Customer Reviews

Hollywoodland Kingpin

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The author has done a great job illustrating that Hollywood is the most powerful and far-reaching Empire in the history of mankind. The entirely new perspective of the old town made all the well known scandals and tragedies even more epic. The characters in the fictional part of the story are real and true to their time. They blend right in with the history and their saga seems like a real event. There is a familiar feel about the book. It seems that the author has called on many styles of writing and storytelling, creating a master tapestry of the best elements of old and new literature. Plus there are the ingridients for at least ten great movies; the storyline, as well as the fictional movies made by the main character---which would still be shocking even nowadays, let alone in the 1930s...

I must say that this author has a way with words! Right from the first page clear through the last, Mr. Peters has the unique ability to capture the reader's attention and just not let go! It was a truly exciting adventure, filled with such depth and exceptional perception of the human psyche. Filled with humor; love, lust, sadness and an abundance of graphically sexual situations, not to mention the ever fascinating historic background of a century of Hollywood, Hollywoodland Kingpin has it all, and then some!! If you want to experience a novel that is gripping and will have you telling your friends that if they only read one book this year to make it this one. I look foward to more Thorne Peters books!

Great read!! I give it 6 stars An erotic Hollywood romp like no other . . .It was breathtaking in a classical sense, and as graphically profane as our modern classics.... Actually, more so. I thought that the backdrop of historical facts as a chronology to take the character through the years was brilliant and fascinating. Thorne Peters breathes new life into worn out tales by altering the perception of the reader. It's a view of the world and humanity from Hollywood ---the first kingdom where there were many kings and queens and even the subjects got rich. It is a tale about power, wealth, decadence,censorship, conquests, crusades, inquisitions, art and thousands of years of history. It made it difficult to remember that this was a fiction, not a biography. It also tells a love story that rivals Wuthering Heights for harlequin romance at its best. The characters are extremely well developed and speak in their own voices. They have personalities that make them alive to the reader so you feel their suffering and arousal. This author also has an amazing ability to create action so that you become part of the event. And what an event!

This book is scatalogical, philosophical, historical, psychological, biological, physiological, epic, poetic, erotic, provocative, evocative, inflictive, offensive, loving, heartbreaking, breathtaking, infuriating, terrifying, interesting, exciting, arousing, edifying, and most of all entertaining. Author Peters highlights the darkest auspices of human nature in a way that is enlightening---whether you like it or not. Even if I was one of the many that will revile the outrageous outlooks put forth in this book, I would still have to give it 5 stars, because the greatness of it overwhelms you. I feel very strongly about this book. I first read it 6 months ago when the author forwarded it to our reading group online and the response was explosive--- everyone had a strong reaction.

Thorne Peters has put the most noble and the most depraved aspects of the human condition under the spotlight for the world to see-at times creating an uncomfortable glare. You will experience the full spectrum of emotions-to the nth degree. It is a very complicated and complex book, but it isn't hard to follow. It is ahame the A.D.D set will never get through this book, because the story is among the best ever told---certainly about Hollywood. It loses a star by my count for the UNBELIEVABLY graphic sexual content. A milder approach to the erotica would have been more to my taste, but others will exalt it for this reason. Even with that it was artistically done, which is the most amazing literary feat on paper.

Everyone has tended to harp on the decadent actions of the characters in this book, almost to the exclusion of the fabulous tale told. The 60-year love affair Jason has with Leslie that was lived in but one night was as beautiful and moving as any love story ever told. Jason's odyssey after his time spent with Kingpin is one for the ages. The author made these characters very real and you will feel for them. The fiction blends perfectly into the history of Hollywood. The dark underside of the town's machinations, are illustrated from the inside out with the fiction, and verified by the history. Thorne Peters' ability to craft magnificent descriptive imagery with a poetic style of writing, is unmatched. The words he uses and creates are a perfect blend to season this spicy saga with all the right ingredients for a scrumptious reading experience.

I was lured to read this book because of the promise of wild sexual scenes detailed like never before, but I've found that this book is so much more. Usually, you don't have to read tawdry novels about Tinseltown with a dictionary in your lap. The author skillfully molds words to fit the situation by reworking known root words to his own advantage. The book tells about the rich history of Hollywood from the late 19th century to the turn of the millennium, but it also spans the globe and the centuries to parallel the artistic persecution of the dark ages to Hollywood censorship. The author philosophically dissects male/female roles---sexual and societal---and renders opinions and remedies for every situation. It is a very deep look at life through the eyes of a Kingpin of the mountain who speaks in absolutes and ruthlessly pursues his vision no matter who is ruined. I got this book for one reason and by the time I finished it the absolutely bizarre and depraved sexual scenes were just a backdrop.

I heard Mr. Peters being interviewed on the radio in Las Vegas and figured if his book was even one tenth as fascinating as he was I was in for a great read. It turned out to be a dead heat. I ordered the novel and have been reading and re-reading it for a month. A debut author such as Mr. Peters has a way to reach the literary world and increase the chance of his discovery, by a person such as myself. Everyone here has accurately described the many multi-facets of this tremendous novel, but I'll tell you there is so much more. I love the part where Jason gets his first taste of big money and heads directly to a 1930's, Great Depression Mission to share the wealth. The scene, and the way Mr. Peters takes you inside the thought processes of his characters is wondrous. No moment is too small to be made epic by this fabulous storyteller, who brings to life the nuances of the scene with philosophy so that it resonates with depth and substance. I am salivating for the release of Mr. Peters' next novel, OLDE HOLLYWOOD, which he describes in a blurb on the last page of this book.

When I began reading Hollywoodland Kingpin I was very unsure that I would even want to complete it. But I was glad I did, because it is as the book progresses that you see Mr. Peters true writing ability. There is great depth to you. Have you ever considered writing non-fiction? (with all the history you included in your novel you would be great)

I think the most important achievement for a writer is to make people care about the characters in the book and to have a strong reaction to them. The author of this book has accomplished that goal. Even though I didn't like the Kingpin character (alot) or the attitude of the book (even more) it didn't stop me from reading on. It's a fine line to walk to write about a despicable character that most people will hate and yet root for his success. Even more difficult is to glorify a cruel, unrepentant character and not alienate the reader from finishing the book. The author manages to do this successfully in large part because of a masterful style of writing that is entertaining and educational. Just when you've reached your limit with the Kingpin's antics, the author cleverly changes tacks and writes beautiful prose, imparts profound wisdom, or regales you with a fictional or historical Hollywood tale. For all the debauchery and misogyny, there is also a beautiful underlying love story that will is touchingly sentamentalized. Also the author gives you an alter-ego character to Kingpin that you like alot that narrates the novel in the first person like it was a biography he's writing. In the end, it's like it's a biography about both Kingpin and the writer, Jason Taylor. Very original and completely unique. It's the work of a literary primitive to be sure. It's not sanitized and polished slick; it's rough around the edges, just like unbridled passion should be.