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Charitable Getting
Charity in the twenty-first century is a game. The players are artists, salesmen, and idealists, all working together to get something for nothing. At the center of the game stands Bo Sparks, charismatic CEO of SparkVISION Consulting, which runs campaigns for the charities under its care. Surrounded by the wealthy and the desperate, Sparks just wants to do a little good in the world. But this holiday season he has more than his fair share of worries, between a secretive blogger who might be one of his staff, a journalist determined to uncover who it is, and a client who not only doesn't want to pay their fee, but wants to sue Sparks for telling the truth. Sex scandals, embezzlement, gossip, clandestine love affairs, and one misplaced cake: it's all in a day's work for SparkVISION.
- GenresFictionContemporaryAdult
ebook
First published November 1, 2010
1 person is currently reading
36 people want to read
About the author
Sam Starbuck
26 books118 followersSam is a nonprofit researcher, blogger, and former theatre punk who lives and works in Chicago, Illinois.
Secretly, he is a Time Lord.
He writes romance and light SFF, literary fiction, and sometimes even fanfic.
Secretly, he is a Time Lord.
He writes romance and light SFF, literary fiction, and sometimes even fanfic.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 15, 2011
This is an utterly charming novel about the ins and outs of the not-for-profit sector in the 21st century. Ostensibly, the novel centres on SparkVISION, a company specialising in PR for not-for-profit agencies, and the way that it's employees become embroiled in the mystery surrounding the identity of "Non-Prophet", a peseudonymous blogger whose incisive insights into the not-for-prophet world antagonises the producers of traditional print media. Things come to a head when SparkVISION falls afoul of a corrupt manager of a not-for-profit firm--inevitably, Non-Prophet's identity must be revealed.
The truly delightful aspect of this book is the characters. In truth, most insightful readers will discern Non-Prophet's identity long before the big reveal, but that's okay -- Starbuck seems to have anticipated this, and much of the joy of reading the story comes from watching many of the characters miss all the clues that Non-Prophet inadvertantly leaves. The true joy of this book, however, is the characters themselves. No one is one-dimensional, and one finds oneself wanting to know more about all of them. Starbuck deserves special kudos for the character of Bo Sparks -- he's lovable and often plays dumb for both his own and his employees' amusement -- but when it comes down to it, he's wonderfully intelligent, and far more insightful than people give him credit for. It's difficult to write a character like him well -- but Starbuck does it beautifully.
The truly delightful aspect of this book is the characters. In truth, most insightful readers will discern Non-Prophet's identity long before the big reveal, but that's okay -- Starbuck seems to have anticipated this, and much of the joy of reading the story comes from watching many of the characters miss all the clues that Non-Prophet inadvertantly leaves. The true joy of this book, however, is the characters themselves. No one is one-dimensional, and one finds oneself wanting to know more about all of them. Starbuck deserves special kudos for the character of Bo Sparks -- he's lovable and often plays dumb for both his own and his employees' amusement -- but when it comes down to it, he's wonderfully intelligent, and far more insightful than people give him credit for. It's difficult to write a character like him well -- but Starbuck does it beautifully.
January 1, 2012
My first book of 2012!
"Charitable Getting" is the first non-fanfic fiction I've read from Sam, and I really enjoyed it! Sam has a gift for writing complex, likeable characters.
I suspect anyone with passing familiarity with Sam's blog will have no difficulty sussing out the big reveal from the first mention of the mystery, but I nevertheless enjoyed the chase. I look forward to reading more from him.
"Charitable Getting" is the first non-fanfic fiction I've read from Sam, and I really enjoyed it! Sam has a gift for writing complex, likeable characters.
I suspect anyone with passing familiarity with Sam's blog will have no difficulty sussing out the big reveal from the first mention of the mystery, but I nevertheless enjoyed the chase. I look forward to reading more from him.
July 31, 2017
Excellent, as is all work by Sam Starbuck! The novel is light-hearted in tone, but at its core it explores many 'serious' issues in a way that is thoughtful and engaging. Each of the characters was fantastic. Even the unlikable ones were portrayed in a nuanced and realistic manner. It was like getting a glimpse into the lives of real people in novel form.
Best of all, entirely without being annoying or holier-than-thou, Starbuck manages to infuse the reader with a desire to Do Good, even if it is in the form of pocket-change charity at the end of a long day. This particular broke student doesn't have all that much to give, but the author's point stands: not much is still better than nothing.
Best of all, entirely without being annoying or holier-than-thou, Starbuck manages to infuse the reader with a desire to Do Good, even if it is in the form of pocket-change charity at the end of a long day. This particular broke student doesn't have all that much to give, but the author's point stands: not much is still better than nothing.
December 28, 2013
Available for free online. (One such place is at http://extribulum.wordpress.com/free-...)
This story follows the workers at a charity consulting company called SparkVISION. They help charities rebrand themselves, do ad campaigns, run damage control, etc. Because they're working for charities, it's very important that they earn their money, and many of them are doing their work more for the love of it than their pay--they're a small group, often over-worked and hassled. And yet they're a tight-knit family, hilarious in their squabbles and jokes.
They're run by Bo Sparks, energetic and slightly insane (he has a gong). Jess, their Outreach Officer, takes entirely too much joy in breaking the new interns. Ian, their receptionist, also doubles as a cook at company parties. Taking place in December if 2009, the company has to deal with all the fuss that surrounds the holidays, some complicated personal lives, and their jogs at the business, a kind of juggling that sometimes has casualties.
One of them just might be an anonymous blogger that a journalist is determined to uncover--mostly for the story, partly because she hates the blogger. And one of their clients is so angry with the results of a consultation he's threatening to sue. And if the major crises aren't enough, minor ones pop up every day.
The frenetic pacing of this book had me reading to the end, wondering who the blogger would be, and what would happen to them if they were discovered. The characters themselves are interesting, and their interactions with their family, co-workers, and friends create a complex web of relationships that feel very real. They help each other, but also tease, place bets, joke, and made me laugh more than once. An interesting look at the business of charity, how the internet affects the non-digital world, and the consequences of trying to make the world a slightly better place.
This story follows the workers at a charity consulting company called SparkVISION. They help charities rebrand themselves, do ad campaigns, run damage control, etc. Because they're working for charities, it's very important that they earn their money, and many of them are doing their work more for the love of it than their pay--they're a small group, often over-worked and hassled. And yet they're a tight-knit family, hilarious in their squabbles and jokes.
They're run by Bo Sparks, energetic and slightly insane (he has a gong). Jess, their Outreach Officer, takes entirely too much joy in breaking the new interns. Ian, their receptionist, also doubles as a cook at company parties. Taking place in December if 2009, the company has to deal with all the fuss that surrounds the holidays, some complicated personal lives, and their jogs at the business, a kind of juggling that sometimes has casualties.
One of them just might be an anonymous blogger that a journalist is determined to uncover--mostly for the story, partly because she hates the blogger. And one of their clients is so angry with the results of a consultation he's threatening to sue. And if the major crises aren't enough, minor ones pop up every day.
The frenetic pacing of this book had me reading to the end, wondering who the blogger would be, and what would happen to them if they were discovered. The characters themselves are interesting, and their interactions with their family, co-workers, and friends create a complex web of relationships that feel very real. They help each other, but also tease, place bets, joke, and made me laugh more than once. An interesting look at the business of charity, how the internet affects the non-digital world, and the consequences of trying to make the world a slightly better place.
January 17, 2016
A quick read for a lazy day, and a reasonably entertaining read at that, though there's little here which feels particularly memorable in the long-term -
As is Starbuck's skill, the banter between the characters flows smoothly as always, and frankly Bo Sparks has enough charisma to carry the story all by himself. The ending has definitely been improved from the rough second draft first posted online - namely, there's attention paid to the ending of Tanya's subplot, which previously was mysteriously abandoned after the climax - but it's still not quite as lengthy or as satisfying as I'd like. One more chapter to explain how , and a "day in the life" of would have done wonders, and merited an extra star.
(Still, there are certainly worse criticisms to give of a book than "more!" There's a few deeper messages to ponder here, but for the most part it's just a light-hearted story with a happy ending - a quick, fun diversion.)
As is Starbuck's skill, the banter between the characters flows smoothly as always, and frankly Bo Sparks has enough charisma to carry the story all by himself. The ending has definitely been improved from the rough second draft first posted online - namely, there's attention paid to the ending of Tanya's subplot, which previously was mysteriously abandoned after the climax - but it's still not quite as lengthy or as satisfying as I'd like. One more chapter to explain how , and a "day in the life" of would have done wonders, and merited an extra star.
(Still, there are certainly worse criticisms to give of a book than "more!" There's a few deeper messages to ponder here, but for the most part it's just a light-hearted story with a happy ending - a quick, fun diversion.)
August 26, 2020
Cute, well-written and enjoyable, with a host of pretty great characters that I was happy to meet and hang out with for a while.
But, for me, also a light and shallow read, that didn’t make me FEEL as much as other works by this author has managed to. So three strong stars.
But also... Torchwood vibes? Or was that just me? Bo Sparks didn’t feel all that different from Jack Harkness (who’s also the Face of Bo...?) and then coffee master Ian(to)? Coincidence..?
But, for me, also a light and shallow read, that didn’t make me FEEL as much as other works by this author has managed to. So three strong stars.
But also... Torchwood vibes? Or was that just me? Bo Sparks didn’t feel all that different from Jack Harkness (who’s also the Face of Bo...?) and then coffee master Ian(to)? Coincidence..?
January 1, 2014
A fun and entertaining read about some serious issues in the not-for-profit world of SparksVISION a PR company for charities. The characters are believable but quirky, for instance the new interns get to go through the Sarah "gauntlet" guaranteed to make some of them cry and run away in terror and the members of SparksVISION place bets on the outcome.
November 25, 2022
This book was a joy to read. Perfectly-paced, witty, warm, thoughtful, and full of delightful, ridiculous characters I wish I knew, I would recommend this to anyone. It's a quick and entertaining read with several laugh-out-loud moments.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews