Songs From Richmond Avenue - Book Review

Songs From Richmond Avenue

Author: Michael Reed
Genre: Fiction - Humor
Date Published: November 9, 2016
ISBN-10: 1612967760
ISBN-13: 978-1612967769


Click here to read a sample

GoodReads Rating:
3.98

Book Review of :  Songs From Richmond Avenue



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Michael Reed’s novel “Songs From Richmond Avenue” published by Black Rose Writing successfully illustrates that everybody no matter what their status or station in life has a story. Reed also makes it clear that not all homeless people are scary and or dangerous just as not all people from the white and blue-collar classes are stable and safe. There are edges to these classes and subclasses, and Richmond Avenue in Houston is where these come together and make this a colorfully humorous tale. 

This story is about the comings and goings of the average and less fortunate people that call Richmond Avenue their home. We meet an eclectic bunch of characters that run the gambit from pretty women to street people that are looking forward to their next brewery breakfast.

Irreverent humor abounds in Reed's story. He is by-no-means politically correct and takes a swipe at most if not all lifestyles that frequent this locale in Houston.

In true Houstonian style, Reed takes us around town and we see through the eyes of his characters what it is like to be an insider with this group of people, reminiscent of the crowd from Cheers but with a harder edge.  All that with a little romance thrown into the mix makes this an easy story to read. Slipping into this story is like putting on your favorite shoes at the end of the day.

I love how the story twists and turns and how the main character, a journalist and his newly found girlfriend, Michelle, have a foot in both the lower-class world and the upper-class world. She resides on Richmond Avenue but works in the preeminent central business district of Houston, TX.  The protagonist has his office near the infamous watering hole called the Relix, which is the hub of his booze-soaked world.  Michelle captivates the journalist who questions himself if he is worthy of such a beautiful classy woman.  This creates an interesting dynamic. I find their adventures darkly comical. Reed is an author with an uncanny ability to bring to life a wellspring of odd characters, a lap dancer named Honey, a bartender named Danny and a slightly off-balance and semi lucent Bridgeman and a host of others incorrigibles who constantly get into and out of trouble along the way.

Take time out to read "Songs From Richmond Avenue", it is more than just humorous read, it has a little bit of everything in it, just like the watering hole that provides the setting. You will not be disappointed. 


About Michael Reed


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Michael Reed, a finalist for the 2017 McGrath House indie book award for fiction, is a Texas journalist, meaning he�s used to living in inexpensive apartments and driving paid-for used cars. He does not have a wife or children, which is probably best for all concerned, and has never owned a washer or drier, something he takes great pride in. "Songs From Richmond Avenue," which recently received a Literary Titan Gold Award, is the Southern Illinois University graduate�s first novel.





Comments

By: Rahul ValaniDate: 06/14/2018 16:00:51
Great book about Houston.



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