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The Trouble Boy (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: army guy, Tom Dolby, New York, Real World Guy (more...)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A Yale-educated gay freelance writer navigates the shark-infested waters of Manhattan hoping to score a screenplay deal and a loyal boyfriend in this hip and sexy if predictable debut novel. The son of an upper-crust clothing designer, young Toby Griffin is plagued with acne and depression, but gets lucky when he's hired to be a nightclub reviewer for a struggling Web site and quickly becomes a "nightlife contender," impressing new friends Jamie, Donovan, Brett, David and Alejandro. Though the social scene is all about hooking up, Toby does manage a dinner date or two, but most end disastrously, including one with an egotistical former Real World cast member and another with a sleazy Polo store clerk. When both the Web site and an exciting proposal to co-write a memoir by transsexual performer Lola Copacabana fizzle out, Toby begins work for hotshot producer Cameron Cole. A premiere party with lots of cocaine and booze sets the stage for a deadly Lizzie Grubmanâ€"style "accident" and a coverup that tests Toby's allegiance to his glitzy cohorts. As the media spotlight shines on Toby, he begins to lose interest in his tour of hot nightspots filled with cool Mr. Wrongs. Will our almost-charming hero ever find someone worthy? There are few surprises here, but Dolby's writing is smooth and his flashy scene-setting spot-on.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


Review

"Has the snap, wit, seduction, and vitality of a new Bright Lights, Big City, Uproariously tunny and unexpectedly poignant." --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Kensington (February 1, 2005)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0758206178
  • ISBN-13: 978-0758206176
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #83,442 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Tom Dolby
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Inside This Book (learn more)


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Customer Reviews

36 Reviews
5 star:
 (17)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:
 (7)
2 star:
 (3)
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 (2)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (36 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Quick fun, but nothing remains, March 29, 2004
By A Customer
The novel is a fast read with moments of fun, but the author seems unable to create a memorable character. Toby neds a lawyer at one point, but worries he can't afford one, even though his parents pay his rent in Manhattan and his mother just sold her company for $200 million. Huh? Many moments like this make the novel seem rushed.

Alos, why does this novel have to be shelved in the gay section? It seemed pretty mainstream to me. I hate this hyper-classification.

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10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Promising Debut Novel, June 1, 2004
By Michael T. Rognlien (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
Looking only at the inside flap of the book (come on, we're gay, we do it) it's hard to imagine that a strikingly handsome author of Dolby descent would be able to write a novel about being (or perceiving oneself as being) .. well, average, insecure and confused as to one's place in the world.

Actually READING the book, though, you find that his main character is all of those things. Cute and young enough to possibly make up for not being TOTALLY hot, Toby, the main character, seems to do nothing but screw up opportunities to 'elevate' himself to the A-list in a snotty, screwed-up New York of the new millenium.

The beauty of this book, though, is that like Sex & the City and Less than Zero - two books this one has been likened to - it has nothing to do with New York or snotty A-lister's or even young almost-hot men.. rather, it's a story about a person coming of age in a time where everything seems possible, everything seems desirable. His Toby, however, is not unlike the rest of us: he wants to be successful, he wants to find love, and he wants to maintain his sense of self but has to do so in spite of horrible bosses, frenemies (the one Sex and the City reference that fits - the episode where friends act like enemies) and a bank account hovering just above zero.

The approachability and enjoyability of this novel is not based on the fact that it's glitzy or set in New York or filled with drama and scandal - that has been done, to varying levels of success, by other authors. What made this book so enjoyable was the fact that the main character was real, honest about his vanities and shortcomings, and in the end decided that being a good person and doing the right thing for his friends, family and self, brought him the happiness that everything else had not.

(Side note: for those of you who read and enjoyed Bart Yates' "Leave Myself Behind," the main character in this book reminds me of a grown up "Noah" - and the fact that Mr. Yates endorses the book on the dust cover should persuade you to read the book!)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars The Trouble Book, February 25, 2005
By Frank Berkeley (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
  
The best part of this book is the inside back dust jacket where there is a really hot picture of the author. (Unfortunately, his website is pretty bare bones with no additional hot pics.) As for the novel, it's good but not great. There's just not much substance to the story. A plus is that the book is free of the continuity mistakes, typos and grammatical errors frequently found in books of this genre, as it was published by a professional house. (The fact that I'm even making this comment relates back to the minimalist substance of the story.) But it is a first novel and we can hope that Tom Dolby will grow and grow. The potential is certainly there.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars sparkling!
Just finished Tom's book and I have to say it was very enjoyable. It's packed with vivid images that brought sights, sounds and smells to me during the read. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Thomas Marino

3.0 out of 5 stars Missing a note
The Trouble Boy just barely rates 3 stars, mainly because it's cohesive through the end. The novel fell short of the "searing", "witty" or "uproariously funny" promises of the... Read more
Published 9 months ago by J. J. Joseph

3.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining junk food
I found "The Trouble Boy" entertaining enough to finish, but I didn't see what the 4 & 5-star reviewers saw. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Richard A. Jenkins

5.0 out of 5 stars Shattering a Myth
Dolby. Tom, "The Trouble Boy", Kensington, 2004.

Shattering a Myth

Amos Lassen

After reading Tom Dolby's new book , "The Sixth Form" due to... Read more
Published 23 months ago by Amos Lassen

5.0 out of 5 stars great book, great cast of characters
So I just finished Tom Dolby's "The Trouble Boy." What a great urban story taking place in my favorite city, New York! Read more
Published on September 17, 2007 by CL

2.0 out of 5 stars Profound? but boring
This is one of those novels I purchased because of the reviews posted here, and was very disappointed in. Read more
Published on June 18, 2007 by Terran

1.0 out of 5 stars Freshman attempt
Don't waste your time on this trite that was probably (hopefully) written with 14 year olds in mind. Read more
Published on September 4, 2006 by B. Desouza

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, Page Turning Read
Tom Dolby's novel was a very compelling and enjoyable summer read. I kept finding myself putting down Elizabeth Kostova's HISTORIAN to pick up Dolby's novel. Read more
Published on August 23, 2006 by RD

4.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous and fun, but not great literature
I only read gay debut novels if the author is hot, since most gay debut novels are largely autobiographical and I usually use the author's image when envisioning the protagonist's... Read more
Published on August 15, 2005 by 21/m/boston

4.0 out of 5 stars But what is right? And what is wrong?
Living life requires choices, most of which requires people to exercise their own values in making these choices...hence, Values Clarification. Read more
Published on July 28, 2005 by Paul A. Minafri

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