Pistonhead

by Thomas A. Hauck

Charlie Sinclair is having a terrible week. His day job at Evergreen Software is being outsourced to Puerto Rico. His best friend⎯the lead singer of Pistonhead⎯is spiraling downwards into drug abuse. The girl he loves is unattainable. His apartment is full of mice and his old girlfriend wants to dig her claws into him again. His mother has a new boyfriend and the guys from his old neighborhood hate him because they think he’s a successful rock star. The band’s audiences revel in violence.

When things couldn’t get any worse, a tragedy forces Charlie to make a life-changing decision and take a bold step into the future.

This breakout novel, filled with gritty realism and dark humor, paints a picture of a working rock musician’s life that is both poignant and inspiring. The concert scenes are exhilarating and the depiction of the grinding world of the assembly line is wrenching in its unblinking clarity. This is no rock-and-roll jet-set platinum-record romp; these are the real lives of artists who struggle to get to the top of the local rock heap. Their limousines are subway cars and their private jets are late-night taxicabs from grungy nightclubs.

Charlie thinks he knows what it means to be successful, but his view of the world is challenged. How do you define success? The answer may surprise you.

Genres: Fiction

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 1, 2009

Reviews

[Kari Gibbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charlie Sinclair runs a line at a plant by day, but by night, he is a rocker in one of Chicago’s up and coming bands. It’s not all glitz and glam for Charlie though, like you imagine for a rocker. He lives in his apartment with mice, his girlfriend cheated on him with another rocker, one of his band mates and best friends dies and he is losing his job in two weeks. There may be a glimmer of hope on the verizon, but with everything else on Charlie’s plate, that glimmer made fade out like a wet fire cracker.

Thomas Hauck gives us a look at the life of a rocker that most of us never see. We have all watched the shows on MTV and VH1, but we never really know what goes on when the mic is turned off. This book shows us that when you take away the groupies and haven’t quite made it, life for a rocker is as hard, and maybe harder as all of our non-rocker lives.

Thanks to Thomas for sending me the copy of this book. I love receiving books that I normally wouldn’t pick up. It definitely helps expand the genres that I read. Everyone needs a break from teen angst and mid-life crises of the fake housewives of our favorite novels. A little smack in the face with reality is needed every now and then.

I give Pistonhead 4 bookmarks.

[Katrina · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I first came across this book I was hesitant to read it. A rock n' roll book, with a male main character, just did not appeal to me. By the time I read the guest post Mr. Hauck wrote for my blog, I knew I had read the book. The original synopsis does not do this book justice.

Charlie is in a rock band. They have had some semblance of local success. But this book is so much more than playing gigs, doing drugs and banging groupies. It is about life, humanity and how one measures success. Do you really need the six figure paycheck to be successful?

Charlie is a down to earth character with a good head on his shoulders. This book tells the story of one dramatic, life altering week in his life. He has to face his best friend's drug addiction, the possibility of being laid off from his factory job, his mother's new boyfriend and anti-fans who like to throw things at the band.

My favorite part of this book was when while Charlie was working at the factory. I liked how he dealt with all the character's there. His patience may just be uncharacteristic of a rock star. Overall this book was enjoyable, although some of the musical references sailed directly over my head.

[Kathleen Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unexpected treasure! You don't have to know (or care) anything about rock music to enjoy this new American classic. It reveals a personal journey and packs a powerful emotional punch. Charlie Sinclair is a modern Pilgrim who wants to make the best of his life but doesn't quite know how. This well-written and concise novel examines how each one of us defines success, and challenges our preconceptions. The characters are vivid and the settings (around the Boston area) are evocative. Once you pick up "Pistonhead" you will not want to put it down.

[Frank Gardner · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I learned from this book? A few things. Manufacturing is dying in the U.S. Rock bands work much harder than I thought. Having sex with a groupie is not always as thrilling as you might imagine. The music business is full of sharks (no surprise there). People who are in the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Hospital can work regular jobs. You are capable of much more than you ever imagined. This book will stay with you long after you have read it.

[morninglightmama · Rating 1 out of 5]

Maybe because I couldn't relate to the plot or the main character all that much, but this short novel did not really appeal to me. I thought the writing was pretty rudimentary, and in my opinion, the characters were slightly one-dimensional. It may appeal to others who are more into the small circuit rock scene, but it was not my thing.

[Harvee Lau · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although Charlie Sinclair works in the days on an assembly line, his goal is to be famous as a rock guitarist. This book follows Charlie for one week and tells how he finds success.

[Josephine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review here: http://www.booksloveme.com/2010/06/pi...