Show World: A Novel

by Wilton Barnhardt

After making a series of moral compromises as she tries to establish a career as either a writer or a publicity agent, Samantha Flint must stop and take stock of her life because her dreams are beginning to turn into nightmares. Reprint. 17,500 first printing.

Genres: Fiction

341 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Wilton Barnhardt (born 1960) is a former reporter for Sports Illustrated and is the author of Emma Who Saved My Life (1989), Gospel (1993), Show World (1999), and the New York Times bestseller Lookaway, Lookaway (2013). Barnhardt took his B.A. at Michigan State University, and was a graduate student at Brasenose College, University of Oxford, where he read for an M.Phil. in English.

He currently teaches fiction-writing to undergraduate and graduate students at the North Carolina State University in Raleigh, in the Master of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing.

Source:Wikipedia

Reviews

[Rebekah Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like all of his books, this one is very well written with excellent characters. If you grew up in the rural South, you will definitely be able to relate to the main character's struggles. This book could certainly be accused of being depressing but it's still well worth the read.

[Adam Nelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not impressed. It seemed to advertise itself and was advertised by readers who favored it as a morality tale of sorts, the female protagonist's tragic story of a downward spiral into drugs, depression, despair, and death. All of that really just occupies maybe the last 30 pages, and at that point, yes, it's pretty effectively tragic. Leading up, however, her addiction and self-destruction are only occasionally alluded to. Otherwise, it felt like Helen Fielding's "Cause Celeb": an insider's view of an aspect of show business that's so busy showing you how much the author knows about such a thing that it forgets to tell the story. I did like the parts that talked about the main character's background and upbringing in Springfield and around Table Rock Lake down in Branson, Missouri, especially in that Barnhardt didn't seem to have been raised around here or have any interest in this part of the country except insofar as giving his character a midwestern background. And yet he gets it right. His research is thorough and she is an authentic product of the region. This was the one aspect of her character that really drew me in, but that's only because I know southwestern Missouri and can verify Barnhardt's research. It would be prejudicial for me to award more stars just on that basis rather than having a more cohesive and purposeful story.

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book got off to a very slow start, and most of the first part seemed to drag. But it got a lot better as it went along.

The characters are compelling and vivid; both Samantha Flint and her best friend and worst nemesis Mimi Mohr are complex, flawed characters; and the family and social dynamics are convincingly portrayed. Barnhardt has a lot to say about "image versus substance" in this novel...

The part that I find most fascinating is watching Sam's gradual descent from "A Woman of Promise" to "Ruin"; at the end of the novel, as a woman who started out with as many advantages and talent as anyone could hope for, dies of a drug overdose on the eve of testifying in her husband's murder trial -- I find myself wondering, was there any point at which her life could have been turned around?

[Nascha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book in a discount store and the book jacket sounded interesting and I was desperately bored so I dived in for the ride. The beginning hooked me but it was a slow build to a fascinating ending. The characters were very complex and Barnhardt has a great knack for American history and politics. We follow the main character, Samantha Flint, from a scraping-by living in New York City, to the political world of Washington DC and finally to Hollywood California. Wilton spares no details of the sexual and political relations of each segment of American society. Pretty good read. I am very curious about the other books he's written.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, my gosh. This book was so dark and thought provoking, especially since the main characters, places and times mirrored my own. These are the same women that lived in my dorm and sorority in the late 70s.
A very talented writer, I think, who can evoke strong emotions from readers. As I talk to colleagues, it seems that you either love or hate Wilton Barnhardt.

I knew how this was going to turn out, and I had to force myself to finish the last few, painful chapters.

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first, the book was interesting, but a little slow. About halfway through it got really really good.
This book goes through a girl's journey through life and shows how quickly it can take a turn for the worst! this is a good book!

[Jamie]

I got a few chapters into this and never opened it again.

Fine Tracie, i'm reading this. Happy?

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a disappointment. Divided into three distinct sections (A Woman of Promise, Better Part, Ruin) The book starts well with a strong and identifiable voice, starts to weaken in the second part and fails completely to compel or excite in the final. After the very good Gospel, Barnhardt seems to have lost his way. It strikes me that he had the germ of a good story and a deadline, and that this is the result.