Customer Reviews

The Understudy

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

 

 

This is a great book about 50's Broadway. I would highly recommend getting this book for your library. Kazan is a wonderful author who is able to paint amazing characters and amazing scenes into each page of his books. The Understudy is one of his best books along with Assassins; I would highly recommend this book.

This is a great book about 50's Broadway. I would highly recommend getting this book for your library. Kazan is a wonderful author who is able to paint amazing characters and amazing scenes into each page of his books. The Understudy is one of his best books along with Assassins; I would highly recommend this book.

Kazan draws from his own life and experiences in this entertaining novel set in the wilds of Broadway and Africa. He is a good writer who knows how to propel the story forward. If you read his autobiography before this novel, you'll recognize some of the scenarios. I am always impressed by Kazan's ability to critically self-analyze his motivations (both in his autobiography and in the novel's main character). This was the first of Kazan's novels that I read and I am going to read "The Arrangement" next.

In his writing, I perceive a man striving for honesty and self-understanding. From a review standpoint, the book is fast-paced and rates 4 stars. If it had been more tightly edited in some sections, it would have rated 5 stars. Nevertheless, the two main characters are strongly drawn and unforgettable.