Customer Reviews

My 15 Minutes

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

 

 

In Southern California, size 12 waitress Julie Jorlamo thinks God is missing an angel since highly regarded actor Chad Downing moved into her building. Chad is conducting research on how the working class lives for an upcoming role. She will soon reconsider her belief star system when the paparazzi catch Julie leaving Chad's temporary apartment in a bathrobe due to a "matchmaking" canine. This explodes into a media feeding frenzy. to learn who is the lover of America's heartthrob. Phil the publicist drums up the concept of royal Hollywood dating a commoner.

As Chad escorts Julie around the town to the swankiest of galas and events, the star-struck waitress sees how shallow the glamour and glitter truly are. As her fifteen minutes of fame begins to wane, Julie just wants to return to her normal boring life as Hollywood has opened her eyes to celebrity-ism.

MY FIFTEEN MINUTES is a fabulous satirical tale that lampoons the American worship of movie stars and other figures on pedestals. The story line is at its lampoonist best when the starry eyed waitress oohs and ahs her way into high society though she just the waitress next door, which she soon receives an education as such to remind of this. When the plot veers towards chick lit territory it loses some of the sting as inanity replaces stinging social wit. Still this is a fabulous glimpse at who is a hero.

Harriet Klausner

Sorry, I just didn't. None of these people were likeable, not even Julie. To really get inside a character's head I need to feel some sympathy for her, and that didn't happen here. She was as shallow as Chad, and I hated the way she let everyone walk all over her. Chad (and every other person in the story) treated her like dirt, but I didn't care enough about her to either be enraged on her behalf, or to root for her to stand up for herself. And yes, way too much throwing up. The rest of the characters were too exaggerated, so not only was Chad a complete jerk, he came off like a cartoon villain, as did Julie's boss at the restaurant. Billie, who was supposed to be zany and loveable, was just annoying. That guy who had a crush on Julie and hung around the restaurant every night to see her (I can't even remember his name one day after finishing the book) was obviously supposed to be the good guy, but he struck me as creepy - can we say stalker? Ugh. I know this is fiction and I would have been willing to suspend belief enough to get into the implausible plot, but I disliked these people so much I couldn't do it.

For a much better story of sudden fame by association, read "The Year Of Living Famously" by Laura Caldwell.

I missed my stop on the subway multiple times on the way home from work because I couldn't put this book down. I even laughed out loud at times. It was cute, engaging, funny, and witty. The characters were very real - i felt I could really relate to their lives. It was so refreshing to read something fun and smart for once. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good laugh.

There sure isn't any middle ground on this book... readers either love it or hate it. Unfortunately, I must count myself among the ones who, shall we say, did not adore it. There is certainly no need for the fans to take offense at this, nor for the detractors to scream "you go girl" and pound that "helpful" vote button - I am only one person, and this is only my opinion.

I do understand the concept of satire, as I am sure all of us writing these reviews do. The problem is that satire is supposed to be funny, and in my opinion, "My 15 Minutes" was not. Evidently, I have a different concept of what is funny than some of my fellow reviewers. No big deal, right? You are welcome to giggle over that crazy Julie as she throws up yet again. I in turn shall exercise my right to be grossed out. What a dull world it would be if we all espoused identical views on projectile vomiting!

In summary, (say it with me, friends) in my opinion, this was neither a witty nor engaging read. The characters were neither loveable nor interesting. I join the ranks of those who will be looking to unload my copy at the used bookstore, while giving a friendly nod to those who choose to erect a shrine to "My 15 Minutes" and sing its' praises.

I have to say, from reading these reviews, I'm wondering why some people didn't pick up on the fact that this is a SATIRE of Hollywood and the frenzy that surrounds it. Maybe that means that the author has to work on her satirical chops, but still, I got it right away.

I loved this book. It's full of one-liners and completely ridiculous situations, which I find to be hilarious. Who hasn't fantasized about having access to the most obscure luxury that's available to celebs?

There was too much crude, vulgar and foul language. I recently read a different book, where I actually enjoyed the swearing by one of the characters, but not so in this book. It was unpleasant. I had no sympathy for the main character, Julie, who worked in a chain restaurant. The manager and fellow workers treated her unfairly and badly. I couldn't believe that she didn't try to find another waitress job. She becomes a pretend girlfriend for a famous movie star, whom I don't like. I also didn't like Julie's girlfriend Billie who partners with Julie to get free stuff from retail stores simple because Julie is the girlfriend of a movie star. This book was not fun or interesting. Sexual language: none other than vulgar swearing. Number of sex scenes: none. Setting: current day U.S. Copyright: 2005. Genre: contemporary romance.

This is just one more bland book on the dying end of the chick lit trend. I didn't think the writing was especially witty or distinctive. There are so many books like this on the market right now - BORING!! I'm sure the author is a fine writer but she needs to mature and try to set herself apart a bit more before churning out another book, I think.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is cleverly written and the dialogue reads like an easy conversation with your girlfriends. I could easily see myself stumbling into the same predicament as poor Julie, being star-struck for my first five minutes and then searching for an escape from the last ten. Sara Faith Alterman humanizes the characters and makes even their most unbelievable traits seem endearing. A fun read, perfect for that after work bubble bath or terrifying airplane ride. It's a great escape.

A lot of glamour lit type of books lately have been about the main character getting famous in some way. My 15 Minutes by Sara Faith Alterman is no exception.

Meet Julie Jorlamo. She is single and lives and works as a waitress in Los Angeles. Her life could be summed up as "generally normal" until she discovers quite by accident that Chad Downing, famous actor, lives in her building. But why would anyone famous live in her somewhat run-down building? She has little time to find out before accidentally getting caught up in his life. After a night spent throwing back one too many drinks, she is hungover and bleary and manages to lose her dog Riley. He turns up in Chad's apartment, of all places.

Julie is photographed leaving his apartment that morning, still in her pajamas and mussed up, and suddenly everyone thinks she is Chad's girlfriend. Chad's weasel of an agent persuades them both to go along with it, stating it will be good for Chad's image to be seen with a "normal girl who actually eats". Julie is suddenly caught up in whirlwind parties, limo rides, and more.

What more could a girl want? Well, plenty, in this case. Julie puts up with Chad's rudeness and snobbery, his agent's hideous ways, and being run over at work by her jealous coworkers time and time again. Plus, she is a size 12 - just how far can she go in Hollywood as a size 12? (Gasp). Will Julie get fed up with Chad's agent calling her "Plumpkin"? Will she manage to find herself in this star-studded mess?

My 15 Minutes started out very promisingly. It was hilarious, light and highly readable. I enjoyed it immensely until it became clear that Julie as a character, while interesting, was too much of a doormat. She let everyone run over her and treat her like garbage. There is only so much of that kind of stuff that I personally can deal with in a novel before literally wanting to clock the main character.

The story is very fast-paced and fun, and I managed to finish it within a couple of hours. It was definitely an enjoyable read, but would have been a lot more fun with a character with more of a backbone.

Overall, however, I would recommend this to chick lit fans who like a light, funny and glamourous read.

Many of the people writing reviews of this book seem to have missed the point: It is satire, and farce, and is not meant to be 'realistic'-you know, like those fabulously believable guy adventures, the Sames Bond, oops, forgive me, the James Bond series.

Julie has been drifting, trying to find her place in the world. She's a college grad who is finding out, as so many have before her, that being a Lit major isn't a ticket to instant riches. She has a chance to spend some time with a Hollywood god who's been her idol since her teens, and signs on for the ride of her life.

There are hilarious secondary characters, and a budding romance to provide comic backup and a light at the end of the tunnel. 'Billy', her childhood gal-pal, is like the lovechild of Cyndi Lauper and Gwen Stefani, and Phil, the publicist to the stars, is so vitriolic and acid-tongued, he should be the poster child for Tourette's Syndrome.

The gist: This is like Bridget Jones-only funny. Instead of one character being neurotic and self-consciously cute for pages without end, there's a genuinely witty heroine on a surrealistic adventure. Along the way, we get the loon's-eye view of Hollywood-such a fertile ground for satire-and a chance to answer the age-old, unspoken question: What would it feel like to be one of the "beautiful people."

Julie was a bit of a pushover at first, letting other people tell what she ought to do and ought to feel, but that's really the point of the story: by the end, she's turning some of her sardonic 'asides' into full-frontal assaults, and speaking up for herself-learning to ask herself, honestly, "What do *I* want?"

I laughed throughout, and found it a totally entertaining read.