Breaking Fellini [Kindle Edition]

M.E. Purfield (Author)

Book Description

Breaking Fellini is a novel of No Wave and New York during 1977.

Sixteen-year-old Joni Corso loves to play rock guitar, but being in a local cover band just doesn't excite her anymore. She wants to perform originals and join the scene in New York City were Blondie, Patti Smith, and The Ramones found fame.

Able to convince her mother to spend some time with her estranged father in Manhattan, Joni jumps at the opportunity to redefine herself and join a band. Amidst a whirlwind of classic rock, drugs, urban recession, and drag queens, Joni meets Phaedra a homeless girl with a mission to destroy rock idols and the mainstream. Joni joins her band No! and starts plays the kind of music she's been craving. The kind of music that out punks Punk.

But Dad sees her as something else: a famous rock guitarist with a band on the Top 40 charts, something Joni doesn’t want to be anymore. Now she has to decide which musician she can live with being and for who or risk losing her new life and father she just found.

Bonus Features:
Alternate Beginning and Scenes
Essay: New York and the No Wave
Secret Play List
Preview: Party Girl Crashes the Rapture

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Strongly atmospheric - and yet firmly plot-driven - it is a clever examination of the growth of a musician and a musical movement." -  Agrippina Legit

About the Author

M.E. Purfield is the author of 'jesus freakz + buddha punx' and 'Munki Moo Moo'. You can find him at mepurfield.com.

Product Details

• File Size: 354 KB
• Print Length: 228 pages
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: trash books (October 2, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005RZTF8Q
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,191,951 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Coming of age in a disturbing time January 1, 2012

By K

Format:Kindle Edition

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I am a child of the 80s, so my personal experience during the time this book was set was more learning to ride a bicycle or struggling with long division. But the way this was written made me feel like it could have been something I experienced, could have been my story.

Joni is a talented guitarist, living with her mom in North Carolina and dreaming of doing something original and new rather than playing covers for the rest of her life. Obviously smart, as she is 16 and graduated from high school (no mention was made of her dropping out), Joni longs for bigger things and sees opportunity by moving to live with her estranged father in New York.

The late 1970s in New York were memorable for all kinds of reasons--the fame scene, the social unrest, the unemployment, the sex/drugs/rock 'n roll life/etc. And Joni is now in the middle of all of it. She manages to maintain her identity as an individual, going for what she wants by joining a new concept, never seen before band with a sound that shocks as well as impresses. She is dealing with normal daddy issues and trying to figure out who this man is, and realizing that reality doesn't always live up to expectation.

The events of the time get in the way--Son of Sam is raging through the streets, the blackout that swept the state of New York, the drug use that prevails in the industry at the time, etc. And Joni manages to come through all of it without compromising who she is and what she believes in, while fighting to have a relationship with a father she hasn't seen since she was a small child.

I enjoyed reading this.... I wanted in some ways for it to be a bit longer, more in depth about the people mentioned, but the author's note in the back of the book that reveals his preference to keep stories under 40,000 words explains its brevity. It was a great glimpse into a time that I have only read about, not experienced, in a world that I would come to know myself a few short years later as a completely different scene. Enjoyed! Read more ›

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great coming of age story! Another hit for M.E. Purfield! November 16, 2011

By Gina Hurteau-Jackson

Format:Kindle Edition

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my review.

This is the second book by M.E. Purfield that I have been given to review, and I was excited to receive it. Breaking Fellini is a wonderful coming of age story about a 16 year old girl who moves from a small town in the south to 1970's New York City to live with her father and to chase her dream of playing in a band.

The book is well written, the author has given life and personality to the characters. Each one has their own baggage, but not enough where you wish they'd go away. The story develops well and builds nicely before coming to a believable conclusion. I just wish it didn't end. I'd actually like to see another installment of this story!

I would highly recommend this story to anyone age 14 or older.

Happy Reading =}

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A rock rebellion story for teens November 7, 2011

By Peggy Tibbetts VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition

Joni Corso is only 16, but already she is a rock guitarist in a popular local band in Wilkesboro, North Carolina. Perhaps it's her age or the pressure of her enormous talent, but Joni is jaded by the band's success. Also on her mind, her estranged dad owns a night club in the middle of Manhattan's underground music scene. The year is 1977. The siren's call of New York City beckons her. Joni finagles the move and while she expects to be immersed in the heady music scene, there is also the reality of the times. When faced with drugs, drag queens, unemployment, and homelessness, Joni feels like a country bumpkin. And all is not what it seems with her dad. There are pills, lies, financial woes, and irrational expectations. Sometimes it seems like Joni is the parent. In pursuit of her own dream, Joni joins an unconventional No Wave band. But has she traded her independence to fulfill someone else's dream? Not to mention her rock rebellion threatens to estrange her from her strange dad.

I think the bonus chapters at the end of the book deepen the reader's understanding of both Joni and her dad and should have been incorporated into the story. However M.E. Purfield has a definite unconventional style and I applaud any writer with style. Purfield's work is made for reluctant readers because it contains a refreshing honesty not weighed down by heavy prose. "Breaking Fellini" takes readers on a magical mystery tour back to the 1970s rock/celebrity scene. Purfield's attention to details gives this story authenticity and a glimpse into how the music world changed during the last big recession.

More About the Author

M.E Purfield was raised in the Jersey 'burbs. At 18 he moved to Jersey City to attend The School of Visual Arts film program in NYC. He has never returned to the 'burbs. Since then he's done some script work for low low low budget films and even directed a few shorts.

Before publishing novels, he has toiled around with many short stories in many genres at many venues until he decided his strengths lie with Young Adult fiction, contemporary and noir fantasy.

When not practicing the art of Potty Mouth, he spends his time raising his son, being married, watching horror films, and listening to punk music.

You can always find him at mepurfield.livejournal.com.