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

VINYL RESTING PLACE - Olivia Blacke

Image
 Juni Jessup and her two sister, Tansy and Maggie, have gone into business together in their hometown of Cedar River, Texas, opening a combination record store and coffee shop. Vinyl LPs are making a comeback after all, despite critics thinking the medium was dead.  But speaking of 'dead' ... finding a dead body in the supply closet just as they are looking to have a grand opening is not part of the plan.  Juni's life gets more complicated when their uncle, Calvin, already a suspect in the murder, disappears. And the police officer leading the investigation is Juni's EX-boyfriend (who passive-aggressively keeps putting himself back into her life). Convinced that her uncle would never murder anyone, Juni sets out to prove his innocence - which isn't easy since he's making himself look guilty - because Calvin is family and family is EVERYthing to Juni. As readers of my blog know, I'm not a big fan of most cozy mysteries, but the setting caught my eye and my in...
Read more

THE WALLED CITY - Ryan Graudin

Image
  Jin and her sister, Mei Yee, were taken and sold and then sent to the lawless Walled City to serve as prostitutes or slaves to anyone willing to pay. Jin managed to escape her captivity, but not the Walled City and she now lurks about, disguised as a boy and is trying to track down the brothel where her sister is still captive. Jin will work odd delivery jobs to earn a small bit of money and hopefully have a legitimate means of coming in contact with her sister's captors.  This is how she meets up with Dai, a mysterious boy who has somehow managed to avoid running with any of the gangs in the city but he seems to have his own unusual connections, which Jon could desperately use if she has any hope of finding Mei Yee. But Dai has his own desperate needs.  The story is told from the different perspectives of each character and we do bounce around quite a bit as the chapters are generally short. This never bothered me, which is slightly unusual as often I find this techni...
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 - ...
Read more