Thursday, January 3, 2013

An Awkward Romance In the Over Forty Set: Adulation by Elisa Lorello


Danny Masters, an award-winning screen writer, and Sunny Smith, a stockroom manager, both celebrate their birthdays. He's 45; she's 40. Danny is in an unsatisfactory relationship with an actress who intimidates him. Sunny has no love life. She's divorced, lives alone, and socializes with her two friends, a gay guy and a career girl.

Sunny wants to be a writer and idolizes Danny's writing. For her birthday, her friends arrange for a makeover and tickets to the premiere of Danny's latest movie, Exposed. Surprisingly, Danny and Sunny meet outside the theater. He's immediately interested, but Sunny disappears. The fledgling relationship takes a turn for the worse when Sunny calls Danny a jackass after the question and answer session at the premiere. The rest of the book toggles back and forth between Danny and Sunny, obsessed with each other but unable to get together because of their insecurities.

The whole book reminded me of the first scene where Danny is trying to write a pilot for a TV serial. This is a new area for him. He agonises and worries. Finally, he writes some dialog, realizes it's not very amusing and quits. This book had the same problem. It's not very amusing. The author seems to be trying too hard, and for too many pages, to portray a relationship between two damaged people who are finding it hard, not only to commit, but to get together.

I found the book rather dull. These are two individuals in their 40's who have been married and divorced and are more or less successful. The way they agonized through the middle of the book reminded me more on people in their twenties.

I don't really recommend this book. I thought it would be amusing, but the humor is not evident whereas the angst is. I got tired of the self-absorption after the first five chapters.

I reviewed this book for the Amazon Vine Program.

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