Saugus to the Sea [Paperback]

Bill Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 14, 2001

It's never a good thing when your world turns weird and you're the only one who notices.

Beyond the smog of L.A. is Saugus, a California everytown where Billy Brown's life is rapidly becoming the stuff of conspiracy theory. When Billy discovers a network of antique underground sprinklers in the town of California City he is plunged in a world where nothing is what it seems.

Soon Billy is investigating the missing Saugus to the Sea road, the shady goings-on at the Caltech Earthquake Hotline and a mysterious cabal of Arbor Day anarchists intent on turning Hollywood Boulevard into a forest preserve. Bill Brown's debut novel vividly evokes the geography of underground L.A. Beyond the Hollywood sign is a hidden world of radical bike riders, straight-edge punk gigs, guerrilla gardeners, colleges which teach Botanical Politics and desert towns where the Blessed Virgin Mary still puts in an appearance. Saugus to the Sea includes twelve original black and white illustrations by Brad Yung.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Brown conjures a palpable sense of place: small town Saugus, seedy L.A ... left behind by ... modern life. -- Pop Boffin Magazine, Winter, 2001

From the Publisher

Bill Brown has an uncanny ability to create atmosphere. Saugus to the Sea situates the reader in a world of marginal characters, forgotten diners, weird desert miracles and everything about LA that doesn't get written up in a guidebook.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 186 pages
• Publisher: Smart Cookie Publishing (December 14, 2001)
• ISBN-10: 0968974406
• ISBN-13: 978-0968974407
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,998,599 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect., August 26, 2003

By 

Tanya (Chicago, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saugus to the Sea (Paperback)

It's like sex with a ghost, this book.
It leaves me all tingly and breathless,
the secrets within secrets.

L.A. is a haunted house of a city,
and California is the graveyard of
all that New World yearning, all those
dreams hauled west then discarded. I
love this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bowing down in deference., May 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Saugus to the Sea (Paperback)

_Saugus_ masterfully creates vivid imagery of those places we all wish we were, but for some reason or another, just cant find the time or the excuse to get there.
Summing up, thou shalt bow to the cow.

5.0 out of 5 stars Saugus to the Sea, June 22, 2003

By 

little atom "margy" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Saugus to the Sea (Paperback)

Bill Brown has definitely got L.A.'s number. He knows how mixed up it is, how it is a reflection of many of the problems in America, but he makes you love it anyway - love it like you love those crazy habits of your best friend. I read this book straight through and want to read it straight through again - just to get all of the subtle inter-connections which I'm sure I missed the first time. Saugus to the Sea sprinkles beauty amidst the insanity - like wildflowers growing alongside the freeway. Pensive and profound, but delivered in a very digestable, easy-going fashion. A refreshing read!