What do you think?
Rate this book
Slate
Vivien Slate had it all—a wealthy husband, a talented son, and a Los Angeles film casting business that has been running strong for two decades—until coming home one day to find her husband cheating on her with a younger woman. With her marriage on the rocks, she decides it’s the perfect time to recapture her sexual identity... by finding a younger man of her own. Vivien realizes she has a dating service right inside her own office and can see guys any day she wants—she’s a casting director, after all. She devises a scenario to make the town believe her newest film project is as real as any other. She populates the cast with male characters spanning the ages of twenty to forty and begins holding auditions with hundreds of Tinseltown’s most eligible bachelors. Vivien stops at nothing to find her perfect younger man, even if it means leaving her morals behind and ultimately putting her life in danger.
309 pages, Paperback
First published March 13, 2011
22 people are currently reading
257 people want to read
About the author
Brian Rowe
15 books128 followersBrian Rowe is an author, teacher, book devotee, and film fanatic. He received his MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Nevada, Reno, and is represented by Kortney Price at the Corvisiero Agency.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
March 21, 2011
I was surprised by this book.
It was a really fun read, quick, punchy, with the aura of Hollywood enmeshed in its pages. The main character, Vivien Slate is a powerhouse of laughs as she does whatever she can to get her way in every situation. Some scenes, like a classic purse fight with her husband, had me laughing out loud. She is surprisingly lovable, even in her maniacal selfishness.
I found myself captivated with the ins and outs of movie casting, learning a lot about how a movie comes together and making me very glad I never considered entering that world in any manner.
The second half of the book drags just a bit, there's too much of Brandon, who is not the strongest character, but it picks up as we begin to see the repercussions of Slate's careless behavior. The final few chapters read almost like a crime novel, exciting, suspenseful and not a little frightening.
One issue I did have with the novel, and this is very personal, so take it or leave it, is one particular scene with Slate and a rattlesnake. Now, this is serious nit-picking and this might not bother any other reader, but I need to put it out there. In this scene Slate is confronted with a rattlesnake who blocks her path until she has to kill it. Ok, I am a snake's rights advocate and I take slight issue with this description. Snakes do not chase after people, they do not attack, they flee from humans, so Slate would never have been put in the position where she had to "slay" it. Snake are extremely shy creatures that have been maligned enough, we don't need more fodder.
That's it, rant over. Really, if you're looking for a good, fast read, one that is perfect for the beach or on vacation, this is an excellent choice.
It was a really fun read, quick, punchy, with the aura of Hollywood enmeshed in its pages. The main character, Vivien Slate is a powerhouse of laughs as she does whatever she can to get her way in every situation. Some scenes, like a classic purse fight with her husband, had me laughing out loud. She is surprisingly lovable, even in her maniacal selfishness.
I found myself captivated with the ins and outs of movie casting, learning a lot about how a movie comes together and making me very glad I never considered entering that world in any manner.
The second half of the book drags just a bit, there's too much of Brandon, who is not the strongest character, but it picks up as we begin to see the repercussions of Slate's careless behavior. The final few chapters read almost like a crime novel, exciting, suspenseful and not a little frightening.
One issue I did have with the novel, and this is very personal, so take it or leave it, is one particular scene with Slate and a rattlesnake. Now, this is serious nit-picking and this might not bother any other reader, but I need to put it out there. In this scene Slate is confronted with a rattlesnake who blocks her path until she has to kill it. Ok, I am a snake's rights advocate and I take slight issue with this description. Snakes do not chase after people, they do not attack, they flee from humans, so Slate would never have been put in the position where she had to "slay" it. Snake are extremely shy creatures that have been maligned enough, we don't need more fodder.
That's it, rant over. Really, if you're looking for a good, fast read, one that is perfect for the beach or on vacation, this is an excellent choice.
May 17, 2011
Where to begin? The premise of the story was interesting and had a lot of potential. Vivien is a casting director who's been in the business for 20 years. She's successful, has a happy marriage (so it seems) and a son who is about to break into the business. All of that comes crashing down when Vivien catches her husband having sex with his secretary in their hottub. You would think that you would feel sorry for Vivien's character after finding out that her husband has been having an affair. Wrong!
Vivien Slate has to be the most unsympathetic character I have read in a very long time. She starts off being a mean, self-absorbed bitch. I was hoping that once she discovered her husband's affair, she would have an attitude adjustment and become more likable. Nope. If anything, she was worse. When she decides to create a fictional movie so that she can get her "How Stella Gets Her Groove Back" on, I thought that it was the most selfish thing a person could do. These men are struggling actors who are looking for that one great part to make their career. Vivien didn't have much of a conscience about leading these men on and basically using them and getting their hopes up for nothing. Needless to say, it comes back and bites her in the ass.
Slate is riddled with characters that I could care less about. Brandon, Vivien's assistant, receives the brunt of her bitchiniess and abuse. Why he took the abuse, I don't know. Vivien barely paid him so it's not like he was rolling in the dough. Vivien's relationship with Brandon was inconsistent. She would act like Brandon is like family and then in the next instance she would be saying or thinking borderline homophobic thoughts about him. Say what? It needs to be one or the other; you either love him like a brother or you can't stand him. We meet a lot of characters in this book and none of them are fully fleshed out. The character development was weak. Why the author felt the need to explain a character's bout with IBS, I'll never know. It added nothing to the plot or the character. Due to some less than important traits that are revealed about the characters, we never learn what truly drives these people and don't have a chance to connect with them.
Slate has the potential to be a good book. There were editing and plot consistency issues but I can overlook that. What I can't overlook is the unlikable characters. I've never read a book where I wished no one got their HEA.
Vivien Slate has to be the most unsympathetic character I have read in a very long time. She starts off being a mean, self-absorbed bitch. I was hoping that once she discovered her husband's affair, she would have an attitude adjustment and become more likable. Nope. If anything, she was worse. When she decides to create a fictional movie so that she can get her "How Stella Gets Her Groove Back" on, I thought that it was the most selfish thing a person could do. These men are struggling actors who are looking for that one great part to make their career. Vivien didn't have much of a conscience about leading these men on and basically using them and getting their hopes up for nothing. Needless to say, it comes back and bites her in the ass.
Slate is riddled with characters that I could care less about. Brandon, Vivien's assistant, receives the brunt of her bitchiniess and abuse. Why he took the abuse, I don't know. Vivien barely paid him so it's not like he was rolling in the dough. Vivien's relationship with Brandon was inconsistent. She would act like Brandon is like family and then in the next instance she would be saying or thinking borderline homophobic thoughts about him. Say what? It needs to be one or the other; you either love him like a brother or you can't stand him. We meet a lot of characters in this book and none of them are fully fleshed out. The character development was weak. Why the author felt the need to explain a character's bout with IBS, I'll never know. It added nothing to the plot or the character. Due to some less than important traits that are revealed about the characters, we never learn what truly drives these people and don't have a chance to connect with them.
Slate has the potential to be a good book. There were editing and plot consistency issues but I can overlook that. What I can't overlook is the unlikable characters. I've never read a book where I wished no one got their HEA.
April 7, 2011
Vivien is a Hollywood casting director who catches her husband cheating on her. After she leave him, she decides to get revenge and move on by finding her own leading man. She starts casting for a fake movie to find that perfect guy, but at what cost?
I found this book to be very in your face and Hollywood-y, which I think was the purpose. Vivien was an over-the-top woman on a mission. I found her reaction to her husband's betrayal a little sad and pathetic. Instead of moving on with her life in a productive and mature manner, she turns to revenge and sleaze. But it was quite humourous to read.
The character of Gavin, Vivien's son, was a bit confusing to me. I couldn't really get a grasp on what age he was. Apparently he was 13, but at various times in the book, he seemed much older, or much younger. It seemed that has the story progressed, he went from acting 16 or 17 backwards to 10 or 11. But I don't have much experience with teenaged boys, so maybe his behaviour makes sense. I'm sure growing up in Hollywood makes a big difference as well.
Overall, I found the book entertaining, albeit a tad too direct for me. I have reached an age where I prefer my romance novels sweet and subtle. But that it just a personal opinion. I know plenty of readers would appreciate the "bodice ripper" qualities.
I found this book to be very in your face and Hollywood-y, which I think was the purpose. Vivien was an over-the-top woman on a mission. I found her reaction to her husband's betrayal a little sad and pathetic. Instead of moving on with her life in a productive and mature manner, she turns to revenge and sleaze. But it was quite humourous to read.
The character of Gavin, Vivien's son, was a bit confusing to me. I couldn't really get a grasp on what age he was. Apparently he was 13, but at various times in the book, he seemed much older, or much younger. It seemed that has the story progressed, he went from acting 16 or 17 backwards to 10 or 11. But I don't have much experience with teenaged boys, so maybe his behaviour makes sense. I'm sure growing up in Hollywood makes a big difference as well.
Overall, I found the book entertaining, albeit a tad too direct for me. I have reached an age where I prefer my romance novels sweet and subtle. But that it just a personal opinion. I know plenty of readers would appreciate the "bodice ripper" qualities.
May 26, 2017
With a truly horrible main character you'd think I'd have hated this, but actually it was a fun and enjoyable read
March 18, 2012
When I first started reading this, it seemed that the main character would be Nathan, but then chapter one begins with a woman named Vivien Slate, a casting director for movies, starring in the primary role. It made me wonder what happened to Nathan.
Like any typical TV businessman, Vivien is hard-working and extremely busy—so busy, in fact, that she can’t be bothered to remember an intern’s name. She can’t stand people who are ignorant about the entertainment industry; in fact, she nearly clobbers a video store clerk because of her lack of movie knowledge. Vivien also has a son, a child actor she desperately pushes into the spot light of fame and fortune.
We actually don’t run into Nathan again until he accidentally bumps into Vivien on the way to exiting the office of her son’s acting coach.
As the story continues, we are introduced to other characters: Christopher Bells, the storyboard artist with the bowel syndrome and a longing aspiration for the acting life; Lila Perrington, a 50-something “B-level” actress who hates to admit her real age; Garrett Skyler, a former child actor that grew into a hunk that now ignites a fire in Vivien’s fantasies; Tyler Stiletto, a “show me the money” agent; Alyson Baumgartner, the film/acting student who is barely learning the non-California lingo of the industry; and, of course, Nathan LeMille (the guy we meet in the prologue,) another actor trying to get his face out there, even though the scar on his chin was his worst enemy. Every character—all of which come into the story with their own personal baggage—is somehow connected to Vivien, as she, herself, struggles to find balance in her career and family. But then Vivien’s world starts to crash and burn after she catches her husband sticking it to his young secretary in their Jacuzzi, to which, Vivien goes ballistic, grabs a bat, and chases after her cheating husband (a very entertaining scene!)
After that, Vivien can only think of one thing: to get back at her husband for what he did. One way—the only way, as it was bluntly stated—was for her to cheat on him. And that becomes her mission throughout the entire book. I liked how, in the beginning, Vivien was so clumsy about the whole getting-laid thing, especially in regards to the entire process—going to late-night bars, flirting, making eye-contact, going for the first kiss, etc. This gave her character a comedy quality, one straight out of a Sandra Bullock movie.
Eventually, Vivien decides that it would be easier to cast her perfect man; and a fake movie that everyone wants to audition for is born. But suddenly her mission for a one-night stand takes a different turn as Vivien’s true desire is to go to bed with one man for the rest of her life.
Full of humor and sensitivity, this story takes us on a fun roller coaster ride through Hollywood. It was interesting to learn the back story of the movie industry—the casting, the script readings, the editing, the behind-the-scenes look into the real office life. The author clearly knew a lot about movies and had a sense of humor about it. But I did feel that there were a few too many characters, so many that it took some of the focus away from Vivien. Was it really necessary to map out everybody’s life story in so much detail? However, despite the fact that there were too many people, the writer does take us back to the story, clean and simple, without losing the reader’s interest. I must also add that the book had a bit too much sex for my taste. Not that there’s anything wrong with a little sex in a story, but, in retrospect, I do tend to get a little put off—not to mention disgusted—when it gets too racy. I basically had to skip those scenes.
In any sense, curiosity compels you to keep on reading as you wonder how it will all end. Will Vivien achieve what she set out to do? Will she feel any differently about it? How will it affect her and those around her? Will she be happy with herself when this is all over? You can’t help but feel sympathy for Vivien as she goes through a crumbling marriage; however, she also portrays a selfish side I didn’t quite care for when she uses her power as casting director to seduce potential actors. Maybe she deserved to be a little selfish, but not at the advantage of a poor, struggling actor—that’s not professional. Did she really think she could find true love this way?
Towards the end, Vivien becomes more naive, clueless, and temperamental, which all rendered her as a true-to-life character. I mean, I’ll bet there are a lot of people like her in Hollywood Land. Overall, this was a quick and easy read, even as an E-book (I personally prefer reading my stories from an actual book in my hand as opposed to a computer screen.) Still, I could not wait to see how it would end.
Like any typical TV businessman, Vivien is hard-working and extremely busy—so busy, in fact, that she can’t be bothered to remember an intern’s name. She can’t stand people who are ignorant about the entertainment industry; in fact, she nearly clobbers a video store clerk because of her lack of movie knowledge. Vivien also has a son, a child actor she desperately pushes into the spot light of fame and fortune.
We actually don’t run into Nathan again until he accidentally bumps into Vivien on the way to exiting the office of her son’s acting coach.
As the story continues, we are introduced to other characters: Christopher Bells, the storyboard artist with the bowel syndrome and a longing aspiration for the acting life; Lila Perrington, a 50-something “B-level” actress who hates to admit her real age; Garrett Skyler, a former child actor that grew into a hunk that now ignites a fire in Vivien’s fantasies; Tyler Stiletto, a “show me the money” agent; Alyson Baumgartner, the film/acting student who is barely learning the non-California lingo of the industry; and, of course, Nathan LeMille (the guy we meet in the prologue,) another actor trying to get his face out there, even though the scar on his chin was his worst enemy. Every character—all of which come into the story with their own personal baggage—is somehow connected to Vivien, as she, herself, struggles to find balance in her career and family. But then Vivien’s world starts to crash and burn after she catches her husband sticking it to his young secretary in their Jacuzzi, to which, Vivien goes ballistic, grabs a bat, and chases after her cheating husband (a very entertaining scene!)
After that, Vivien can only think of one thing: to get back at her husband for what he did. One way—the only way, as it was bluntly stated—was for her to cheat on him. And that becomes her mission throughout the entire book. I liked how, in the beginning, Vivien was so clumsy about the whole getting-laid thing, especially in regards to the entire process—going to late-night bars, flirting, making eye-contact, going for the first kiss, etc. This gave her character a comedy quality, one straight out of a Sandra Bullock movie.
Eventually, Vivien decides that it would be easier to cast her perfect man; and a fake movie that everyone wants to audition for is born. But suddenly her mission for a one-night stand takes a different turn as Vivien’s true desire is to go to bed with one man for the rest of her life.
Full of humor and sensitivity, this story takes us on a fun roller coaster ride through Hollywood. It was interesting to learn the back story of the movie industry—the casting, the script readings, the editing, the behind-the-scenes look into the real office life. The author clearly knew a lot about movies and had a sense of humor about it. But I did feel that there were a few too many characters, so many that it took some of the focus away from Vivien. Was it really necessary to map out everybody’s life story in so much detail? However, despite the fact that there were too many people, the writer does take us back to the story, clean and simple, without losing the reader’s interest. I must also add that the book had a bit too much sex for my taste. Not that there’s anything wrong with a little sex in a story, but, in retrospect, I do tend to get a little put off—not to mention disgusted—when it gets too racy. I basically had to skip those scenes.
In any sense, curiosity compels you to keep on reading as you wonder how it will all end. Will Vivien achieve what she set out to do? Will she feel any differently about it? How will it affect her and those around her? Will she be happy with herself when this is all over? You can’t help but feel sympathy for Vivien as she goes through a crumbling marriage; however, she also portrays a selfish side I didn’t quite care for when she uses her power as casting director to seduce potential actors. Maybe she deserved to be a little selfish, but not at the advantage of a poor, struggling actor—that’s not professional. Did she really think she could find true love this way?
Towards the end, Vivien becomes more naive, clueless, and temperamental, which all rendered her as a true-to-life character. I mean, I’ll bet there are a lot of people like her in Hollywood Land. Overall, this was a quick and easy read, even as an E-book (I personally prefer reading my stories from an actual book in my hand as opposed to a computer screen.) Still, I could not wait to see how it would end.
May 5, 2011
There is nothing more humiliating than finding your spouse in bed with another person. That is exactly what happens to Vivien Slate. To make matters worse, her "competition" is a much younger woman. Rather than being bogged down by regret and self-loathing, Vivien sets out to get herself a younger man and prove that she isn't an old woman.
Vivien is a casting director with an idea in mind, she approves many men between the ages of twenty and forty to be a part of her cast and convinces them that they are part of her production. Vivien is an alpha bi***, but the reader doesn't come out hating her as much due to the author's careful leading of her character. She sacrifices her morals, lies about her actions, and deceives the whole town.
I was surprised that the author put in that when Vivien caught her husband cheating one of her first reactions was to finger herself, this is definitely not a normal woman's reaction...I was also surprised at the use of the F word constantly. The novel seemed a tad unnecessarily vulgar in places, however, I did like the development of some of the characters throughout the novel. It must be difficult to write chick lit if the author is a man, because some of Vivien's reactions seemed unlikely given that she was a female character. I would recommend this book to adults who enjoy chick lit.
Vivien is a casting director with an idea in mind, she approves many men between the ages of twenty and forty to be a part of her cast and convinces them that they are part of her production. Vivien is an alpha bi***, but the reader doesn't come out hating her as much due to the author's careful leading of her character. She sacrifices her morals, lies about her actions, and deceives the whole town.
I was surprised that the author put in that when Vivien caught her husband cheating one of her first reactions was to finger herself, this is definitely not a normal woman's reaction...I was also surprised at the use of the F word constantly. The novel seemed a tad unnecessarily vulgar in places, however, I did like the development of some of the characters throughout the novel. It must be difficult to write chick lit if the author is a man, because some of Vivien's reactions seemed unlikely given that she was a female character. I would recommend this book to adults who enjoy chick lit.
September 21, 2014
Quick, upbeat read. . . synopsis promises an interesting read. . .
I found Vivian to be a woman that would do what it took to get what she wants and at times it was funny to read on as it all unfolded before her. She had life slap her hard so she decides to slap it back with some justice of her own.
Rowe places is right before us. There are spots that may need some work but the read was enjoyable.
Thanks, NetGalley.
I found Vivian to be a woman that would do what it took to get what she wants and at times it was funny to read on as it all unfolded before her. She had life slap her hard so she decides to slap it back with some justice of her own.
Rowe places is right before us. There are spots that may need some work but the read was enjoyable.
Thanks, NetGalley.
February 7, 2015
I didn't like this book. I didn't like the main character, Vivian. She was so self-absorbed, vain and shallow, I didn't feel drawn to her at all.
The book was very difficult to get into, plot kept jumping around, very choppy, and since I didn't like Vivian, I just didn't care.
The book was very difficult to get into, plot kept jumping around, very choppy, and since I didn't like Vivian, I just didn't care.
May 28, 2016
Not my kind of read
The story was written okay although I would have liked a bit more detailed ending. I took off stars because most of the characters had no morals, the business ethics were bad and the sex scenes were too many.
The story was written okay although I would have liked a bit more detailed ending. I took off stars because most of the characters had no morals, the business ethics were bad and the sex scenes were too many.
Want to read
March 22, 2013Amazon freebie 3/22/13
March 7, 2014
Badly written.
May 14, 2014
Really enjoyed the book. Good concept. Very funny bits in it. Very strange ending and a bit bizarre but all in all a nice read.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews