Great novel of a young man caught up in an early play in New York City with the young Orson Welles. It's a good movie too, but I read the book way before the film, which is not usually the case with me! ( )

3.5 stars.

It's light and breezy. The narrative revolves heavily around the "young man learns about life thanks to hero worship and sex" tropes, but the story occasionally surprised me in spots. There are some really nice moments. But I also thought it was pretty forgettable overall. That said, I definitely enjoyed it. ( )

Given that this is being marketed as a coming-of-age tale, it probably doesn't bode well that the parts I disliked most were the bits about main character's coming-of-age!

Mind you, there are parts of this that I genuinely enjoyed: the dead-accurate period detail, the unapologetic depiction of Orson Welles at his most offensive and narcissistic, the glimpse into the business of producing a theater performance, the insights into Welles' enormous talent. Kaplow is at his best when recreating the authentic optimism and nostalgia of America in the 1940s, when the likes of Gershwin and Orson Welles ruled radio, and his depiction of Welles' legendary Julius Caesar is genuinely riveting.

And then there were the parts that irked me: the novel's self-absorbed teenage protagonist Robert, his obnoxious friends, the succession of starlets who throw themselves at him for no credible reason, the author's condescending tone towards women in general, and the novel's improbably pat ending. While Robert's obsession with sex may be realistic, his inability to view women as anything but potential conquests definitely undermines the author's attempt to portray him as an endearing innocent.

In a world full of coming-of-age stories, this one is neither particularly memorable nor endearing. However, clocking in at a mere 260 pages, this is a short and breezy read, and if you aren't too particular, I think many readers will find something to like in this lightweight tale. ( )

Talent Only?

We are in New York, in 1937. Our hero, the 17-year-old aspiring Richard Samuels’ dream is to be an actor. While listening to the radio he feels that the world of celebrity is easily approachable for him. He is close to the truth: one day he finds himself face to face with the crew of Mercury Theatre. After a neat compliment, few lines of singing and a well-composed answer Richard gets a small role in the soon-to-be-opened Julius Caesar. Robert Kaplow’s Me and Orson Welles shows us how the boy becomes an adult in a week and represents Welles’ ostentatious personality.
The book entertains us and stays true to reality at the same time: in the beginning, humor is provided by the character of Welles, but later he throws away the masque of every humanlike quality except his talent wrapping the critics and the whole crew of Mercury Theatre around his finger, including inexperienced Richard. And even the door of the radio studio read: Talent Only. So could the positive first impression and the influence of such a genius be enough to start the young actor’s career? Kaplow’s delightful but down-to-earth drama tells it to us. ( )

Good story of a young man involved with Orson Welles' early activities in NYC. ( )