GIVE MY REGARDS TO NOWHERE - Richard Engling


Dwayne Finnegan believes that he has made the theatrical connection that will finally give him a shot at working on Broadway.  All he has to do is show the Broadway producer what he's capable of ... no pressure there, right? He's got an idea for Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus that should set the town on fire (does Chicago need another fire?) and he's got a cast that will get some attention and who are more than capable of pulling it off.

But first there's the little problem of getting the theatre. Spaces get booked many months in advance, but Dwayne needs a theatre ASAP. Those still available, are so for a reason, but his technical director assures him the space can be made ready in time for opening. But in keeping with Murphy's Law, securing the space for his masterful production is only one of many set-backs Finnegan will face before the coup de grâce.

I've spent a fair amount of time working in theatre myself and can recognize all these characters and all these situations as quite authentic. And perhaps it's for that reason that I didn't find this particularly funny (this is billed as a comic tale) and at the same time, not having insider knowledge might prevent some of the humor (?) from coming across. For instance, will the average reader understand the absurdity of choosing Titus Andronicus to make a bold statement?

I didn't really connect with any of these characters, even if they were familiar to me, which leaves the story as the major source of entertainment here.  The story isn't bad, but it gets a little long with one disaster after another, and the personal issues mean almost nothing to me since I didn't really care about the characters and therefore just added nothing for me.

My biggest 'problem' with the story is the climactic disaster (I'm trying not to give anything away) which comes about almost randomly. Nothing Dwayne says or does creates the climax to the book, which makes this really disappointing.

Equally interesting ... the denouement would seem to me to be positive and uplifting, but Dwayne has trouble seeing it that way.  So are all his problems ultimately a result of his own outlook?   

Looking for a good book? Give My Regards to Nowhere by Richard Engling shows a strong knowledge of a life in theatre, but the characters don't grab attention in the right way and the story ultimately leaves the reader unsatisfied (much like Dwayne himself). A fine read, but not recommend-worthy.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through LibraryThing, in exchange for an honest review.

3 stars

* * * * * *

Give My Regards to Nowhere: A Director's Tale

author: Richard Engling

publisher: Polarity Ensemble Books

ISBN: 9780977661077

paperback, 282 pages

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

MURDLE VOLUME 1 - G. T. Karber

Image
 I enjoy puzzles of many different varieties. I had not heard of 'Murdle' before this but essentially this is a combination of the game of Clue and a Sherlock Holmes micro story. With suspects, possible murder weapons, potential locations, and/or motives plus some very brief hints, readers are meant to combine the logic of what's know with deductive reasoning to identify the killer (or killers?) in 100 different mystery word puzzles. I will admit right off the bat that I did not do all 100.  I didn't even do half of these, but I did so some random sampling through all the categories (Elementary, Occult Medium, Hard Boiled, and Impossible). I did not get any correct in the Impossible category (of course not ... they were impossible!) and only one correct in the Hard Boiled (of five). The Elementary puzzles were, as expected, pretty easy and the Hard Boiled only a little bit more difficult. Each mini mystery comes with a grid printed in the book to help the reader-detecti
Read more

THE YOUNGER GODS - Michael R. Underwood

Image
 Jacob Greene is a child of cultists - extremists with a deep connection to powerful gods.  To stay in good favor and receive great powers from these gods Jacob's family (both biological family and cult group family) must occasion a sacrifice now then. Jacob doesn't seem to question this (it's how he's been raised, after all) until the time he brings his best friend home to be brutally sacrificed. Jacob believes that his friend is a willing participant, honored to be chosen, informed of what was about to take place by Jacob's father.   Of course nothing could be further from the truth and the friend does NOT go willingly. This shatters Jacob's belief and has him question his faith and he leaves his family and cult in order to think things through. But it's not easy to escape powerful gods, and despite being in the city of New York, all signs point to the fact that the gods know where he is and that something big is about to go down. Although the description
Read more

THE RAVEN THIEF - Gigi Pandian

Image
 With Tempest Raj now a member of the company, Secret Staircase Construction (a company who, as their title suggests, builds mystery-themed, secret rooms inside homes) has finished their first job. Their client now wants to celebrate to kick off her new beginning - new home and new life now that she's divorced from her cheating ex-husband, famous mystery author Corbin Colt. First up, a mock séance to remove any trace of Corbin from the property, led by Tempest's friend, Sanjay.   But during that séance, while all those gathered sat in a dark room holding hands, Corbin's dead body crashes the party, falling across the table in front of everyone. There were eight people in the room, and they were all holding hands, but all the evidence points to one of them being the murderer.  Suspicions point to Ash, Tempest's grandfather, because he was the only one with Corbin's blood on him. Of course, as a doctor, he was also the only one who checked on the body - wherein he acq
Read more