The California Book of the Dead

by Tim Farrington

Marlowe and Daa search for a lover and roommate to replace the departed Jackson, while masseur Jack seduces Marlowe's cousin, Sheba, into their world of Buddhist rituals, banana smoothies, and California enlightenment.

This story of an eclectic cast of characters in a house share in San Francisco as they grapple with love and liberation, substance and soul, and where nothing is what it seems.

Genres: Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Sumiko Saulson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The quintessential San Francisco story, creating a perfect snapshot of a period in time when HIV was still a guaranteed death sentence - the characters dance in and out of the wake of a dying friend.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

The joy of this book is in the quirky, flawed, but essentially decent characters who are all striving in their own kooky way for a connection to something beyond themselves.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Vickie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think the only reason I finished this book is that it gave me something to read only a couple pages of before going to sleep. There was only one character in the book that wasn't completely insipid...and he was dead and described only in brief flashbacks. I liked both of the Monk books by Tim Farrington and thought at least his style of character creation would be similar. I came close to giving up on this a number of times but kept thinking it would improve. Gave it 2 stars - one for it's use as a sedative.

[Elisha Chan · Rating 4 out of 5]

meh

[Nadia Cavagliere · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting characters, but a bit formulaic. I found myself caring about the characters but at a distance, not completely immersed and engaged. I think the most interesting one is the central character Marlowe who is filled with angst over the death of her best friend Jackson, which carries over into all her other life decisions. The others are a bit more cartoony.

[Dora · Rating 3 out of 5]

More interesting story line than The Monk Downstairs , but not quite as good as Blues for Hannah.

[Betty · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was kind of fun. I don't know if I thought it was a huge sterotype (yes) or if in fact... no, it was stupid. all the Buddhists were silly and superficial. I don't know-- kinda fun- but stupid.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

An "Fa" author, this novel describes the search for meaning amongst seekers who are seeking far too diligently and taking their findings far too seriously. Not a bad read, though; set in San Francisco.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty good. It was really long, but mostly entertaining. I don't think it needed to be 300+ pages, but that could just be me.

[Ray Charbonneau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Follow the spiritual journeys of a group of people who've come to the promised land of California for enlightenment. The author doesn't take his story too seriously, which is the right thing to do.

[Oriol · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pse, could be worse, but could also be much better. It gets better towards the middle-end though.