A nice and promising opening that leads to an even more interesting development as the we are told the story of an, unorthodox , Broadway aspiring ballet dancer called Cammie, that dares to follow her dreams although everything that would and could keep her down, going through the ruffs and edges of the competitive New York City.
Between two timelines, 2019 and 1980, the story goes back and forth between Cammie, the dancer, and Tom, the pianist, each story telling how each of them started out in New York, their struggles and their learning experiences.
“A Season in Lights” talks about art, artists and the professional performing world, the cruel realities of Broadway and New York performing plays, but in a way that encapsulates everything on the world of art. It shows how difficult it is to stay relevant on the world of arts, no matter how good, and the almost impossibility of becoming a legend, or even being noticed for long. It talks and shows us clearly about the desires of an artist towards its chosen craft and how can life get in the way of dreams, either through our choices, the choices of others and family.
In this “fine tuned” book, you will find that the narrative is simple, professional, as light and mannered as it should be, a narrative that blends very well to the atmosphere of New York. It allows and invites room for imagination, as the author tells this story with subtle suspense and poise, leaving little gifts here and there that literally make the whole book bigger than the sum of its parts, without messing with the delicate nature of this piece of writing.
Another great thing about this book is that it’s full of culture and life lessons that we might miss in our daily lives, or forget at all. There’s clearly the Black culture, the White culture, but there’s also the Lebanese culture in there that sheds lights to the much ignored and “stereotyped” culture of Arabs, which in my personal experience has always been as described by the author: welcoming and accepting.
In “A Season in the lights”, words and decisions are a big thing, as you will see, and the weight of their consequence, will leave threads that are no so easy to mend. Jealousy, betrayal, and the fangs of the past will slowly turn and twist this story, and with it, your heart.
The refreshing (and much needed) views of how women battle with possible motherhood and careers and the awful truth, although stated briefly, help to make this book even more valuable. There are adultish lessons as well, but these ones, reflexive towards our choices that invite us, force us, to re-analyze our deeds towards others and the consequences of your selfish behaviours that can and should be avoided or at least, managed.
I highly recommend this to “the dreamers” out there. All young people should read this, specially teenagers, not only because it will make them re-think their grand aspirations in a more neutral, natural light, by showing the consequences of selfish impulses and thoughts, and the burden of failures driven by “Hollywood Dreams” and New York city lights. Rational thought IS something that very few people manage to do when it comes to goals, but this book will surely help in that aspect and, the way, Gregory E. Phillips, the author, wrote it, can motivate readers that are artists, without giving them the illusion of eminent success or sugar-coated half-truths.
Cammie, our main character serves as that reflexive point of the story. Through her choices, she almost ruins lives of those she should have been helping, and because of her selfish impulses, she indirectly robs the opportunities of others in her life, as she comes to realize as the book progresses.
Many important themes are brought up here, Depression being one of them, told in a very relatable way that is nice to enjoy while our characters evolve as time passes.
With a perfect ending, this book by Gregory Erich Phillips puts itself on the shelves of our hearts with the inspiration, the lessons, the pain, the beauty and the lightness that it offers. It’s a great book to read, a story that will stick to a special corner of our lives for the uniqueness of it.
Pros:
- Smooth characters
- Smooth, fluid, steady narrative that feels like music
- Depth in the emotional description of the character’s states of minds and position in life
- A deep contrast of backgrounds when it comes to characters, making it culturally diverse and open
- A very educational stand on things and a very nice approach on the struggles of the Black People on The United States of America
- A vivid description of New York City, with truthful lessons of it when it comes to living, working and gigs
- Passionate and detailed descriptions of character’s crafts, movements, emotions, drive and accomplishments. You can almost see it in front of you
- Nice character development overall
- There is a fascinating twist in this book, given that the central piece and the jewel of the story’s romance and sensuality, isn’t a woman, but a man. A Black man. Which is refreshing in all fronts
Cons:
- The female main character Cammie is,- at times, in our point of view,- a selfish, emotional and over dramatic 33 year old cry baby
Scribble's Worth 