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Sparklers
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
September 6, 2016
A coked-up 80s bonkbuster which completely turned my head around when I found it at a campsite book-swap shelf aged 13 or 14. I was unprepared for the tidal wave of capitalistic, hedonistic filth – bisexual masseuses, underage callgirls, litanies of brand names, mile-high clubbers, power suits, stiletto heels, amyl nitrate-fuelled gay sex, innumerable shoulder pads.
Basically it's a book-length version of the sex scenes from American Psycho, except the girls don't end up splattered all over the walls at the end. It's actually better than American Psycho, mainly for that reason.
Basically it's a book-length version of the sex scenes from American Psycho, except the girls don't end up splattered all over the walls at the end. It's actually better than American Psycho, mainly for that reason.
September 11, 2011
Well this one was rather dark & disturbing and sick & twisted. A good eye opener for those who think the world is full of wonderful kind-hearted beings and still think murderers, rapists and paedophiles don't exist.
A brilliant work of fiction that draws from some of the harshest realities of life. I found Sparklers to be a well paced, riveting thrill ride that plays on some of the more sordid fantasies and fears lurking in the depths of the mind.
A brilliant work of fiction that draws from some of the harshest realities of life. I found Sparklers to be a well paced, riveting thrill ride that plays on some of the more sordid fantasies and fears lurking in the depths of the mind.
December 31, 2023
It’s very challenging to assign a rating to one of Pat Booth’s books. By most standards, Booth (1943-2009) was a bad writer. Her plots and characters are unrealistic. Her prose violates many of the cardinal rules of good writing. (For instance, she always tells the reader what to think of each character, rather than showing what the character is like and allowing the reader to draw his or her own conclusions).
Yet, Booth was in some respects a good, bad writer. She kept the pages of her books turning with a mixture of sex, wealth, and conflict among the jet set. A high school English teacher of mine used to call books like these “literary junk food.”
Sparklers is one of Booth’s earlier (1983) efforts. The plot is unfocused, but concerns a rich 18-year-old American named Caroline Montgomery who wants to be the world’s greatest skier. Caroline’s very-rich mother is dating the Secretary of State. And there’s a nefarious, mafia-inspired plot involving the world’s diamond market. Oh yes, there’s also Lord Miles Parmere, a dissolute Englishman who decides that he wants to be Caroline’s first lover.
If even one of the many plot threads happened in real life, it would make a good story. Never one to believe that “less is more,” Booth piled drama on top of drama in Sparklers. It was just too much for 330 pages. But in Sparklers Booth did well at describing her settings and she also included very-explicit descriptions of her characters’ bedroom activities. Many popular fiction fans will find that even if the book isn’t great, it’s still quite readable.
I can’t recommend Sparklers, but I will say that it’s not as bad as the two-star rating suggests. The book certainly has its shortcomings, but it’s pretty good for simple escapism.
Yet, Booth was in some respects a good, bad writer. She kept the pages of her books turning with a mixture of sex, wealth, and conflict among the jet set. A high school English teacher of mine used to call books like these “literary junk food.”
Sparklers is one of Booth’s earlier (1983) efforts. The plot is unfocused, but concerns a rich 18-year-old American named Caroline Montgomery who wants to be the world’s greatest skier. Caroline’s very-rich mother is dating the Secretary of State. And there’s a nefarious, mafia-inspired plot involving the world’s diamond market. Oh yes, there’s also Lord Miles Parmere, a dissolute Englishman who decides that he wants to be Caroline’s first lover.
If even one of the many plot threads happened in real life, it would make a good story. Never one to believe that “less is more,” Booth piled drama on top of drama in Sparklers. It was just too much for 330 pages. But in Sparklers Booth did well at describing her settings and she also included very-explicit descriptions of her characters’ bedroom activities. Many popular fiction fans will find that even if the book isn’t great, it’s still quite readable.
I can’t recommend Sparklers, but I will say that it’s not as bad as the two-star rating suggests. The book certainly has its shortcomings, but it’s pretty good for simple escapism.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews