The Locklear Letters [Hardcover]

Michael Kun (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2003

The Locklear Letters is a farcical look at celebrity worship in todays society through the eyes of Sid Straw, an affable, if not boring, software salesman who tries to rekindle an acquaintanceship with his former college classmate turned Hollywood starlet Heather Locklear.
His innocent letter requesting an autographed picture begins a bizarre turn of events that eventually costs him his job, foils his romantic intentions toward a co-worker, drains his finances, and generally ruins his life.
Sid, a Don Quixote character with large blind spots regarding the fate of his one-sided correspondence with the movie star and his own behavior, cannot escape the wrath of lawyers, public relations bulldogs, angry bosses, and ex-girlfriends that drags his life down the tubes. Until he fights back.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Thirteen years after the publication of his well-received first novel, A Thousand Benjamins, Kun returns with a cheeky take on celebrity worship, tracing the downward spiral of an annoying salesman through an ongoing, obsessive series of letters he writes to his famous college classmate, Heather Locklear. Sid Straw, the marketing director for a Baltimore software company, claims to have known Locklear when they were both at UCLA. His fixation with the actress gets him into trouble when a series of badgering letters sent to Locklear's agent to secure a personalized photo results in a cross-country restraining order. On the home front, the 40ish Straw loses his new girlfriend when she learns of his obsession with Locklear, and is fired from his job after a series of Locklear-related misunderstandings. Straw sets out in search of a new job, fending off depression and despair with ludicrously chummy letters to Locklear as well as bumbling missives to family, erstwhile friends, legal counsel and assorted service people. Kun overcomes the limitations of his epistolary format with some inventive maneuvering that fills in the gaps in the story line and keeps the letters from becoming monotonous. The highlight is a tongue-in-cheek climax in which Straw gets back at his various correspondents-cum-tormenters by hiring a litigation-savvy lawyer, then entices his object of worship to put in an unlikely appearance at their college reunion (or has Straw simply gone off the deep end and imagined it all?). Kun's lighthearted humor pokes clever fun at our ongoing obsession with fame and celebrity.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

A laugh-out-loud novel... Kun's book is an amusing look at how our society looks at and reacts to celebrities... -- Crosswinds (New Mexico)

A quick and enjoyable tour of the lighter, funnier side of dementia. -- Kirkus Reviews

An imaginatively written, cleverly constructed book...A job well done. -- Baltimore Magazine

Perfect for those sweltering days when tackling anything more substantial would bring up a sweat. -- The Village Voice

Product Details

• Hardcover: 341 pages
• Publisher: Macadam Cage Pub (May 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931561362
• ISBN-13: 978-1931561365
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,590,162 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Kun was born on November 28, 1962. He is the son of Richard and Beatrice Kun. He is a graduate of The Johns Hopkins University, as well as the School of Law of the University of Virginia.

Michael sold his first novel, A Thousand Benjamins, while he was in law school. The novel was published in 1990. After many rumors of his death, which can be read right here on amazon.com, Kun returned with The Locklear Letters in 2003.

Since then, Kun has published two more novels -- My Wife and My Dead Wife, and You Poor Monster, the latter of which he used to propose to his wife. He has also published a short story collection, Corrections to My Memoirs, and has co-authored The Baseball Uncyclopedia and The Football Uncyclopedia.

Michael has never had a cavity.

He also has no tattoos or piercings.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Clever and Unique Book., January 22, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Locklear Letters (Hardcover)

On a whim last summer, I attended a book signing and reading for The Locklear Letters at my local bookstore. The author read letters from the book and took questions. He was witty, charming, very unassuming and thoroughly entertained the audience. The letters were hilarious and, of course, I, as everyone else there, purchased a copy of the book on the spot. I then proceeded to read the book in one sitting, laughing out loud repeatedly. Since then, I have purchased many copies for friends and family....it really does make the perfect gift. I look forward to seeing more of Michael Kun's great wit and talented work in the future and was happy to learn from amazon.com that he has a new book coming out this summer.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Light, Funny, Inspirational, January 12, 2004

By 

M.S. (Irvine, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Locklear Letters (Hardcover)

We've all met someone like the protagonist, Sid Straw. Kind, nice, maybe a little too full of himself. It's easy to overlook him, and to think that he embellishes his accomplishments and imagines his friendships with celebrities, like HEATHER LOCKLEAR! It's also easy to join the crowd and kick someone when they're down. All of that happens to Sid in this book, until he takes charge of his life, and guess what, he's not a "loser" anymore. It's hard to find a short, easy to read, funny book that can be enjoyed by all ages. Thanks, Michael Kun, for writing a book I could share with my kids, and that they enjoyed as much as I did.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Comeback!, August 15, 2003

By 

Tom (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Locklear Letters (Hardcover)

Is there any precedent for this: a writer puts out a phenomenal first novel, disappears for ten years, then returns with a new novel that is so completely different than -- yet every bit as good as -- that first novel? The Locklear Letters is the funniest, most wonderful book I've read in a long, long time. There's not another book quite like it because Kun has put together a book that you literally cannot put down. It is impossible to just read one of Sid Straw's letters without needing to read the next one, then the one after that, and so on, and so on. But that's only part of the magic of this book. You think you're reading a comedy about a character you don't care about, and before you know it you realize that Kun has tricked you not only into caring about the main character, but into dealing with some very weighty issues like love, loneliness, work, celebrity, sex, sports and lawyers. It's a funny, yet poignant commentary on EVERYTHING. This is the book everyone will be reading on the beach this summer. Or it should be.