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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I love funny showdowns!, May 15, 2006
Unlike Spring's seasonal weather, Timothy James Beck's latest novel, SOMEONE LIKE YOU, starts off quiet as a lamb, and ends with the roar of a lion. Early in the novel, unfamiliarity with numerous characters' back stories caused my reading to slow a bit; I had to remember who did what. As the characters and their motivations became more familiar, my appreciation of their quirks grew, along with appreciation of the unusual setting...the fictional Mall of the Universe in Terre Haut, Indiana.
The mega-mall contains everything to sustain human life. Names of various areas and levels of the mall are astronomy related...the Galaxy Building, the Light Year Passage, Comet Cleaners, the Aurora, the Uranus Level, etc. Beck's "mall moles" live, love, work and play under the mall's vast, star-filled roof. Aside from the usual litany of stores and shops, the Mall of the Universe claims an upscale world class hotel, apartments, condos, numerous restaurants, a planetarium (of course), skating rink, bowling ally, and the dreaded "cart people."
Timothy James Beck's protagonist, Derek, is lucky to be in love with the man of his dreams, Hunter. Managing the mall's hotel for his wealthy father, who owns a chain of hotels around the world, Hunter has a cushy job and live-in suite. Even though Derek's relationship with Hunter is solid, he increasingly sees himself as a kept boy, and his self-esteem suffers as a result of this perception. He vies for a bit of independence by getting a job at Drayden's department store as a shoe salesman. Hunter, unaware of his motivation, believes Derek's restlessness and need for independence is a sign that he needs more space. Space is space, but Australia? Hunter goes to work at another of his father's hotels in Sydney. Sadly, for much of the novel, half of the main love story is missing. Happily, so much happens at the Mall of the Universe, we hardly notice, and there's always email to keep in touch...or is there?
Derek's friends and acquaintances include his gal pal Vienna, hairdresser Davii who works at CosmicTology, and his most difficult shoe department boss, Natasha. Lillith Allure's cosmetics model, Sheila Meyers, who was last seen in Timothy James Beck's, I'M YOUR MAN, has a hilarious cameo involving a photo shoot...with a bull...in the mall. "He's headed right for Mikasa!"
The story has surprises and unexpected, nifty pairings...in more ways than one. Characters and plot all come together in a satisfying, old fashioned showdown, making SOMEONE LIKE YOU's denouement one of the neatest I've read in a long time. Timothy James Beck's fourth novel is a recommended read with a very solid four plus stars.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A new set of friends. . . , June 22, 2006
This is the 4th TJB(Timothy James Beck)book. I think that the biggest problem with this book has nothing to do with this book at all. People who have discovered the TJB books LOVE the NYC friends. This book is about a new set of friends. We have to get to know them and what makes them tick.
I could relate to it because many moons ago when I was in my early 20's I worked in a very busy mall. Not as big as this one however, it was a busy mall. Mall people as they are called do have their own set of "A" groups who think that people aren't as cool because people work on the carts or in the food court. I suspect that those people have strong feelings about the "A" groups.
I liked that one of the NYC friends makes a visit to the mall. If you think about it for a minute you can figure out which one. I thought it was going to be Martin, but it wasn't.
I do think that at first you get the impression that Hunter is a jerk. At the end of the book you have a different impression or atleast I did. My favorite is the Hotel Lounge Singer, I have a feeling that one of the next books about this set of friends is going to be from her viewpoint. She has some tales to tell.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Read, February 13, 2007
Beck, Timothy James. "Someone Like You", Kensington Books, 2007.
A Great Read
Amos Lassen and Literary Pride
Timothy James Beck's "Someone Like You" is one of the best reads I have had in quite a while. It starts very quietly but it builds slowly along the way and ends with a bang. As I learned of the characters and their quirks, I felt like I had a whole group of new friends.
The setting is fictional. The novel takes place in Terre Haute, Indiana at a place called The Mall of the Universe, a tremendous shopping center that has everything one needs to maintain an existence. The entire mall is referred to in astronomy related terms and has aside from the shops condos, apartments, restaurants, skating rink and of course a planetarium among other things. Our hero, Derek, is in love with the man he has dreamt about, Hunter (who happens to be the son of a very wealthy man). Hunter's father owns an international chain of stores and Hunter, himself, is the manager of the hotel at the mall so he has a great live in arrangement. They two guys are in love but Derek sometimes feel that he is related to as a "kept boy." This causes him to question his self-esteem. Derek, feeling motivated to build his self-esteem, takes a job at Drayden's, a department store, and works as a shoe sales clerk. Hunter misinterprets Derek's decision and thinks he is simply in need of some more space.
The cast of characters is simply amazing and Beck's ability to draw character studies is fantastic. The group of characters presented includes several unforgettable types. Aside from Derek who strives for independence (so he thinks), there are several others worth mentioning. Vienna is a beautiful girl who has made up her mind never to be dependent on a man ever gain. Claiming not to want to get involved with another man, she is constantly eyeing others while selling makeup at the mall. Davii is a hairdresser at CosmicTology and is as quick with the jokes as he is with the styling brush. Nursing a secret crush on Derek, all Davii wants is a stable relationship. Christian is a smooth talker and has people eating out of the palms of his hand with his unique charm. And there is Hunter who sits and waits for Derek to come around, all the while nursing the silver spoon in his mouth.
These four unforgettable characters are unaware that what they are looking for is right under their noses and here is the gist of the novel. It is a fun book to read and terrifically engrossing Romanic comedy.
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