Title: Revolution
Author: David Dorrough
Publisher: Self-published
Publication Date: March 17, 2022
Genre: Fiction, Humor
REVOLUTION dives into the world of Bill and Yvonne Smede, two middle-aged professionals attempting to lead semi-sane, low-profile lives amidst the loud, swirling chaos of Southern California and the colorful antics of all their friends and relations.
This part-satire, part-farce, part-slice-of-life book has been called “cynicism on steroids” (granted, only by the author (but wouldn’t he know better than anyone?)), which you should keep in mind as you read it, to maximize your enjoyment. Somebody or something is always in the crosshairs; if you get through any page without sensing a just-beneath-the-surface sneer or grimace or eye-roll or eyebrow-raise or other negative judgment, then you’ve missed a piece of the joke!
But this is not the grim, heavy kind of cynicism that depresses or annoys—on the contrary, it’s as lighthearted and jovial as they come. So relax and enjoy the ride, and get ready to laugh. A lot. And along the way, you just might find some food for thought here and there. You also might find you’ve become intimately acquainted with several true-to-life, flesh-and-blood characters as they try to maneuver through the numerous ordinary yet ridiculous situations their wacky world constantly presents them with.
Why This Book
While Revolution is overly long, it was still amusing and I enjoyed that the story generally followed the lives of a middle-aged couple living in West Los Angeles over the course of a year. They by themselves weren’t really interesting, but their friends and their friends’ friends certainly had some interesting personalities, so it was fun to explore LA and the surrounding areas with them since I am familiar with many of the locations mentioned as a SoCal girl.
And what do groups of friends enjoy doing? Drinking, apparently. There are a number of social events, though the middle-aged couple we follow aren’t exactly the most social, nor are they particularly likely to drink liberally. But everyone they know seems to enjoy gathering for a drink or for happy hour where the alcohol flows quite liberally. To say there’s a lot of social drinking going on in this book would be a huge understatement.
Reviews
My review: “The setting and the characters is where Revolution shines. It very much made me feel like I was in and around LA. The characters were all unique and fascinating, though I did feel like far too many of them were of the same lazy sort and I would have loved to see a bit more variety. The characters we really get to know, though, were a lot of fun and I loved how they all felt real”
Self-Publishing Review gave this 4 stars, saying “The characterizations of these characters are at times tongue-in-cheek, with Dorrough rolling his eyes right along with readers. At others, however, the archetypal personalities become a bit too predictable in their behaviors and reactions, robbing readers of suspense in the unfolding drama. There is an undercurrent of sarcasm and satire in the self-aware descriptions, as though the prose itself is intended to reflect the faulty personalities of Los Angeles’ denizens
Authors Reading said “The author introduces several well-fleshed-out characters living in greater Los Angles during contemporary times. His narrative-driven story is remarkable in that the reader soon becomes engrossed in the ordinary but complicated lives of his diverse cast of characters until the reader realizes that there is essentially no plot”
Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Google | Kobo | Booktopia (Australia) | iMusic | Aaron’s Books | Past Forward | Walmart | Dymocks (Australia) | Flipkart (India) | Scribd
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