閃亮城市

by Seth Greenland, 余品蓁 (Translator)

一個懷才不遇的哲學家，安分守己、奉公守法，當了十五年的玩具工廠老闆，如何搖身一變成為好萊塢應召界的龍頭？

當好好先生馬克思‧利普斯接手自己黑烏鴉哥哥的黑色豪門乾洗企業，他全然無知自己踏進了誰的地盤。很快地，他已經經營起西好萊塢最知名的伴遊應召站。當錢滾滾而來，馬克思讓自己的婚姻重新活了過來，還買了賓士，更為兒子辦了一場永生難忘的猶太成年禮；然而，當良心與法律找上門，馬克思必須決定，這天上掉下來的橫財，是否值得冒險。

《閃亮城市》，一部瘋狂、狡慧、從頭到尾爆點不斷的喜劇作品，一場不到最後不分曉的洛杉磯大冒險。

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Contemporary, Adult Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Darkly hilarious -- Seth Greenland asks a lot of unsettling questions about what basically good people might find themselves doing to make ends meet in the current economic climate, as a laid-off factory manager inherits a dry cleaning business from his estranged brother that turns out to be a front for an escort service.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another one I wish I remembered why I marked to read.

Man's estranged brother dies, leaving him a thriving escort service, just as he's lost his factory-management job and prospects look dim. It's got all the right parts for a kooky comedy/satire, right down to a pole-dancing, pot-smoking, glaucoma-having grandma. But they never quite jell into anything interesting.

[Emi Yoshida · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the characters in this book, and how the evolution and progress each one makes makes sense and fits together in a cohesive story that's as preposterous as it is entertaining. I want to read The Bones by Seth Greenland now too.

[Susan Dennis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I no longer remember what caused me to open this book. I think maybe it was something I read about the author or one of his other books but whatever it was... thank you!! It was thoroughly enjoyable. Marcus gets laid off from his job at a toy manufacturer because they are moving the manufacturing to China. He flounders. Until his estranged brother dies and leaves him his business which turns Marcus into a pimp. It works, trust me.

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect companion for two days of long plane rides and even longer airport layovers.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very different from my usual reads. Interesting on how ones like can change. I think actor Enrico Colantoni would make a great Marcus.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny storytelling, deep characters, entertaining. A great take on middle-age ennui.

[Patrick Schultheis · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was pretty good. Characters were decent. Plot was ok

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life for Marcus Ripps is becoming complicated. Marcus, the production manager for a toy company, has a huge mortgage, ever increasing bills, and an elaborate bar mitzvah to finance. His wife Jan is entangled in a business venture that isn't making any money and their sex life is suffering because of it. His live-in mother-in-law is ailing and facing surgery with no insurance. When Marcus's boss announces that the plant is moving to China and he must relocate to keep his job, it seems as if there are no easy answers. Marcus needs to find a way to take care of his family, but he can't find employment and the money is dwindling. Then he gets the news that his misanthrope brother Julian has died. Marcus and Julian weren't close, but it seems that Julian has left him an inheritance. It's a dry cleaning business, and it's the answer to his financial woes. But while investigating his new acquisition, Marcus discovers that the business is a front for a prostitution ring, complete with the women, the clients, and an offbeat Russian gangsta henchman. Initially, Marcus wrestles with his conscience about the change in fortune: how can a middle class dad become a pimp? But the family's needs outweigh his concerns, and he jumps in headfirst. What ensues is the strange and fantastic story of Shining City. Marcus strives to be an ethical pimp, offering his girls 401k plans and health insurance, book clubs and paid vacations. But despite his good intentions, the byproducts of the lifestyle begin to creep into the business. Soon Marcus must deal with threatening bodyguards, a rival pimp, and an attempt on his life. But as he discovers, it's too easy to stay in, and much too unrewarding to get out, plus he still has a bar mitzvah to pay for! The stakes get ridiculously high, and Marcus must decide if he should abandon his new venture before trouble ultimately finds him.

The story told in this book was wickedly funny and wonderfully inventive. I found myself giggling throughout the ride, never being able to predict the twists and turns to come. The subplot involving Plum, Jan's business partner who wants get pregnant and have a child so she could videotape the full experience for an avant-garde art piece, was so bizarrely comical that I marveled at the author's ingenious imagination. Though the book dealt with the touchy subject of prostitution, it was not vulgar or crass in the depiction of the business. The focus, rather, was on Marcus and his experiences with the women and the conundrums he faced as a result of his decisions. The book was exceedingly clever and creative, never missing the punch line, and it sustained the humor throughout. It was pitch perfect, and wildly divergent from most other humorous offerings I've read.

Marcus was a very engaging character. Though pushed into a life of crime, he had all the family values that made him respectable. He was a loving and faithful husband, a doting father and a loving son-in-law. He read philosophy, struggled to understand his new circumstances, and dealt with dishonorable people honorably. I liked Marcus so much that it was easy to accept his moral slide. Marcus's incredulity at his situation combined with his self-effacing attitude made his plight affecting and interesting. Marcus was a genuine character and was easy to relate to. Some of the funniest sections of the book occur as a running monologue in his head when he is faced with perplexities.

One of the things that I found impressive about this book was the level of complexity each character had. From Marcus's pole dancing mother-in-law to the filthy rich tycoons, each was constructed with abundant detail and expertise. The ability of the author to create such meaty characters took it to a greater level of storytelling that I found fascinating. I wanted more strangeness and idiosyncrasy, and the author delivered abundantly.

I enjoyed this atypical and creative story. The narrative propelled itself along in a very unexpected and diverting way that made it an easy and pleasurable read. It managed to be amusing, while not being trite. I would definitely recommend this book to those who would like an entertaining summer read.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm always in the market for a funny book, simply because there aren't that many good ones. So, after hearing lots of buzz about how hilarious this book was, I took it along on vacation. The story revolves around an mild-mannered Los Angeles factory manager in his late 30s named Marcus. When his childhood friend and current employer pulls the rug out from under Marcus's middle-class lifestyle by relocating his job to China, Marcus is left twisting in the wind as the family's debts start to pile up. Fortunately, his brother dies.

It seems that this brother was the polar opposite of Marcus -- a hellraiser with outsize appetites and a penchant for shady shenanigans. As a final dark joke from beyond the grave, the brother has left Marcus the titular dry cleaning company -- which is a front for his prostitution ring. Desperate to save his family from financial and social ruin, it doesn't take Marcus long to rationalize himself into the pimpin' game. The rest of the book plays out somewhat predictably, as Marcus struggles to keep his new job a secret from his wife and son, all while learning the tricks of his new trade. There are the inevitable over-the-top characters, some menace from a competitor, and several reversals of fortune.

Greenland writes well, with very funny lines scattered throughout, and story is well-paced, but it lacks a certain edge. Even when the story is supposed to turn dark, it never quite manages to move beyond light gray. There's a device throughout whereby Marcus tries to contextualize his situation by drawing on snippets from his undergraduate philosophy studies, but these fall kind of flat. Finally, it's hard to imagine any reader failing to figure out well in advance just how Marcus is going to be able to turn it all into a Hollywood ending -- the clues are too obvious. Don't get me wrong, it's all perfectly entertaining fluff -- but nothing that amazing.

Note: Readers of a certain age may recall another mild-mannered fictional character who is forced by circumstances into the pimping life -- Doctor Detroit.

[John Luiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Greenland has a very funny premise here. When a criminal dies, he lives his “dry-cleaning business” to his long estranged brother. This business “opportunity” lands in his brother’s lap at the perfect time. Marcus Ripps, an average Joe, has just found out that the entire toy-manufacturing operation where’s he been a foreman for 15 years is being shipped to China. Without the inheritance from his brother Marcus would have two options – move his wife and 13-year-old son to China to run the plant there or face unemployment. The inherited drycleaning business seems to be a godsend, but Marcus quickly discovers the business is a front for a prostitution ring. Faced with limited options, Marcus decides to give being a pimp a try and Greenland milks every drop of humor there is to be found as this average Joe goes about trying to learn and manage the business – everything from interviewing girls to discover which perversions they’re willing to tolerate all the way to deciding what to do with the body of a John who dies in flagrante delicto. Marcus is determined to be a good guy pimp so he even establishes a 401(k) and health plan for his working girls. Originally, he tries to keep the business a secret from his wife, who has her own dying dress boutique, when she discovers what he’s up to, she helps take the business upscale and make better use of the internet. It’s all very funny and satirical. There are a number of surprise twists along the way. If you’re not squeamish about reading the details of all the various perversities everyday folk can get into, you’ll thoroughly enjoy it. What makes the book so unique and fun to read is that it doesn’t portray the seedy underbelly of a criminal activity, but instead stays grounded in the mundane realities of this ordinary guy’s attempts to run an illegal operation while trying to pay his mortgage and save up enough to throw his son a decent bar mitzvah. There are also enough surprise twists thrown in to keep it a page turner. I enjoyed it so much I’m going to read Greenland’s other novels.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can read this and other reviews on my blog.

Marcus Ripps is an ordinary guy - he manages a toy factory in Van Nuys, his wife, Jan, runs a small boutique, his son is getting ready for his bar mitzvah. Then the factory moves to China, Marcus loses his job and suddenly the family is struggling to keep a roof over their heads. Enter Marcus' estranged brother Julian - or rather exit, since Julian joins the story as he's dying of a heart attack. He leaves Marcus a dry cleaning business, which Marcus decides will be his family's salvation.

Turns out the dry cleaning business is a front for a high-class call girl ring. Marcus decides to run the business anyway, but he's the kind of guy who gets health insurance and 401(k)s for his escorts. When his wife finds out about the business (in dramatic fashion), she starts a book club for the girls.

The characters are fabulous: Julian, the career criminal; Plum, Jan's partner and art school friend; Kostya, part bodyguard, part criminal mentor; Lenore, Marcus' pot-smoking, pole-dancing mother-in-law. Everything is over-the-top - enough to be funny, but not enough to spoil the story. The ending is pure Hollywood and I caught myself casting the movie in my head as I was reading. I enjoyed this immensely and I highly recommend it.

[Athira (Reading on a Rainy Day) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book at the First Reads give-away and got started with it right after receiving it. I liked how the book started, it was quite gripping. I particularly liked that the main character, Marcus was a nice guy, but made decisions based on his survival instinct, rather than to "do the right thing". It feels good to read a book about some one normal, who is not driven by altruism or love for others, but just by his instinct to survive and do what he can to avoid a bad name, as most of us would do.

Occasionally I felt the book slowing down, especially when the author attempted to describe some memories from the past. I liked the way it ended, though it felt more coincidental. But being fiction, anything can happen.

This is the first book I am reading by Seth Greenland. I would definitely try out his other book, The Bones A Novel, sometime.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most marvelous thing about Greenland's novel of an average guy who accidentally becomes a pimp is the juxtaposition of his eloquent vocabulary and the somewhat crass subject matter. Greenland describes the nature of Marcus' business in such poetic terms that you forget you're reading about golden showers and bondage. Marcus ruminates extensively about the moral implications of his new enterprise, wondering what kind of example he is setting for his son, while also being able to provide so much better for him. What is the right thing to do here?
The narrative is also populated with a plethora of fascinating secondary characters: Marcus' pole-dancing mother-in-law, Amstel, a prostitute who reads minimalist short stories, a Russian 'driver' who speaks in hip-hop slang and wants to open a rib restaurant... and so many more.
An amusing, informative, and thoroughly enjoyable book; Shining City is highly recommended.

[D · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the marketing of Shining City does it a mild disservice -- it's positioned as a story in which a more-or-less normal guy inherits a small business from his estranged brother that is not what it at first seems. Really, it's a story about a more-or-less normal guy whose life is repeatedly jostled out of equilibrium by a serious of events, of which the inheritance is actually the second. (Several of the equilibrium plot twists severely strained my credulity -- the novel is basically in a naturalistic mode with a few hard-to-swallow incongruities.)

I feel like this book wants to be a social climbing satire, but it isn't barbed enough to qualify. Its critiques of modern life in Los Angeles seem a bit familiar and comfortable (although maybe as a non-Angelino there are subtleties that elude me).

[Josh Ades · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shining City is a fast read full of humor ranging from absurdity to a quick sex joke. I read this novel in two sittings with no hassle as the story moved forward at a solid clip. The only oddness I encountered is Seth Greenland's elite vocabulary snapping an everyman's story from the summer read list bag and occasionally placing it on an SAT study guide. Greenland's screenwriting background is clear in the format which creates an engaging, modern read. Sometimes awkward truths about relationships, the nature of sex, and what Los Angeles has become over the past 75+ years take this novel to the 4-star level.

[Phyllis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A new author for me, now that I have finished with T. Jefferson Parker to date. This is only Mr. Greenland's second book; he's mostly a playwright and writer for TV and movies. The protagonist here has inherited his dead brother's call girl stable and runs it like a real business, complete with 401(k) plans for his "employees". His conscience gets in the way, though, as he puts his mother-in-law on the health plan, saves for a spectacular bar mitzvah for his son, and tries to revitalize his marriage. Takes place in the San Fernando Valley.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this after reading a favorable Jonathan Yardley review ... I generally enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick, pretty funny read. At its best, the writing is reminiscent of Christopher Buckley's style. But too often the situational humor falls flat, as with the much-built-up bar mitzvah scene that gets resolved in a rather blase fashion. It also would have been nice to have Marcus's philosophical musings more believably woven into the plot; this aspect felt contrived.

[Larry Buhl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle aged professional being downsized and outsourced suddenly inherits his sleazy brother's laundromat, which turns out to be a front for an escort service. What do you think he would do? Become a pimp of course. Mildly amusing, sometimes verging on slapsticky sitcom (pot smoking pole dancing grandma). Seth stays on a strictly satirical plane without digging deeper into the murky and uncomfortable reality of why being a pimp is more lucrative, more secure and sometimes more noble than working for a corporation.

[Ira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up on a whim and really enjoyed it. I'm sure the comparison is incredibly annoying to the author, but it is very reminiscent of Elmore Leonard at least in its comedic style. He does have a nice descriptive touch and the book goes off in some surprising directions at times. Has a good sense of suburbia even if some of the characters are a little formulaic and not all that realistic. Wish he would have come up with a different ending. Made me think he was considering how it would play at the cineplex. Good for what it is.

[Ashlei · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a Goodreads giveaway book for me. I found this book to be really funny in the laugh out loud kind of way, which I was not expecting. I generally laugh out books, but it is not that often that a book makes me laugh loudly. I also found myself thinking of how I would handle this (or what I would want my husband to do) if this ever happened to me, although the situation of inheriting a dry cleaning/prostitution ring is a little out there. I was pleasantly surprised.

[Lynn Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining quick read satire about a guy who inherits a laundry, which turns out to be a call girl service, from his black sheep brother. Starts off with some rather clumsy vocabulary showboating (philologically pedantic, maybe?) but settles down to effectively tell an amusing tale. It won't shed light on the meaning of life, but it does provide a means to put one more day of it behind us without turning on the TV.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, I would have given it 3.5 stars but as we can't give a half star on GR and the book provided such entertainment I had to give it 4. It was laugh aloud funny to me in parts. Living in LA for a number of years helped me appreciate the satire and wit of this book. The characters are likable, the language clever, and the story kept unfolding..looking forward to reading the Angry Buddhist next!

[Sasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author reminds me a lot of Carl Hiaasan in that the humor is very much the same. If you like this book I would suggest "Sick Puppy" where there are prostitutes who will serve only Republican clientele. I am not a fan of writing that seems forced to be humorous so I appreciated the understated humor. It was funny to imagine setting up a prostitution ring where the women have health insurance and 401Ks.

[Xerodog · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous look at the American idea of success. It is part of the irony that the protagonist really does overcome the odds after being unceremoniously and unsentimentally dumped from his job as factory manager. A fun read, made more so because the one thing that unites all the good people in this story is the thought of getting wealthy in the family business.
The pace lagged at times and a couple of loose ends needed to be tied up I thought, but a clever idea and mostly well executed.

[joseph · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for more laughs but the author uses the unlikely premise to ponder themes of good and evil and social judgement. Marcus, our protagonist, loses his 15 year job as factory manager and due to his inability to find a new job and the impending financial needs of his family decides that when he has the opportunity to pick up/inherit the escort service that his estranged and financially successful brother had created.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining, and "fluffy" when I had a lot going on at work, but definitely outside my norm. Felt myself blushing whenever I pulled this out on the T/bus which brought down the ranking. (While I have learned not to judge the book by the cover, mom, I have no faith that others won't judge me based on it.)

[Meave · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't believe how much I liked this book. It's a multi-perspective fantasy about running an "escort service" and the sex in it is strictly marital. Almost all the characters are white. The narrative is full of hilarious little twists and the end is a totally satisfying gotcha, and everything works out for our hero & heroine.

I should hate it, what is wrong with me.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amusing, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny but sometimes kind of silly book about a shy, upstanding-citizen-type guy who takes over his brother's pimp business after he dies. Some things just seemed a bit silly, but overall this author really knows how to turn a phrase - he has a very entertaining comic writing style.

[Pashie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this in a First Reads giveaway months ago but kept setting it aside as I found more interesting and enjoyable books to read. I think that my issue was that I was expecting a more humorous book. Also, I didn't really enjoy any of the characters with the possible exception of Lenore, the pot-smoking, pole dancing, grandmother. Overall, the book was not at all to my taste.