Reasons For Reading This Book:
I read this book in participation with the Readheads podcast book club. I have been a member of this book club since the beginning and loving reading the chosen book each month. For June 2022 the chosen book was Run, Rose, Run by James Patterson and Dolly Parton. I was excited to read this book for two reasons; one I have never read a James Patterson book but have always wanted to, and two I was intrigued by the fact that Dolly wrote an accompanying album to the book.
Content of the Book:
A 'little', driven, and stubborn small-town girl is trying to make it as a singer-song writer in Nashville. A retired world famous country singer brings her under her wing and wants to do all that she can to make her the newest superstar. Does she have what it takes to make it as a country superstar? Will her past catch up to her? This book has everything from homelessness to the glamorous life of a superstar. Read to find out who Rose is and why she is on the run.
What I Liked About the Book:
As a country music fan I loved how Dolly and Patterson included the lyrics of the songs throughout the narrative. It aided in understanding how a singer-song writer thinks and added a unique element to the writing style of the book. The descriptions of the characters were spot on. I had visual images of each of the characters from the beginning. I gained more appreciation for singer-song writers who go to Nashville in hopes of making it big. I felt for her when she was homeless, sleeping in the park, hungry and in need of a shower. The inclusion of the hot shower and warm meals helped the reader to grasp just how much she was struggling. I might be jumping ahead but as a reader I appreciated the epilogue. Some authors give too much while others don't give enough. This epilogue was the perfect length with the perfect amount of detail to satisfy the ending of the book. I am usually a reader who likes to find things that I can relate to in each character. With these characters there was not much that I personally related to and that did not bother me one bit. Even without the characters being relatable to me personally I believe they would be relatable to other readers. As I have mentioned with other books I love reading about fame and glamorous lives. This book included a contrast between the work to get to fame and the glory of already having it. I loved that the plot had a little bit of romance, grit, drama, and stardom. Everyone is bond to find something they enjoy about the plot. With this book I did not struggle to pick it up each day and actually enjoyed reading it. I felt like it read fast and I made progress in the reading percentage each time I picked it up. As a reader who reads in 30 minute sessions throughout the day I am a fan of the short chapters. I know some readers may not, but I am. I agree with the choice to have Annie Lee, Ruthanna, and Ethan switch off narrating. This gave the reader a varying perspective of the plot and more insight into the characters thoughts, feelings, and actions.
What I Disliked About the Book:
For me there were some plot holes. For example, why was Ethan's past storyline never finished or concluded. I get that it was not a main focus and was probably included for the reason that he was showing openness and vulnerability to Annie Lee, but can I get a wrap up on his story. I am guessing that James Patterson left it without a conclusion for that reason that it was not a main point of the story, but I would still like a conclusion or update. To me the book was divided into third sections. The first being her start in Nashville, the second being the beginning of her career, and the third being the downfall due to her past. The book mainly focused on the first two parts and the third part was so short. The bare minimum of details was given about her past to quickly conclude the story. As mentioned in the podcast, going more into detail about the traumatic details of her past may not be for everyone, but I still would have liked more instead of it being glossed over so quickly. Learning more about her past would have helped me to understand her more as a character and why she was and acted the way she did in the first two parts of the book. I would say I was semi-satisfied with this section of the book. It felt rushed to me. I did not listen to Dolly's accompanying album as I read the book instead I listened to it after I finished even though the Readheads said it was not good or what they expected.
Would I Recommend This Book?
I rated this four stars mostly because of the way the book was sectioned. With that being said I loved almost everything else about the book. I would recommend this to both music and country music lovers. Overall its an enjoyable read with great characters and an easy to follow story line. I say give it a read.
Check out my book reviews for 2022!!
Check out my book reviews for 2020!!
Check out my book reviews for 2019!!
August Book Review: Alex and Eliza: A Love Story
July Book Review: The Husband Hour
June Book Review: The Perfect Mother
May Book Review: Into the Water
April Book Review: Fangirl
March Book Review: Eleanor & Park
February Book Review: Turtles All The Way Down
Check out my book reviews from 2018!!
November Book Review: Visible Empire
October Book Review: The Bees
September Book Review: The Silent Sister
August Book Review: Dark Places
August Book Review: Sharp Objects
July Book Review: The Widow
June Book Review: Allegedly
May Book Review: Wonder
March Book Review: Gone Girl
February Book Review: The Woman in the Window
January Book Review: The Worst Hard Time
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