Summary: "Los Angeles Stories is a collection of loosely linked, noir-ish tales that evoke a bygone era in one of America's most iconic cities. In post-World War II Los Angeles, as power was concentrating and fortunes were being made, a do-it-yourself culture of cool cats, outsiders, and oddballs populated the old downtown neighborhoods of Bunker Hill and Chavez Ravine. Ordinary working folks rubbed elbows with petty criminals, grifters, and all sorts of women at foggy end-of-the-line outposts in Venice Beach andSanta Monica.Rich with the essence and character of the times, suffused with the patois of the city's underclass, these are stories about the common people of Los Angeles, "a sunny place for shady people," and the strange things that happen to them. Musicians, gun shop owners, streetwalkers, tailors, door-to-door salesmen, drifters, housewives, dentists, pornographers, new arrivals, and hard-bitten denizens all intersect in cleverly plotted stories that center around some kind of shadowy activity. This quirky love letter to a lost way of life will appeal to fans of hard-boiled fiction and anyone interested in the city itself. Ry Cooder is a world-famous guitarist, singer, and composer known for his slide guitar work, interest in roots music, and more recently for his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries, including The Buena Vista Social Club. He has composed soundtracks for more than twenty films, including Paris, Texas. Two recent albums were accompanied by stories Cooder wrote to accompany the music. This is his first published collection of stories"-- Provided by publisher.
PW Annex Reviews
Celebrated musician Cooder's engaging, but forgettable, collection captures L.A.'s gritty music scene during and after WW II, featuring stories of working-class Angelenos who become embroiled in homicides, car thefts, and other activities related to the "bright boys" (gangsters) moving to the city from Vegas. In "All in a Day's Work," the highlight of the collection, a 38-year-old man trying to register people and businesses for the Los Angeles City Directory becomes implicated in two murders. As a whole, the book resembles a fictional City Directory: a compendium of nuanced caricatures, affectionate portraits of historic neighborhoods, such as Chavez Ravine and Bunker Hill, with guest appearances by famous musicians like John Lee Hooker. "Kill me, por favor" portrays the archetypal young actress arriving in town to pursue fame and glory only to become violently disillusioned. Cooder's knowledge of music permeates the book, and his talent is evident in his clean, precise prose, such as the description of his hometown, which "sparkled and hummed like a giant beehive." However, the stories lack the energy and intrigue of classic L.A. noir fiction, and are both repetitive and forgettable. Cooder's writing style may pair better with a single, sustained narrative instead of vignettes. (Oct.)
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