We'll Always Have Cleveland: A Memoir of a Novelist And a City [Hardcover]

Les Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 2006

When novelist and television producer Les Roberts arrived in Cleveland from Los Angeles for a short-term consulting job in 1986, he wasn't entirely prepared. It was January, and he'd brought no overcoat, no boots. That chilly Northeast Ohio surprise wasn't all he was unprepared for. He never dreamed that, just months later, he'd find himself so completely won over by the place that he'd give up the glitz of Hollywood and put down roots in this rustbelt city.
It took only a few weeks in Cleveland to convince Roberts that the city was a ripe setting for his next private-eye novel. Then, a chance meeting on an airplane led him to the inspiration for his new character: Milan Jacovich (pronounced My-lan Yock-o-vitch), a tough Slovenian-American sleuth with a master's degree and a taste for klobasa sandwiches and cold Stroh's beer.
The combination proved very successful. Thirteen Milan Jacovich novels resulted, and with each book Roberts drew more heavily on real Cleveland places and people for the authentic local flavor of his stories. From the upscale Heights to the industrial Flats, from shiny new Jacobs Field to the aging ethnic neighborhoods, Roberts and Jacovich covered the town. They saw where the deals were made (Johnny's Bar, Little Italy), the good times were had (The Velvet Tango Room, Vuk's Tavern), and the bodies were found (all over the place!).
In this memoir, Roberts tells how he discovered the heart and soul of a city while fictionalizing it for a series of novels. He writes about his favorite locations and his favorite people (and at least one person who was not happy to find himself in a novel). It will appeal to fans of the series, fans of the city, and aspiring novelists who want to learn how one writer took a city and made it his own through fiction.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A perfect paean to a particular place and the people who made it that way." -- coolcleveland.com, May 1, 2006

"Can well serve as a Greater Cleveland map to the best restaurants, nightclubs and small shops, as well as places some locals have yet to visit." -- Northern Ohio Live, June 2006

"Maybe this book could be the start of something big, like Clevelanders getting to know their city all over again." -- Currents, May 18, 2006

"Three books in one. A memoir, a personally guided tour of Northeast Ohio, and a book about writing." -- Medina Gazette, June 10, 2006

The tone is captivating. . . Reading [the book] is like having a private conversation with Les Roberts. --WVIZ TV25 "Feagler & Friends," June 6, 2006

About the Author

Les Roberts is the author of 14 mystery novels featuring Cleveland detective Milan Jacovich, as well as 9 other books of fiction. The past president of both the Private Eye Writers of America and the American Crime Writer's League, he came to mystery writing after a 24-year career in Hollywood. He was the first producer and head writer of the Hollywood Squares and wrote for the Andy Griffith Show, the Jackie Gleason Show, and the Man from U.N.C.L.E., among others. He has been a professional actor, a singer, a jazz musician, and a teacher. In 2003 he received the Sherwood Anderson Literary Award. A native of Chicago, he now lives in Northeast Ohio.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 180 pages
• Publisher: Gray & Co., Publishers; 1st ed edition (April 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598510142
• ISBN-13: 978-1598510140
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,329,654 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eloquent, funny, and uniquely engaging tribute to Cleveland, May 24, 2006

By 

Nicole Hunter (Cleveland, OH, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: We'll Always Have Cleveland: A Memoir of a Novelist And a City (Hardcover)

I just recommended this book to the Convention & Visitors Bureau of Greater Cleveland ~ suggesting that they purchase the book in quantity and distribute it as a gift to visitors and convention-goers here. Mr. Roberts has written a fabulous tribute to Greater Cleveland people and places, and this memoir holds broad appeal for readers whether they're visitors, newcomers, or longtime residents.

Special note to Milan Jacovich fans ~ We'll Always Have Cleveland is filled with fascinating details about the creative processes Mr. Roberts has used to bring Milan to life on the page, the ways and reasons Milan has evolved, and what the future may hold for this beloved private investigator.

I also recommend the book to writers and students of writing for its insights into Mr. Roberts' methods as a novelist, in particular his daily regimen and dedication to the craft.

We'll Always Have Cleveland stands alone as an eloquent, funny, and engaging tribute to this city and its people.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A memoir with real heart and soul., May 9, 2006

By 

Dr. Fred R. Eichelman "arous" (Salem,, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: We'll Always Have Cleveland: A Memoir of a Novelist And a City (Hardcover)

Les Roberts has written a beautiful book and it is one that goes beyond "a memoir of a novelist and a city" as sub titled.
Every person who has the urge to be a writer should buy this book as it looks into the craft as few books or writing workshops have in the past. I do mean to infer that this is a "how to" book. It is appealing because like his Cleveland detective character, it is honest and down to Earth.

I have had the good fortune to know many authors over the years and know full well that you cannot judge the character of the author by the people who come alive in their books. However, while Les Roberts explains how he and Milan differs, there is an honesty there, a way of speaking that links the two together. It must be added that once I discovered Les Roberts I have made a point of buying all his books and can vouch that the non Cleveland ones are also excellent. I am not a big mystery fan and have not been for decades, however Les Roberts has brought me back to the genre'.

I also have to mention that I spent the first ten of my seventy years in Cleveland and have the curse, I cannot root for any other teams than the Indians and Browns. "We'll Always Have Cleveland" is a true tribute. It is a tribute more to the people than the city itself and it is not just an Ohio story. It is an American story. I was only half way through the book when I began ordering copies for friends.

Thank you for great reading, both now and in the past.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A love letter made public . . ., May 4, 2006

By 

kellytwo "kellytwo" (cleveland hts, ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: We'll Always Have Cleveland: A Memoir of a Novelist And a City (Hardcover)

As frequently happens, the newcomer to a particular area quickly becomes more of a native than those who can legitimately claim that title. Such is the case with novelist Les Roberts, and his adopted home town. An outsider when he first came here nearly twenty years ago, Les Roberts is now more of a Clevelander than many who were born and lived their entire lives here, in the shadow of the Terminal Tower.

This book is sub-titled "A Memoir of a Novelist and a City" and indeed, it is. But it's really more of a love letter from the novelist to his city. Born in Chicago, the hopeful actor spent time in New York before moving to Los Angeles, where his writing career began. He wrote-and eventually produced-bunches of programs for television, the most famous being "Hollywood Squares". This trade-as a producer-is what first brought him to Cleveland nineteen years ago. He liked the city and its inhabitants so much that he decided to make it his home. It's been mutual love ever since.

Other than being too short and not having an index, it's a nearly perfect paean to a particular place and the people who made it that way, and continue to keep it so. It's both a guided tour of Cleveland, and the wonderful, even unique places within or without its boundaries, as well as a basic introduction to the author, who seldom meets a stranger.

It may just be coincidence but there are thirteen chapters, just as there are thirteen Milan Jacovich books. However, the chapters are not consigned to any particular book, nor is the story told in any particular order.

You know it's true love as you listen to Les talk about his city; he praises the people-their warmth and sincerity, but doesn't flinch from the warts to be found here, either. As a sociable guy, he's acquainted with all levels of folks, from the movers and shakers to the not-so-fortunate. He may kiss, but he doesn't tell. All.

He's a lot like his city: he's contrary, for one thing. He's one of at least two people in the city who doesn't constantly have a cell phone in his ear. He's curmudgeonly; you can read all about that in Chapter Ten, but don't be surprised if you find yourself in agreement with him, too. And he's tough, in several ways. So, in Chapter Thirteen, he lays it all out for his city-the good and the bad. He doesn't presume to know all the answers, but he certainly does know a good many pointed questions.

He's in demand as a teacher/lecturer at various writer's conferences, etc., and demonstrates why with a tid-bit on page 19. There, he explains the `writer's eye' without which there can be no writer. Of course, if you read any of his books, you'll know he's a darned good writer. But, also, if you read his books, then come to visit his town, just go look out a window. You'll find it all out there, just like he said it was.