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TJ
A dynamic mash-up between memoir and novel, Boris Beedle’s “TJ” is intense, overwhelming, scandalous, and many may even think, controversial. But for those who are looking for a great read with dozens of meaty conversation starters, then “TJ” is for you.When sexy actor TJ Hartwell decides to reach out to his estranged father, after an absence of 25 years, he’s not sure whether he will show up at the luxury hotel room TJ has booked for their meeting. But he does. And the remainder of the night becomes much more than your typical reunion as the men not only try to get to know each other, filling in the holes of history from their 25 years apart, but there are also flashbacks to other characters who are integral to each man’s the cynical Hollywood legend, the smart mouth assistant,the abusive mother, the selfish sister, the needy best friend. Yup, they all play a role in TJ. TJ is tasty, touching, exceptional and fast-moving. It’s about how we as a society parent our children; it’s about love, sex, marriage, divorce and about the distorted celebrity culture we live in. It will force you to examine your relationships with everyone in your life; and ask you to consider what we should expect from love and marriage. There are also several twists and stunning surprises but there will be no spoilers here. If you want a great book club recommendation, or maybe a book to share among your own family, this is as good a choice as you’ll find to spark conversations no matter how they end.
243 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2014
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 20, 2014
One star and that's being generous.
When I downloaded this book, I thought there might be something in there that I could relate to since my own father abandoned my family when I was seven or eight years old. I was hoping to see what their potential reconciliation was like and compare it to my own, such as it was.
There's nothing to compare. This book is filled with bitterness, disillusionment and cynicism not to mention it is anti-parent and misogynistic. I have yet to lay eyes on my father and it's been 42 years but we do speak on occasion and there is none of this going on. Do you know why? Because rather than cry and carry on and act out because, "Oh poor me, my dad left me when I was a little girl and never contacted me all the years I was growing up", I got over my anger and forgave him. He's not perfect. I'm not perfect. We aren't perfect but rather than drag that around and play the blame game which this book is unabashedly doing, I moved on. Life keeps moving and how you choose to live it, whether it be wallowing in self-pity or standing up straight with your head held high, is up to you. There are obstacles to overcome no matter what your upbringing is. Some do have it tougher than others and yes, there is a vicious cycle that occurs with bad parents raising more bad parents but ultimately, it is up to you. Are you going to sit around and feel sorry for yourself or are you going to say, "Screw it. I'm better than this" and actually do better for yourself?
Now for the other stuff. This book was overlong with incredibly long and sometimes boring dialogue. The author used the book as his soapbox, which many authors do and the characters touched on every subject imaginable. It was so long, there were times when I forgot who was speaking and it got to the point where I didn't care. I just wanted them to shut up for a minute. Do something other than talk. Look at each other. Tap your fingers on the table. Something. Anything. Please! I'm sick of listening to your diatribes already and even if I agreed with what was being said, I'm tired of reading it. I get the point. Okay? Move on now.
The biggest irritant in the story was Jenna. What did she have to do with anything? Pages and pages of her rambling on about her sordid little life and how it affected her. I did not care! She had zero reason for being in the story other than she was TJ's friend and manager. Then she has pages of dialogue where she's forcing her views on Navy, who really does have a part in the story. I wanted to yell at her to shut up! I don't care! Maybe if she'd been in the room with TJ and Tony, it would have been better but TJ was quoting her verbatim on some long, boring conversation that they'd had whenever, bashing their parents of course, and he remembered every word. Huh.
I don't know who Boris Beedle is but I do think he is connected to the entertainment industry in some way. He sure knew a lot about it. I don't keep track of the entertainment industry or celebrities but I think he knew more than the average bear.
If you want a book that will make you think yet will drain you mentally, this is the one for you.
When I downloaded this book, I thought there might be something in there that I could relate to since my own father abandoned my family when I was seven or eight years old. I was hoping to see what their potential reconciliation was like and compare it to my own, such as it was.
There's nothing to compare. This book is filled with bitterness, disillusionment and cynicism not to mention it is anti-parent and misogynistic. I have yet to lay eyes on my father and it's been 42 years but we do speak on occasion and there is none of this going on. Do you know why? Because rather than cry and carry on and act out because, "Oh poor me, my dad left me when I was a little girl and never contacted me all the years I was growing up", I got over my anger and forgave him. He's not perfect. I'm not perfect. We aren't perfect but rather than drag that around and play the blame game which this book is unabashedly doing, I moved on. Life keeps moving and how you choose to live it, whether it be wallowing in self-pity or standing up straight with your head held high, is up to you. There are obstacles to overcome no matter what your upbringing is. Some do have it tougher than others and yes, there is a vicious cycle that occurs with bad parents raising more bad parents but ultimately, it is up to you. Are you going to sit around and feel sorry for yourself or are you going to say, "Screw it. I'm better than this" and actually do better for yourself?
Now for the other stuff. This book was overlong with incredibly long and sometimes boring dialogue. The author used the book as his soapbox, which many authors do and the characters touched on every subject imaginable. It was so long, there were times when I forgot who was speaking and it got to the point where I didn't care. I just wanted them to shut up for a minute. Do something other than talk. Look at each other. Tap your fingers on the table. Something. Anything. Please! I'm sick of listening to your diatribes already and even if I agreed with what was being said, I'm tired of reading it. I get the point. Okay? Move on now.
The biggest irritant in the story was Jenna. What did she have to do with anything? Pages and pages of her rambling on about her sordid little life and how it affected her. I did not care! She had zero reason for being in the story other than she was TJ's friend and manager. Then she has pages of dialogue where she's forcing her views on Navy, who really does have a part in the story. I wanted to yell at her to shut up! I don't care! Maybe if she'd been in the room with TJ and Tony, it would have been better but TJ was quoting her verbatim on some long, boring conversation that they'd had whenever, bashing their parents of course, and he remembered every word. Huh.
I don't know who Boris Beedle is but I do think he is connected to the entertainment industry in some way. He sure knew a lot about it. I don't keep track of the entertainment industry or celebrities but I think he knew more than the average bear.
If you want a book that will make you think yet will drain you mentally, this is the one for you.
March 11, 2015
I am a reader who persists and finishes every book that I begin. I can count on one hand the number of books I have not finished. I am still bound and determined to return to the first book I ever left unfinished, but not yet. This book was very nearly added to that list. The only reason it was not is because I committed to writing a review for it. I am sorry to say that this is not a book that I enjoyed. I found it difficult to relate to the characters - they appeared selfish and self-centered to me, yet spent so much time telling us how they were not. I felt that I was being lectured on so many things throughout the book - what is wrong with parents, children, marriage and more. Beedle appeared to have an axe to grind, and I did not really enjoy listening to it, I'm sorry. In my opinion very little happened throughout the story, and very little was resolved between the characters. Father and son, separated so many years before because of the selfishness of one and the youth of the other, are drawn together for seemingly innocent reasons. TJ spent a lot of time and money looking for his father, yet it never came across that he truly wanted to get to know him or even try to understand him. This all seemed a blame game to me, "look what you put me through". Yet, despite his horrible childhood I never felt pain or betrayal from TJ. I want to get to know my characters, really understand them and unfortunately Beedle was unable to do that for me. The writing was quite good at times, and perhaps I would read him again if he told a story rather than gave a lecture.
March 9, 2015
Tony isn't surprised at the choice of hotel the private investigator told him to meet his son. It's extravagant, and luxurious, a lifestyle Tony isn't used to, but he knows his son is, from reading the many tabloids over the years.
This is a book about Tony who abandoned his son and daughter at age six because of the insanity TJ's mother, grandmother, and aunt put them through. Finally TJ and Tony can both agree that his mother is a hard woman to live with, and his aunt and grandmother are just as bad.
When TJ and Tony finally meet, it's a lot of back and forth conversation that leads to a lot of defensiveness. Tony thinks TJ wants a meaningful relationship, with a heart felt apology. TJ wants...well, I don't think TJ knows what he wants.
Throughout a big portion of the book, they share different parts of their lives with one another. In between almost every subject they come upon, they argue a bit. I wondered what would be Tony's breaking point, that he finally cut the conversation off and left.
TJ and Tony are interesting characters that seem very similar in personality and opinions, they just don't know that. Their dialogue was sometimes so choppy it was difficult to tell who was speaking. A large part of the book is just the meeting they have in the hotel, and the conversations they had during their first introduction. I felt like the book repeated itself, bringing up the same subjects with the same expressed opinions. Overall, it's a good book for those that don't mind a lot of dialogue, and a limited amount of settings. I'd give it a 3/5.
This is a book about Tony who abandoned his son and daughter at age six because of the insanity TJ's mother, grandmother, and aunt put them through. Finally TJ and Tony can both agree that his mother is a hard woman to live with, and his aunt and grandmother are just as bad.
When TJ and Tony finally meet, it's a lot of back and forth conversation that leads to a lot of defensiveness. Tony thinks TJ wants a meaningful relationship, with a heart felt apology. TJ wants...well, I don't think TJ knows what he wants.
Throughout a big portion of the book, they share different parts of their lives with one another. In between almost every subject they come upon, they argue a bit. I wondered what would be Tony's breaking point, that he finally cut the conversation off and left.
TJ and Tony are interesting characters that seem very similar in personality and opinions, they just don't know that. Their dialogue was sometimes so choppy it was difficult to tell who was speaking. A large part of the book is just the meeting they have in the hotel, and the conversations they had during their first introduction. I felt like the book repeated itself, bringing up the same subjects with the same expressed opinions. Overall, it's a good book for those that don't mind a lot of dialogue, and a limited amount of settings. I'd give it a 3/5.
September 5, 2014
This book is not an easy read and it's certainly in-your-face with the character's views, especially the main character, who is a bitter, angry young man. But after the reader learns about his brutal background, you sort of get it. There are a lot of ups and downs in this book, but you certainly won't put it down without thinking about your own parents and your life. Even though some people may not like the content, this book is at least well-written and moves fast.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews