Review and Giveaway: My Year as a Clown by Robert Steven Williams

Teddyrose@1

11 years ago

Today kicks off the book tour for Robert Seven Williams and his novel My Year As a Clown.

Book Description:

Robert Steven Williams is the recipient of the Silver Medal for popular fiction in the 2013 Independent Publisher Book Awards for My Year as a Clown.

Publisher: Against the Grain Press (Dec. 26, 2012)
Category: Contemporary Fiction/Literary Fiction/Humor/Relationships
Tour Date: June 24th Through July, 2013 (Dates may vary)
Available in: eBook, 325 pages

With MY YEAR AS A CLOWN, Robert Steven Williams introduces us to Chuck Morgan, a new kind of male hero—imperfect and uncertain—fumbling his way forward in the aftermath of the abrupt collapse of his 20-year marriage.

Initially, Chuck worries he’ll never have a relationship again, that he could stand in the lobby of a brothel with a hundred dollar bill plastered to his forehead and still not get laid. But as the emotionally raw, 365-day odyssey unfolds, Chuck gradually relearns to live on his own, navigating the minefield of issues faced by being suddenly single—new routines, awkward dates, and even more awkward sex.

With My Year As a Clown, Robert Steven Williams will attract fans of the new breed of novelists that includes Nick Hornby, Jonathan Tropper, Lolly Winston, and Tom Perrotta, delivering painfully honest glimpses into the modern male psyche while writing about both sexes with equal ease and grace in a way that’s hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time.

My Thoughts:

At first glimpse, some readers may mistake My Year As a Clown as a book that would appeal to men only. Let me reassure you, that is far from true! Sure, there is some football in it but as a symbol of loyalty and commitment.

Chuck Morgan is devastated when his wife leaves him for another man. Like many women or men often do when a long term relationship ends he digs himself in a rut. He is emotionally spent and doesn’t know how to deal with the situation or his loss.

Friend and relatives who mean well give him phone numbers of women to call for dates but it is clear that isn’t what he needs.

The book is written in journal style, starting at day one since his wife left him, through day 365. This style works perfectly for this novel. It reads smoothly unlike some books that are written in this way.

My Year As a Clown is like a memoir, as the story and characters ring true to me. As Chuck begins to try to dig himself out of the rut, we share his triumphs and failures. We can tell he is a good person but has human failings, just like all of us.

Robert Steven Williams takes the reader on an emotional roller-coaster as we follow Chuck for a year. His writing is raw and at times profound. At times there is biting humor. I would have loved to have follow Chuck through another year or two of his life however, I think that it would have made for too much of a pat ending. There are some loose ends that are tied up by the end, but true to life, not all of them.

I highly recommend My Year As a Clown!

4.5/5

View the Trailer:

About Robert Steven Williams:

Robert Steven Williams is an author, singer-songwriter, and musician. His debut

novel, My Year as a Clown (Against the Grain Press), was released in January 2013.

As a writer, Williams was a finalist in the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest and was awarded a Squaw Valley Writers Community Thayer Scholarship. He attended Bread Loaf, Sewanee and the Squaw Valley Writers’ Conferences, and worked closely with the esteemed fiction writer, Barry Hannah. His short fiction has appeared in Carve Magazine, The Orange Coast Review, and the anthology Tall Tales and Short Stories Volume II. Additionally, he was the executive producer of the critically acclaimed BOOM! Studios CBGB Comic series, nominated in 2011 for a Harvey Award for Best Anthology. Robert’s work has also appeared in Poets & Writers Magazine, Billboard, USA Today and LetterPress, a newsletter for writers. He is also co-author of the best-selling business book, The World’s Largest Market.

As a musician, Williams studied songwriting with Rosanne Cash, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and other top country writers. In 2005, he released the critically acclaimed CD “I Am Not My Job,” featuring Rachel Z (Peter Gabriel, Wayne Shorter) and Sloan Wainwright.

Robert’s Website: http://www.robertstevenwilliams.com/
Robert on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Robert-Steven-Williams/151139431616038
Robert on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RSWwriter
Robert on Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/111002605881778815727/posts
Robert on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/robertstevenw/
Robert on You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/user/rocknovel

Thanks the author, Robert Steven Williams, I am giving away one copy of My Year As a Clown. This giveaway is for the ebook and ends on July 5, 2013. Please use Rafflecopter to enter.

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Follow the Tour:

So Many Precious Books June 20 Review & Giveaway
Melissa’s Midnight Musings June 25 Review
Melissa’s Midnight Musings June 26 Interview & Giveaway
Joy Story June 26 Review
Book Lover’s Library June 27 Review
Book Lover’s Library June 28 Guest Post
A Book & a Lattee July 1 Review
Carole Rae’s Random Ramblings July 3 Review