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Gonzo Girl
Long after the last drink is poured and the final gunshot fired, Cheryl Della Pietra's novel inspired by her time as Hunter S. Thompson's assistant will linger in your mind.
Alley Russo is a recent college grad desperately trying to make it in the grueling world of New York publishing, but like so many who have come before her, she has no connections and has settled for an unpaid magazine internship while slinging drinks on Bleecker Street just to make ends meet. That's when she hears the infamous Walker Reade is looking for an assistant to replace the eight others who have recently quit. Hungry for a chance to get her manuscript onto the desk of an experienced editor, Alley jumps at the opportunity to help Reade finish his latest novel.
After surviving an absurd three-day trial period involving a .44 magnum, purple-pyramid acid, violent verbal outbursts, brushes with fame and the law, a bevy of peacocks, and a whole lot of cocaine, Alley is invited to stay at the compound where Reade works. For months Alley attempts to coax the novel out of Walker page-by-page, all while battling his endless procrastination, vampiric schedule, Herculean substance abuse, mounting debt, and casual gunplay. But as the job begins to take a toll on her psyche, Alley realizes she's alone in the Colorado Rockies at the mercy of a drug-addicted literary icon who may never produce another novel and her fate may already be sealed.
A smart, rollicking ride told with heart, Gonzo Girl is a loving fictional portrait of a larger-than-life literary icon.
This debut novel is raucous, page-turning, head-spinning, and side-splitting as it depicts a boss and mentor who is both devil and angel, and a young heroine who finds herself tested in the chaos that surrounds him. An intense story, Della Pietra's tale about writing, firearms, psychotropics, and the pros and cons of hot tubs will suck you in and take you on ride.
"Gonzo Girl is a ticket you want to buy."-Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New Black
Alley Russo is a recent college grad desperately trying to make it in the grueling world of New York publishing, but like so many who have come before her, she has no connections and has settled for an unpaid magazine internship while slinging drinks on Bleecker Street just to make ends meet. That's when she hears the infamous Walker Reade is looking for an assistant to replace the eight others who have recently quit. Hungry for a chance to get her manuscript onto the desk of an experienced editor, Alley jumps at the opportunity to help Reade finish his latest novel.
After surviving an absurd three-day trial period involving a .44 magnum, purple-pyramid acid, violent verbal outbursts, brushes with fame and the law, a bevy of peacocks, and a whole lot of cocaine, Alley is invited to stay at the compound where Reade works. For months Alley attempts to coax the novel out of Walker page-by-page, all while battling his endless procrastination, vampiric schedule, Herculean substance abuse, mounting debt, and casual gunplay. But as the job begins to take a toll on her psyche, Alley realizes she's alone in the Colorado Rockies at the mercy of a drug-addicted literary icon who may never produce another novel and her fate may already be sealed.
A smart, rollicking ride told with heart, Gonzo Girl is a loving fictional portrait of a larger-than-life literary icon.
This debut novel is raucous, page-turning, head-spinning, and side-splitting as it depicts a boss and mentor who is both devil and angel, and a young heroine who finds herself tested in the chaos that surrounds him. An intense story, Della Pietra's tale about writing, firearms, psychotropics, and the pros and cons of hot tubs will suck you in and take you on ride.
"Gonzo Girl is a ticket you want to buy."-Piper Kerman, author of Orange Is the New Black
272 pages, Hardcover
First published July 7, 2015
61 people are currently reading
3272 people want to read
About the author
Cheryl Della Pietra
3 books27 followersCheryl Della Pietra is a longtime New York City magazine editor, writer, and copy editor. She has published numerous stories in such magazines as Marie Claire, Redbook, and POV Magazine. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, she lived with Hunter S. Thompson in Woody Creek, Colorado, for several months in 1992, where she worked as his assistant. She currently lives in Branford, Connecticut, with her husband and son.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
July 19, 2015
3 1/2 stars. I found myself reading The Gonzo Girl compulsively -- fascinated, repulsed and cringing. The Gonzo Girls is a fictionalized account of the author's work in the early 1990s as assistant to Hunter S. Thompson. While the narrator Alley's job was officially to help Walker Reade -- the fictional Thompson -- finish a book -- which he desperately needed to do given his financial situation -- her job was really to put up with and do anything required by her egotistical paranoid alcohol drug and gun crazy boss. The narrator portrays one torturous day after another living on Reade's ranch where he is constantly plying her with drugs, requiring her to serve a steady flow of drinks, taking her to his shooting range to use one of his 100 or so guns and hanging out with a constant stream of hangers on, before finally being able to coax one or two pages out of him which she would then rewrite before faxing them to the editor. I have never read any of Thompson's books but am certainly familiar with his persona. And The Gonzo Girl gives a lot of dimension to that persona -- which is what made the book fascinating and repulsive. What made it cringe worthy is Alley's strange passive compliance with Reade's expectations. Alley is not portrayed as enjoying her time as Reade's assistant -- she finds the drug and alcohol consumption over the top and she faces an ongoing barrage of insults and poor treatment from Reade -- but somehow she sticks with him clearly fascinated by his iconic persona and hoping to kick start her own writing career. To me, it's impossible to relate to Alley and I would be distressed beyond belief if my daughter ever found herself in that type of situation. But watching her negotiate Reade and her own feelings was oddly interesting, albeit creepy. This book is clearly not for everyone -- many people wouldn't find it interesting and some may find it offensive. And it may have been better if it had been an actual memoir, because throughout I kept wondering what is truth and what is fiction. But in the end, assuming at least some of it is true, the author has done a good job with her own brand of Gonzo journalism -- a concept created by Thompson --which involves immersing yourself fully in your subject in order to write about it. Ironically, the author set off to enhance her writing career through her association with Thompson but what she got was an opportunity to research and write a very readable book about her time in his employ. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.
March 25, 2016
In her early twenties, just out of college, Cheryl Della Pietra spent several months working as Hunter S. Thompson's assistant; Gonzo Girl is by all accounts a largely autobiographical novel about that period of her life, with little changed except the names. The narrator is 22-year-old Alley, who at the start of the book is enduring a three-day trial period with the dubious 'prize' of getting to work for the Thompson figure, here called Walker Reade.
Of course, Alley passes her trial, and her life becomes an endless round of the same few things: drugs, drinking, guns, dangerous driving and excessive spending, but mostly drugs and drinking. The majority of the book is made up of scenes of the aforementioned; Alley details the process of making so many different cocktails that Gonzo Girl could double as a bartender's manual. Like the life Alley is required to lead - and, you could argue, like Hunter S. Thompson's work itself - a little is great fun, a lot is repetitive verging on monotonous. Della Pietra is very good at writing about drugs (Alley's first manic shopping trip with Walker is particularly vivid) but there's only so much of this you can read before it gets exhausting. This is a short book and easy to read, but nevertheless best consumed in small bursts.
On the plus side, the writing is charming, and I really liked Alley. Unfortunately, the plot is very slight, and the craziness of life with Walker isn't enough to make it compelling. Tension is provided by Alley's romance with a famous actor, her family's lack of ambition, and her own attempts to complete a manuscript at the same time as editing Walker's work, but none of these plot points come to very much. I did think at times that I'd rather have read an autobiographical account of the author's time with Thompson. (Della Pietra has said she feels too far removed from that time in her life to be capable of writing an accurate memoir, which is understandable; still, Alley's story is so very thinly fictionalised that you inevitably get distracted by thoughts of what did and didn't really happen.)
Those who enjoyed this might also like My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff, and vice versa.
I received an advance review copy of Gonzo Girl from the publisher through NetGalley.
Of course, Alley passes her trial, and her life becomes an endless round of the same few things: drugs, drinking, guns, dangerous driving and excessive spending, but mostly drugs and drinking. The majority of the book is made up of scenes of the aforementioned; Alley details the process of making so many different cocktails that Gonzo Girl could double as a bartender's manual. Like the life Alley is required to lead - and, you could argue, like Hunter S. Thompson's work itself - a little is great fun, a lot is repetitive verging on monotonous. Della Pietra is very good at writing about drugs (Alley's first manic shopping trip with Walker is particularly vivid) but there's only so much of this you can read before it gets exhausting. This is a short book and easy to read, but nevertheless best consumed in small bursts.
On the plus side, the writing is charming, and I really liked Alley. Unfortunately, the plot is very slight, and the craziness of life with Walker isn't enough to make it compelling. Tension is provided by Alley's romance with a famous actor, her family's lack of ambition, and her own attempts to complete a manuscript at the same time as editing Walker's work, but none of these plot points come to very much. I did think at times that I'd rather have read an autobiographical account of the author's time with Thompson. (Della Pietra has said she feels too far removed from that time in her life to be capable of writing an accurate memoir, which is understandable; still, Alley's story is so very thinly fictionalised that you inevitably get distracted by thoughts of what did and didn't really happen.)
Those who enjoyed this might also like My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff, and vice versa.
I received an advance review copy of Gonzo Girl from the publisher through NetGalley.
October 24, 2015
I was so hoping to enjoy this book. It had
Everything I usually like in a book, and was based on hunter s Thompson, and I'm a fan of his writing. So how did it turn out so mediocre?
First off, I didn't feel like I ever got to know
The main character, or understand why she was driven enough to be "Walker Reede"'s assistant. To become a successful author? Really? There isn't any other way you can get your book published? You had
To do bucket loads of drugs, let a man verbally and physically abuse you, tell you how to dress& look, steal your personal property, completely take over your life...and then agree to help you get published, somehow completely redeeming himself for the months of abuse? Are we really supposed to buy that this plain Jane character with no real personality would choose THAT path (because she did choose. Nothing was thrust in her lap, she fought for this) over all the other ways to become an author?
Then after everything the conclusion is super rushed and apparently a whole year more of this bullshit happens after the penultimate chapter, that the author didn't think necessary to include. Instead she summed everything up in a 3-page concluding paragraph.
Oh, and did we really need the completely forced romance with the fake movie star? Come on.
Overall I found this book unoriginal and disjointed. And I get it already. They did a lot of drugs.
Everything I usually like in a book, and was based on hunter s Thompson, and I'm a fan of his writing. So how did it turn out so mediocre?
First off, I didn't feel like I ever got to know
The main character, or understand why she was driven enough to be "Walker Reede"'s assistant. To become a successful author? Really? There isn't any other way you can get your book published? You had
To do bucket loads of drugs, let a man verbally and physically abuse you, tell you how to dress& look, steal your personal property, completely take over your life...and then agree to help you get published, somehow completely redeeming himself for the months of abuse? Are we really supposed to buy that this plain Jane character with no real personality would choose THAT path (because she did choose. Nothing was thrust in her lap, she fought for this) over all the other ways to become an author?
Then after everything the conclusion is super rushed and apparently a whole year more of this bullshit happens after the penultimate chapter, that the author didn't think necessary to include. Instead she summed everything up in a 3-page concluding paragraph.
Oh, and did we really need the completely forced romance with the fake movie star? Come on.
Overall I found this book unoriginal and disjointed. And I get it already. They did a lot of drugs.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 28, 2017
I found the narrator, and really all of the characters, to be whiny, unlikable, and hypocritical. This book was predictable in its excess. Nothing about it seemed to make any sort of point.
April 30, 2016
This pretty much sums up this book...
It might be wrong, but I really enjoyed this one.
It might be wrong, but I really enjoyed this one.
February 4, 2016
Digging up the bones of Hunter Thompson
will not get you high. This book's a downer.
will not get you high. This book's a downer.
August 6, 2015
Della Pietra is a former coworker, so when I learned she had a novel coming out--one that was based on her real life experience working for the notorious Hunter S. Thompson--of course, I wanted to read it immediately.
Even though this is strictly speaking not a memoir, I'm really impressed with Della Pietra's access to her 20-something year old self. She was able to tell this story though the authentic voice of an ambitious young woman--and she writes with a lot of compassion for that younger albeit fictitious version of herself.
I haven't read a lot of reviews yet, but I'm fairly sure she'll catch some criticism for allowing "Alley" to put up with the abuse--psychological, verbal and eventually physical--doled out by her employer, but I don't think she did it because she was in awe of him. I think something much more complex was going on.
Although many of events described were pretty crazy, Della Prietra maintains a non-judgmental tone and a "no regrets for my youth" attitude I find refreshing. It's all part of this wild ride of life--I whole-heartedly recommend Gonzo Girl as the perfect end of summer read.
Even though this is strictly speaking not a memoir, I'm really impressed with Della Pietra's access to her 20-something year old self. She was able to tell this story though the authentic voice of an ambitious young woman--and she writes with a lot of compassion for that younger albeit fictitious version of herself.
I haven't read a lot of reviews yet, but I'm fairly sure she'll catch some criticism for allowing "Alley" to put up with the abuse--psychological, verbal and eventually physical--doled out by her employer, but I don't think she did it because she was in awe of him. I think something much more complex was going on.
Although many of events described were pretty crazy, Della Prietra maintains a non-judgmental tone and a "no regrets for my youth" attitude I find refreshing. It's all part of this wild ride of life--I whole-heartedly recommend Gonzo Girl as the perfect end of summer read.
July 10, 2023
This is a little bittersweet. Anyone interested in this book most likely knows about Hunter Thompson, his brilliance as a writer, his insane lifestyle, and maybe something about the costs of his lifestyle and even of his success itself.
Della Pietra worked as Thompson’s assistant for a few months, but it had to feel like a few lifetimes. Her job was to help Thompson write a novel, Polo is My Life (which never was actually finished). This was 1992, and Thompson was well past the days of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. That book set a standard, both for writing and for personality, that was awfully hard to live up to. And, if this novel is true to life, it took a pretty hard toll.
Thompson, in the novel, is Walker Reade. Reade mirrors Thompson pretty closely. Della Pietra (Alley Russo) lands in the middle of exactly the kind of chaos you’d expect of Thompson’s life and his habits.
Walker is dedicated to drugs, alcohol, and fun. But he is almost like a dependent patient in an assisted living home. He can’t fully function on his own. He actually has three assistants, one his girlfriend (Devaney) and a kind of overall household manager (Claudia) besides Alley. Alley’s job is to corral Walker into writing every night by 2 AM, after he’s spent hours drinking, coking, shooting guns, blowing things up, holding court with guests, . . . until hopefully he can finally settle down to work and get a few pages written.
She’s actually pretty successful, at least compared to others who have tried to do the same thing. Alley is young, just out of college, so she’s got the energy to keep up with Walker, and over time, she builds up the confidence to stand up to him.
She’s there to learn from a great writer and also to take advantage of his standing to push her own career as a writer forward. But she finds out it’s not going to be easy. Walker lets her know that this is all about him, he’s not going to lift a finger to help her.
At first, it’s just a wild ride. But the tone gets darker and darker. Walker’s in decline. He’s burning out but he’s fading away, too. Every day has its fun, but it’s exhausting and frustrating.. Even when the excitement is high, the exhaustion is still there, underneath and heading for desperation Things are drying up. Walker does very little writing, and his habits are expensive — he’s going broke. And even though he has flashes of his old brilliance, he’s just not fresh. He’s in reruns of his old self.
It’s hard to work up sympathy for Walker. He is a force against sympathy — he’s cruel, angry, and crazy. But, yeah, he’s still fun, and every once in a while, he’s still brilliant.
Alley lasts, and she has some success, both personally and in her mission with Walker. She even has a positive effect on Walker as a person by the end. The cruelty and the crazed anger part every now and then to show who he must have been before the craziness and the need to live up to who he has been took over.
I’ve read that Della Pietra says the story is 60% factual. It sure rings true against what I’ve read of Thompson, in his own writings, his letters, and in accounts of him. I feel like I learned a lot about him, though, seeing him through her eyes. She sees through him more than others I’ve read.
And she’s a very good writer. I was disappointed to see that the novel she was working on while working with Thompson is not published. This book really skates. In particular, her playing of the mood, from manic to desperate, like a slow burn, is beautifully done. I usually take my time reading novels, but I went through this in just a few sittings — whenever I started to put it down, all I wanted to do was get back inside it.
Della Pietra worked as Thompson’s assistant for a few months, but it had to feel like a few lifetimes. Her job was to help Thompson write a novel, Polo is My Life (which never was actually finished). This was 1992, and Thompson was well past the days of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. That book set a standard, both for writing and for personality, that was awfully hard to live up to. And, if this novel is true to life, it took a pretty hard toll.
Thompson, in the novel, is Walker Reade. Reade mirrors Thompson pretty closely. Della Pietra (Alley Russo) lands in the middle of exactly the kind of chaos you’d expect of Thompson’s life and his habits.
Walker is dedicated to drugs, alcohol, and fun. But he is almost like a dependent patient in an assisted living home. He can’t fully function on his own. He actually has three assistants, one his girlfriend (Devaney) and a kind of overall household manager (Claudia) besides Alley. Alley’s job is to corral Walker into writing every night by 2 AM, after he’s spent hours drinking, coking, shooting guns, blowing things up, holding court with guests, . . . until hopefully he can finally settle down to work and get a few pages written.
She’s actually pretty successful, at least compared to others who have tried to do the same thing. Alley is young, just out of college, so she’s got the energy to keep up with Walker, and over time, she builds up the confidence to stand up to him.
She’s there to learn from a great writer and also to take advantage of his standing to push her own career as a writer forward. But she finds out it’s not going to be easy. Walker lets her know that this is all about him, he’s not going to lift a finger to help her.
At first, it’s just a wild ride. But the tone gets darker and darker. Walker’s in decline. He’s burning out but he’s fading away, too. Every day has its fun, but it’s exhausting and frustrating.. Even when the excitement is high, the exhaustion is still there, underneath and heading for desperation Things are drying up. Walker does very little writing, and his habits are expensive — he’s going broke. And even though he has flashes of his old brilliance, he’s just not fresh. He’s in reruns of his old self.
It’s hard to work up sympathy for Walker. He is a force against sympathy — he’s cruel, angry, and crazy. But, yeah, he’s still fun, and every once in a while, he’s still brilliant.
Alley lasts, and she has some success, both personally and in her mission with Walker. She even has a positive effect on Walker as a person by the end. The cruelty and the crazed anger part every now and then to show who he must have been before the craziness and the need to live up to who he has been took over.
I’ve read that Della Pietra says the story is 60% factual. It sure rings true against what I’ve read of Thompson, in his own writings, his letters, and in accounts of him. I feel like I learned a lot about him, though, seeing him through her eyes. She sees through him more than others I’ve read.
And she’s a very good writer. I was disappointed to see that the novel she was working on while working with Thompson is not published. This book really skates. In particular, her playing of the mood, from manic to desperate, like a slow burn, is beautifully done. I usually take my time reading novels, but I went through this in just a few sittings — whenever I started to put it down, all I wanted to do was get back inside it.
December 4, 2017
I won this book on Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
When I received this book in the mail, I immediately forgot about it. The cover was unappealing and drab and the the title really annoyed me. (to me it seemed liked some type of lazy marketing spin on Gone Girl to try and tempt the reader).
When I finally found the book again and decided to find out about it, my first thoughts of the book came back fresh. The concept of a girl siting around being 'wild' has been thrashed to death and then belted repeatedly over the head with an empty bottle of champagne.
It produced lacklustre images of a 'Mad Men' inspired world that tried to reinvent 'Devil Wears Prada' and then told from the viewpoint of a wallflower. (Meryal Streep has this area covered, move on).
The writing was good, and there was clear direction, unfortunately it just couldn't cover up how utterly boring this book was.
When I received this book in the mail, I immediately forgot about it. The cover was unappealing and drab and the the title really annoyed me. (to me it seemed liked some type of lazy marketing spin on Gone Girl to try and tempt the reader).
When I finally found the book again and decided to find out about it, my first thoughts of the book came back fresh. The concept of a girl siting around being 'wild' has been thrashed to death and then belted repeatedly over the head with an empty bottle of champagne.
It produced lacklustre images of a 'Mad Men' inspired world that tried to reinvent 'Devil Wears Prada' and then told from the viewpoint of a wallflower. (Meryal Streep has this area covered, move on).
The writing was good, and there was clear direction, unfortunately it just couldn't cover up how utterly boring this book was.
May 20, 2016
And you thought you did a lot of drugs in the early 90s?
Fiction but really a thinly veiled autobiography of the author's time as assistant to Hunter Thompson....and very good and very funny. Didn't want it to end.
Fiction but really a thinly veiled autobiography of the author's time as assistant to Hunter Thompson....and very good and very funny. Didn't want it to end.
July 13, 2020
Un très bon roman sur la création littéraire d'un monstre de la littérature américaine. Thomson, auteur de Las Vegas Parano.
July 5, 2018
This book was a happy accident. I was cruising through the library and it was pulled out as a display on a shelf and I thought I pulled "Gone Girl", whoops! I'm glad I read this book. It was provocative, daring, and interesting. It became even more interesting when I researched a bit about Hunter S. Thompson (I really didn't know much, but now I want to read "Gonzo"). It made the story much more compelling and I'm glad I researched it.
Some of the party scenes are a bit repetitive, but other than that, the writing well thought out and inventive. I highly recommend my "accident!"
Some of the party scenes are a bit repetitive, but other than that, the writing well thought out and inventive. I highly recommend my "accident!"
August 21, 2015
Even if a reader isn't familiar with Gonzo journalism introduced by the late Hunter S. Thompson in the 1970's, this exciting true to life yet fictional account "Gonzo Girl" written by Cheryl Della Pietra recalls her former position as an assistant to this literary icon at his ranch in Aspen Colorado.
Alley Russo had graduated from college, was working as a bartender, her only good future job prospect was office work in her family plumbing business, she had also written an unpublished novel. Alley didn't hesitate to apply for the position as a literary assistant for the famous journalist Walker Reade.
After a brief trail period, which mainly consisted of mixing/serving drinks, chain smoking, ingesting alcohol/cocaine, and observing the strange, chaotic, crazy lifestyle of Walker Reade and his host of associates and hangers-on, she decided to stay; in spite of her family imploring her to return home.
Claudia, Reade's house manager of over 20 years, felt Alley was a good fit, and generously taught her how to be successful: Reade never wanted to party alone, she would need to actively participate in the decadent lifestyle, coax at least 2 pages of written material from Reade per night to satisfy the demands of his editor. With Reade's nocturnal partying, constant need for gratification and stimulation, erratic, temperamental mood swings induced by alcohol and substance was certainly no easy task. Reade was never sober, and more often then not, verbally abusive. He had also picked out costly designer short dresses, low cut tops, and assorted form fitting costumes for Alley to wear, presumably to inspire his creativity. All Reade's former girlfriends and assistants followed a predictable pattern: he was only interested in women half his age, as they were "sexier", easier to "handle and influence". Reade would soon tire of them "being dumb and inexperienced", treat them badly, until they quit or ran away.
Declining to shoot guns at Reade's shooting range was never an option, Alley had a pistol of her own, although shooting guns with the abusive drug crazed author was never a desired activity. When a handsome hugely popular celebrity actor arrived at the compound to visit Reade, the actor was unable to resist coming on to Alley. When Claudia had to leave unexpectedly, all hell broke loose! Reade wasn't happy about the situation and expected Alley's unwavering attention, devotion and focus solely on him and his work without distraction 24/7. A brilliant well written debut novel readers will not want to miss of fame and celebrity, young adult maturity coming-of-age, also the commitment and sacrifice to get a famous name on an employment resume. Thanks to the Seattle Public Library.
Alley Russo had graduated from college, was working as a bartender, her only good future job prospect was office work in her family plumbing business, she had also written an unpublished novel. Alley didn't hesitate to apply for the position as a literary assistant for the famous journalist Walker Reade.
After a brief trail period, which mainly consisted of mixing/serving drinks, chain smoking, ingesting alcohol/cocaine, and observing the strange, chaotic, crazy lifestyle of Walker Reade and his host of associates and hangers-on, she decided to stay; in spite of her family imploring her to return home.
Claudia, Reade's house manager of over 20 years, felt Alley was a good fit, and generously taught her how to be successful: Reade never wanted to party alone, she would need to actively participate in the decadent lifestyle, coax at least 2 pages of written material from Reade per night to satisfy the demands of his editor. With Reade's nocturnal partying, constant need for gratification and stimulation, erratic, temperamental mood swings induced by alcohol and substance was certainly no easy task. Reade was never sober, and more often then not, verbally abusive. He had also picked out costly designer short dresses, low cut tops, and assorted form fitting costumes for Alley to wear, presumably to inspire his creativity. All Reade's former girlfriends and assistants followed a predictable pattern: he was only interested in women half his age, as they were "sexier", easier to "handle and influence". Reade would soon tire of them "being dumb and inexperienced", treat them badly, until they quit or ran away.
Declining to shoot guns at Reade's shooting range was never an option, Alley had a pistol of her own, although shooting guns with the abusive drug crazed author was never a desired activity. When a handsome hugely popular celebrity actor arrived at the compound to visit Reade, the actor was unable to resist coming on to Alley. When Claudia had to leave unexpectedly, all hell broke loose! Reade wasn't happy about the situation and expected Alley's unwavering attention, devotion and focus solely on him and his work without distraction 24/7. A brilliant well written debut novel readers will not want to miss of fame and celebrity, young adult maturity coming-of-age, also the commitment and sacrifice to get a famous name on an employment resume. Thanks to the Seattle Public Library.
September 16, 2016
What do we have here. A "tell-all" book by an author who supposedly pooh-poohs tell-alls. It's a novel that may or may not be similar to a memoir. An Italian-American woman works as an assistant to a "gonzo journalism" writer. There is only one "gonzo journalism" writer in the entire world, and everyone knows who it is.
What is going on here. A woman is telling her own story. She supposedly fights against misogyny, but she tolerates the journalist who buys her slutty clothes and throws plates at her head.
Good points: It's an easy-to-read narrative describing how different drugs feel. It contains about a million examples of toxic relationships. Hell, not just toxic. Abusive. Which begs the question: is the writer's "art" an excuse for his terrible behavior? Is there some kind of criticism against capitalism in here? Is it supposed to raise questions about the vampiric nature of fame?
Annoying points: too many Italian stereotypes. Perhaps it's something the author struggles with. The protagonist-author's ironic acknowledgement is kinda fascinating at times. Also kinda funny. But also she perpetuates the stereotypes. I don't know anything about being Italian, so whatever. They can work it out for themselves. I'll just leave some quotes here:
"How do Italians make love?"
"Weird question. While rolling around in sauce? While losing a war? I don't know."
"Italians can't drink gin." I'm not just saying this because I hate gin. I could kill a man after a single martini.
"There's my mother, who wants nothing more than for me to be married and pregnant and frying meatballs all day . . ."
The protagonist is a young self-centered 20-something, so she tries to make a major life event out of this book—oh, she has her own manuscript and works on it every day; oh how is she going to make her family accept her? Oh, will anybody care for her and provide the acceptance she craves? But for crissakes, the gonzo man is just essentially trying to keep himself alive in his compound. He has a secretary and a girlfriend to support. He needs to write a novel to maintain his "image." And his "image" is that of a man who skirts death everyday, either with firearms or mountains of coke or daylong drinking. But the sheer gobsmackery of this insane lifestyle is ridiculously overshadowed by this immature narrator who misfires, often shooting blanks.
The writing is shallow. Where any normal person would experience post-traumatic stress, our narrator chugs along, editing along the way. The ending does not leave much of an impact.
What is going on here. A woman is telling her own story. She supposedly fights against misogyny, but she tolerates the journalist who buys her slutty clothes and throws plates at her head.
Good points: It's an easy-to-read narrative describing how different drugs feel. It contains about a million examples of toxic relationships. Hell, not just toxic. Abusive. Which begs the question: is the writer's "art" an excuse for his terrible behavior? Is there some kind of criticism against capitalism in here? Is it supposed to raise questions about the vampiric nature of fame?
Annoying points: too many Italian stereotypes. Perhaps it's something the author struggles with. The protagonist-author's ironic acknowledgement is kinda fascinating at times. Also kinda funny. But also she perpetuates the stereotypes. I don't know anything about being Italian, so whatever. They can work it out for themselves. I'll just leave some quotes here:
"How do Italians make love?"
"Weird question. While rolling around in sauce? While losing a war? I don't know."
"Italians can't drink gin." I'm not just saying this because I hate gin. I could kill a man after a single martini.
"There's my mother, who wants nothing more than for me to be married and pregnant and frying meatballs all day . . ."
The protagonist is a young self-centered 20-something, so she tries to make a major life event out of this book—oh, she has her own manuscript and works on it every day; oh how is she going to make her family accept her? Oh, will anybody care for her and provide the acceptance she craves? But for crissakes, the gonzo man is just essentially trying to keep himself alive in his compound. He has a secretary and a girlfriend to support. He needs to write a novel to maintain his "image." And his "image" is that of a man who skirts death everyday, either with firearms or mountains of coke or daylong drinking. But the sheer gobsmackery of this insane lifestyle is ridiculously overshadowed by this immature narrator who misfires, often shooting blanks.
The writing is shallow. Where any normal person would experience post-traumatic stress, our narrator chugs along, editing along the way. The ending does not leave much of an impact.
February 17, 2016
"Gonzo Girl" is a fresh, debut novel from author Cheryl Della Pietra and is loosely based on the authors experiences working for Hunter S Thompson. "Gonzo" stars young, ambitious and fresh out of college Ally and her boss, the infamous literary genius Walker Reade. It's kind of a Devil Wears Prada meets Boogie Nights. There's so much alcohol, drugs, guns, partying, drugs...did I mention drugs? Pietra is a good writer and she definitely weaves together interesting characters and funny dialogue. But the plot itself and Ally's motivations for staying with such a dysfunctional boss are never quite realized. I enjoyed it. It would make a great movie with Jennifer Lawrence as Ally and Johnny Depp as Walker.
August 21, 2015
Totally fun, fast-paced and surprisingly relatable. I say surprisingly because I am not a massive Hunter S. Thompson fan. I read the book because I've worked with Cheryl and was frankly fascinated that someone I actually knew had had this crazy brush with lit celebrity. What I was really pleased to find was how the ambitious main character, Alley, manages the what-do-I-do-now-that-I'm-out-of-college problem...in this bizarre setting.
It's also just refreshing to read a book involving tons of drugs in which there are no massive repercussions or moral judgments. (And there's even a hilarious line about how Alley decides she'll take the mandated drug use at Reade/Thompson's house one day at a time--kind of the opposite of AA.) It all made me a little nostalgic for that age.
It's also just refreshing to read a book involving tons of drugs in which there are no massive repercussions or moral judgments. (And there's even a hilarious line about how Alley decides she'll take the mandated drug use at Reade/Thompson's house one day at a time--kind of the opposite of AA.) It all made me a little nostalgic for that age.
September 21, 2020
« Là, c'est la drogue de Walker Reade. C'est de la bonne. »
✨ Cette histoire s’inspire de l’expérience de l’autrice en tant qu’assistante stagiaire pour l’auteur notoire Hunter S. Thompson dans les années 90.
✨ On nous plonge dans le quotidien de tous les excès. Alcool, drogues, armes à feu, et insultes à tout va.
✨ Je n'ai pas aimé le message que ça envoie, être prête à renier ses principes, sa dignité pour faire décoller sa carrière. C'est humiliant et incohérent par rapport à son parcours.
✨ Je n'ai pas apprécié ce roman. Cette histoire n'était définitivement pas fait pour moi.
« — Il ne vous est jamais venu à l’esprit que j’avais envie d’apprendre auprès du meilleur ? Que j’avais peut-être besoin d’un mentor ?
✨ Cette histoire s’inspire de l’expérience de l’autrice en tant qu’assistante stagiaire pour l’auteur notoire Hunter S. Thompson dans les années 90.
✨ On nous plonge dans le quotidien de tous les excès. Alcool, drogues, armes à feu, et insultes à tout va.
✨ Je n'ai pas aimé le message que ça envoie, être prête à renier ses principes, sa dignité pour faire décoller sa carrière. C'est humiliant et incohérent par rapport à son parcours.
✨ Je n'ai pas apprécié ce roman. Cette histoire n'était définitivement pas fait pour moi.
« — Il ne vous est jamais venu à l’esprit que j’avais envie d’apprendre auprès du meilleur ? Que j’avais peut-être besoin d’un mentor ?
January 25, 2016
Literary coke trip
I don't know exactly why I loved this book but I did. I really did. I think it was just really easy to identify with the main character. Not that I always agreed with her choices or would have made the same ones but she was so well written as a character that I understood and empathize with her. In fact, the Book seemed almost hyper focused on the characters themselves rather than plot and it worked really well. I don't know how to explain this book but it was really good.
I don't know exactly why I loved this book but I did. I really did. I think it was just really easy to identify with the main character. Not that I always agreed with her choices or would have made the same ones but she was so well written as a character that I understood and empathize with her. In fact, the Book seemed almost hyper focused on the characters themselves rather than plot and it worked really well. I don't know how to explain this book but it was really good.
January 23, 2017
Well I will say that I feel like I need rehab after reading this book. The things Alley does and goes thru all in hopes that walker reade becomes her in to pursuing her literary dream is way more than I ever would've done. And knowing this is based on a real experience makes me wonder have i just never wanted anything that badly. Or am I too much of a rule follower to have never even been faced with the debauchery in this book. But the real question. Who is Larry Lucas?
August 19, 2015
The book was really good and kept me reading. I was a little disappointed with the ending but than again I had the privilege of reading the uncorrected proof. All the way up the that last chapter I couldn't put the book down. Just didn't seem to flow with the rest of the book.
February 1, 2016
This is a Devil wears prada gonzo style. it's a quick read about assisting a brilliant cantankerous man on a path to self annihilation. However, Pietra spends a little too much time explaining herself, and the ending felt more like a midpoint turn around rather than a conclusion.
February 9, 2015
Digital galley provided by Netgalley.
Review to come closer to the release date. Hoping they change the title before publication.
Review to come closer to the release date. Hoping they change the title before publication.
December 15, 2015
It was ok. I kind of started to hate Alley and the ending was very whelming. The only parts I enjoyed was where they tripped on acid, that was hilarious.
March 26, 2017
Handlung: In dem Buch Gonzo-Girl geht es um die junge, unabhängige, unbekannte Autorin Alley Russo, die nach ihrem Studium bei dem bekannten Schriftsteller Walker Read als Assistentin arbeiten will. Die ersten drei Probetage waren sehr außergewöhnlich, sie erfuhr das Walker drogen und alkoholabhängig ist, Geldprobleme hat ( obwohl er alleine mit nur zwei Büchern über eine Millionen Dollar verdient hatte ) und sie erfuhr das Walker gar nichts mehr auf das Schreiben von Büchern gab und für ihn nur noch der Alkohol, die Drogen und seine Mitbewohner zählten. Alley selber musste sich in der Zeit viel eingestehen und selber den Lifestyle, wie Walker leben. Bekommt Alley Walker dazu, wieder zu schreiben, wird sie ihr eigenes Buch veröffentlichen oder wird sie aufgeben? Erfahrt das und vieles mehr in ' Gonzogirl '.
Orte: Es hat meistens in dem relativ großen Haus von Walker gespielt, wo er mit seiner Freundin und ein paar anderen Leuten lebt, außerdem ist es gefühlt mitten im nirgendwo. Er kann dort so laut mit seinem gewehr auf Zielscheiben schießen, niemand würde es hören. Das hat mir wirklich gut gefallen. Es war einfach mitten im nirgendwo.
Personen: Die Personen konnte ich leider überhaupt nicht verstehen. Vor allem hat Alley an manchen Stellen sehr wiedersprüchlich gehandelt und auch Walker fand ich nicht wirklich ergründlich. Die anderen Personen wurden auch nur etwas beschrieben, das man so keine wirklichen Einblicke in sie hatte.
Schreibstil: Fand ich wiederum gut, er war einfach zu lesen und da die Schrift auch relativ groß war konnte man die Seiten fast überfliegen.
Gestaltung: das Cover hat mich total angesprochen und auch die Kapitelgestaltung war sehr schön und schlicht.
Geschichte: fand ich in Ordnung es war an manchen Stellen wirklich etwas langweilig und ich musste mich fast zwingen weiter zu lesen, dann wiederrum gab es aber auch spannende Stellen und einen großen und interessantem Plottwist.
Fazit: Die Geschichte war wirklich toll und hatte eine tolle Story, die allerdings nicht ganz sooo gut umgesetzt wurde und manchmal wirklich etwas langweilig war. Ich fand es toll Einblicke in das Leben eines großen Schriftsteller zu bekommen und am Anfang wusste ich auch nicht was der Gonzo-Journalismus war, jetzt weiß ich es ;) Die Personen mochte ich leider überhaupt nicht, dafür aber die Orte und den Schreibstil. Deshalb gebe ich dem buch 3 von 5 Sternen.
Orte: Es hat meistens in dem relativ großen Haus von Walker gespielt, wo er mit seiner Freundin und ein paar anderen Leuten lebt, außerdem ist es gefühlt mitten im nirgendwo. Er kann dort so laut mit seinem gewehr auf Zielscheiben schießen, niemand würde es hören. Das hat mir wirklich gut gefallen. Es war einfach mitten im nirgendwo.
Personen: Die Personen konnte ich leider überhaupt nicht verstehen. Vor allem hat Alley an manchen Stellen sehr wiedersprüchlich gehandelt und auch Walker fand ich nicht wirklich ergründlich. Die anderen Personen wurden auch nur etwas beschrieben, das man so keine wirklichen Einblicke in sie hatte.
Schreibstil: Fand ich wiederum gut, er war einfach zu lesen und da die Schrift auch relativ groß war konnte man die Seiten fast überfliegen.
Gestaltung: das Cover hat mich total angesprochen und auch die Kapitelgestaltung war sehr schön und schlicht.
Geschichte: fand ich in Ordnung es war an manchen Stellen wirklich etwas langweilig und ich musste mich fast zwingen weiter zu lesen, dann wiederrum gab es aber auch spannende Stellen und einen großen und interessantem Plottwist.
Fazit: Die Geschichte war wirklich toll und hatte eine tolle Story, die allerdings nicht ganz sooo gut umgesetzt wurde und manchmal wirklich etwas langweilig war. Ich fand es toll Einblicke in das Leben eines großen Schriftsteller zu bekommen und am Anfang wusste ich auch nicht was der Gonzo-Journalismus war, jetzt weiß ich es ;) Die Personen mochte ich leider überhaupt nicht, dafür aber die Orte und den Schreibstil. Deshalb gebe ich dem buch 3 von 5 Sternen.
March 17, 2018
I don't know why I bought this book. When I read in the description that it was written by a former assistant of Hunter S. Thompson, inspired by her time working for him, my first thought was this was a shirt-tail writer trying to make some cash by co-opting Thompson's style as if it were her own; a cheap imitation of a great writer. I was wrong. Pietra doesn't make any attempt to copy Hunter Thompson's style. She did copy his gonzo method, maybe, immersing herself in the story and becoming the story, but the style is all her own, and Cheryl Della Pietra is an amazing writer.
"...Shut up. Stop worrying. And get the fern."
That line, spoken by Walker Reade, sounds very much like something Hunter S. Thompson would say, but that is as close as this story comes to his writing.
The story is about Alessandra, or Alley, a young college graduate who went to work for a legendary writer, Walker Reade, as an assistant, to help him complete his current work in progress. We know Allie is Pietra, right? And, obviously, Walker Reade is Hunter S. Thompson, or at least the caricature of Hunter S. Thompson that I have always imagined must be him. So how much of the story is real and how much is fiction? I don't know, but as I read the book, I found myself imagining which parts must be real and which parts are too far-fetched to possibly be true. I did enjoy this story thoroughly, and even found myself wanting to admonish Allie at one point. What did she think was going to happen, anyway? Walker warned her, didn't he? OK. I may have been drinking when I read that part.
Read the book. The story is brilliant.
"...Shut up. Stop worrying. And get the fern."
That line, spoken by Walker Reade, sounds very much like something Hunter S. Thompson would say, but that is as close as this story comes to his writing.
The story is about Alessandra, or Alley, a young college graduate who went to work for a legendary writer, Walker Reade, as an assistant, to help him complete his current work in progress. We know Allie is Pietra, right? And, obviously, Walker Reade is Hunter S. Thompson, or at least the caricature of Hunter S. Thompson that I have always imagined must be him. So how much of the story is real and how much is fiction? I don't know, but as I read the book, I found myself imagining which parts must be real and which parts are too far-fetched to possibly be true. I did enjoy this story thoroughly, and even found myself wanting to admonish Allie at one point. What did she think was going to happen, anyway? Walker warned her, didn't he? OK. I may have been drinking when I read that part.
Read the book. The story is brilliant.
February 13, 2018
This fictional story is based on the author's experiences as Hunter S. Thompson's assistant after she graduated college.
It is, by turns, enthralling, disturbing, over the top. I'm not entirely sure what I thought of it, if I'm honest. If I put it into context of time, place and location it makes for a more interesting and informative read.
It's difficult to talk about this one without giving away details of the characters and the plot. I guess what I would say is that if you are interested in American history or the excesses surrounding the famous at particular periods of time, this is one for you. It is well written and the characters are, naturally, believable. What I did keep doing was mentally mixing up the fictional Walker Reade with the real-life Thompson; I'm not sure how much of Thompson's characteristics Pietra has transferred (perhaps that makes it more thrilling?).
Overall, worth reading, even if you don't approve of the behaviour of the main male character.
It is, by turns, enthralling, disturbing, over the top. I'm not entirely sure what I thought of it, if I'm honest. If I put it into context of time, place and location it makes for a more interesting and informative read.
It's difficult to talk about this one without giving away details of the characters and the plot. I guess what I would say is that if you are interested in American history or the excesses surrounding the famous at particular periods of time, this is one for you. It is well written and the characters are, naturally, believable. What I did keep doing was mentally mixing up the fictional Walker Reade with the real-life Thompson; I'm not sure how much of Thompson's characteristics Pietra has transferred (perhaps that makes it more thrilling?).
Overall, worth reading, even if you don't approve of the behaviour of the main male character.
September 26, 2017
I have always been a fan of Hunter S. Thompson so I thought this would be an interesting read. Overall, it was. Cheryl does a good job painting a picture of life with Hunter (okay, it's the fictionalized Hunter, but it's Hunter) and how she felt and what she experienced. My biggest beef was that the chapters started to feel and read very similar and it began to wear on me - Hunter is a drug fiend who is a total jerk but he is magnetic and fascinating, and, oh, by the way, he can't write anymore. I guess that may be more attributable to the fact that life with Hunter probably was very much like that. I don't know if she could have made the story shorter, either, so maybe the story just had a ceiling on its potential from that standpoint - IMO. Regardless, it kept my attention and I'm glad I read it
October 20, 2017
I am not surprised this is going to be a film as it has a brilliant plot. This book is like a younger based 50 shades as in it has same theme of relationships but it also has the fast paced lifestyle young career minded have today!! It exposes alot of lifestyle realities that arent really glamorous for what they are!! It is well written, very creative and alot of fun. The main character is great Alley, you are routing for her throughout book but things dont ever seem to go to plan!! It prob a book i wouldnt have read at first glance as more older teen to 30years but i am glad i read it and did enjoy it. But the reason i gave it 3 stars is due to myself i didnt feel i could fully relate. But i am passing book to my sister ( shes alot younger than me) i think she will relate to it more!! Good holiday read or book for weekend chill!!
December 14, 2019
Gone Girl...thumbs up
This book was recommended to me and I ended up falling into the story. Celebrities are held up to such high worship in this country and when we get to peak into their private lives, it can either be a huge disappointment, or a realization that they can be normal as anyone else. To see Hunter’s struggle with his demons elicited both sympathy and disgust. To see the people that just hung on because he was a celeb vs. the people who loved him was interesting to say the least. His self destruction was incredibly sad because he was such a talent. I believe he achieved such a huge success and kept trying to reach that pinnacle again a just couldn’t do it.
It was very hard for me to separate what could be fact and what could be fiction. So, well done, Cheryl. Btw....who did you sleep with?
This book was recommended to me and I ended up falling into the story. Celebrities are held up to such high worship in this country and when we get to peak into their private lives, it can either be a huge disappointment, or a realization that they can be normal as anyone else. To see Hunter’s struggle with his demons elicited both sympathy and disgust. To see the people that just hung on because he was a celeb vs. the people who loved him was interesting to say the least. His self destruction was incredibly sad because he was such a talent. I believe he achieved such a huge success and kept trying to reach that pinnacle again a just couldn’t do it.
It was very hard for me to separate what could be fact and what could be fiction. So, well done, Cheryl. Btw....who did you sleep with?
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