngstown with his mother. During his baseball career he met and married Eleanor.

Eleanor - Sheldon’s wife is usually depressed because of her childhood. Marrying and moving away was going to be her escape from her past. It didn’t work.

Tom - Sheldon’s best friend. They don’t have a thing in common and Sheldon’s not sure why they are such good friends but they are always there for each other. Tom has a major problem with fidelity. The fact that he is married doesn’t stop him at all.

Lucy - Tom’s wife is very active in political circles. She is busy and has a very productive life. She was totally shocked when she discovered Tom’s infidelity.

An idea begins to form in Sheldon’s head. The more he is around Lucy the more he thinks he wants to be with her rather than Eleanor. The idea grows - Why not swap partners? The Epilogue tells us what happens to the characters after the Swap but we never here about thoughts or reactions at the first mention of it.

Swap has an interesting, possibly fun concept but I found that the whole book was from Sheldon’s point of view. Nowhere did we actually hear from the other participants. How did they feel? What did they think of their situations? Each individual had a part of the book devoted to them but it wasn’t from their perspective. Knowing their feelings about their situations and how they felt about their lives would have made a more interesting read.
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Diane_K | 2 andere besprekingen | Jul 14, 2015 |
The Organ Grinder and the Monkey has a lot going on. It is a busy story in the lives of three very different people. Seymour Petrillo, from Steubenville, Ohio, grows up in an Italian family who has enough problems to be a soap opera in itself. The one rock in his life and who he looks up to as a family figurehead is his grandfather Carmen Antonucci. Constance Powers’ family came from a fortune that had trickled away through the generations by the time she came along. Money and joining the Rockettes are her strongest desires in life. She will do anything to achieve her dreams. Officer Irving Hanhart, a learner of life lessons, shares a great deal of advice as he protects the streets of New York City. Determined to find the answers he hangs onto a lead in his criminal cases and won’t let go.

Author Sam Moffie weaves us an intriguing tale as these three people grow up in a humorous maze of love, lust, and murder. The book is filled with great dialog, bits of trivia from old movies, and really good bands from decades past. Even Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis have a bit part in this story. If you enjoy a fun read with a lot of detail to puzzle out, then take some time to join Seymour, Constance, and Irving in The Organ Grinder and the Monkey.

This complimentary book was provided to me by the author through www.reviewthebook.com.
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Diane.Walters | 3 andere besprekingen | Oct 3, 2012 |
Before Stalin died, he set up a plan to kill John Wayne. His idea was that since Wayne was the biggest hero in America and the symbol of American manhood, killing him would be a devastating blow.

He sends a team of spies to do the job. The leader is Alexei who likes to communicate to his boss via coded messages. Thus "At first I hated my haircut. Now it's growing on me." Really means that the team is in place and close to completing their mission.

The spies open a movie studio as a means to get close to Wayne. They call it The Seven Zeros. Then they wonder why people call and ask if they have any successful or intelligent people working for them.

The subplot involves John Wayne being asked to be the star of a movie written for Marlon Brando. The movie, "The Conqueror," is about a historical warrior. Wayne refuses to have a voice coach so his acting will still sound like the old John Wayne but in a historical time.

The film is directed and produced by Dick Powell with Howard Hughes doing the financing.

The destinies of the Russians and John Wayne circle each other as one amusing event follows another.

The film was shot in an area near where the U.S. ran nuclear tests and the author gives a history of the characters and crew after the film was finished. He was surprised at how many of them died from cancer and wonder if they contacted it on radioactive grounds. Among those who died of cancer are John Wayne, Susan Hayward and Agnes Moorehead.

The book was an interesting blend of fiction and history that resulted in a fun read.
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mikedraper | Jul 26, 2012 |
The Book of Eli is a story that discusses religious and spiritual values and ethics in a humorous manner. It is the story of Eli's journey through Heaven as he meets a number of historical figures and discusses several questions of morality and humanity. An intriguing and interesting story.
 
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chris227 | 3 andere besprekingen | Oct 11, 2011 |

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Werken
5
Leden
71
Populariteit
#245,552
Waardering
½ 3.3
Besprekingen
20
ISBNs
7

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