Official Review: The Forty Watt Flowers by C.M. Subasic

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amybo82
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Official Review: The Forty Watt Flowers by C.M. Subasic

Post by amybo82 »

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Forty Watt Flowers" by C.M. Subasic.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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The Forty Watt Flowers by C.M. Subasic is a fun novel set in the 1990s that follows a band from its inception through its development. The main character, Trisha, is estranged from her family because of an incident that happened years before. She has been working at a dive bar in Athens, Georgia, and she has been living with her semi-successful musician boyfriend, Brent. She decides to take control in her life and start a band. They become The Forty Watt Flowers. In the first few chapters, the scenes bounce between Trisha’s life and band in the 90s and the boom of the rock scene in 1970s-80s Athens. As the book progresses, it focuses on Trisha’s present life in the 90s. As Trisha’s band begins to get gigs, all the members go through some growing pains. Trisha experiences strains on her relationship with Brent. The members of the band form, nurture, harm, and ruin relationships. Trisha also sees growth and strengthening in her personal life as she faces her demons from the past and looks forward to her bright future.

One thing the author does extremely well is to illustrate the difficulties people, and women in particular, experience on their ways to success. I like that the book is full of strong female characters who take charge of their own lives. They are not domineering, but they see what they want, and then they make it happen. As the main character, Trisha is the most transparent to the reader, but she still has her secrets, making her interesting and relatable.

In any book, writing descriptions is difficult. If the author adds in too much detail, s/he is going to lose the reader, but skimping on the descriptions leaves the reader floundering. Author C.M. Subasic starts this book with excellent details about the settings. The reader can picture the music scene, with its dive bars and enthusiastic youth, in Athens in the 90s. However, throughout the book, the action descriptions of the characters became so numerous and extended that they started to distract from the book overall. There is too much description of every little glance, movement, etc., and it interrupts the flow of the story. Some of the characters’ actions could be edited out to create a more succinct description that still gets the point across to the reader.

In some parts, I found I had a difficult time understanding the logic behind some of the characters’ actions. For example, in chapter 33, the band is on a break in the middle of a late night gig. During the break, three of the five band members take off to go pick up pecans. I did not understand why they would just leave the venue like that. In another part of the book, one of the band members is chatting with a guy after a gig. They seem to be flirting at first, but then, she is written as giving him a “motherly smile.” The contradictions in what the characters were saying and what they were doing leads the reader to feel confused about the characters’ true intentions. However, most of the time, the author wrote clearly, and the reader could picture the story playing out.

I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Overall, the story was compelling, and anyone who loves music will appreciate this book. Despite its setbacks such as overly detailed descriptions and the questionable nature of some of the finer details, the quality of the story as a whole is worth three stars. It has just enough relationship drama, and it still focuses on the adventures of starting a band. I would recommend this book to someone interested in starting a band, someone interested in music, or someone interested in strong female leads. This book will have a broad appeal because it touches on music, culture, and relationships.

******
The Forty Watt Flowers
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Post by colleesu »

Thank you for both your kind words and your specific feedback. It means a lot to us authors to hear what people like you have to say, and we use it all on our current and future works, to make a better experience for all readers.

Athens, GA is a special place, with a funky vibe, full of love for all things musical. I wrote about a band because I've always found that music connects in a way no other art does, but the band acts as a metaphor for the act of creating anything: a mud pie, painting, writing. It's about the choice we make in every moment of every day, to be a critic or an artist. It's easy to be a critic, tearing things apart. It's much harder to be an artist, to really listen to ourselves, to take what life gives us and make something beautiful. I think it's when we choose the artist's way that we not just find a way to meet our goals but also make the world a better place for us all.

Thank you again, amybo82, for taking the time to give my precious mud pie attention, to give your articulate, astute and honest opinion. You make something beautiful for us all, too.
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Post by bookowlie »

Great review! I enjoy books with a distinct setting and Athens, GA seems like an interesting place. The cover artwork is awesome!
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Post by colleesu »

Glad to hear you like the cover artwork. It took a long time to come up with. We wanted something that gave the vibe of LPs (the protagonist has a massive collection), while also showing that the band tends toward alt-pop punk, while also being somewhat retro. The photo is of the actress who appeared in the trailer video, who looked exactly like I imagined the singer. An overlay of color was applied, as if it is a screen print of a t-shirt. We did create t-shirts for the book launch and a handmade version of the book. You can check these out, as well as the fictional band's virtual tour at the "band's" website. Cheers!
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Post by bookowlie »

colleesu wrote:Glad to hear you like the cover artwork. It took a long time to come up with. We wanted something that gave the vibe of LPs (the protagonist has a massive collection), while also showing that the band tends toward alt-pop punk, while also being somewhat retro. The photo is of the actress who appeared in the trailer video, who looked exactly like I imagined the singer. An overlay of color was applied, as if it is a screen print of a t-shirt. We did create t-shirts for the book launch and a handmade version of the book. You can check these out, as well as the fictional band's virtual tour at the "band's" website. Cheers!
Thanks for the backstory about the cover! I always enjoy hearing about the little details.
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Post by amybo82 »

I do hope lots of people choose to read this book! I lived in Austin, TX, for many years, and a lot of what I've read about Athens makes me think of that time. One of the things I loved most about the book is that it really has some ass-kicking women in it. During this time period, women were making a stronghold in the music industry, and I think a lot of that movement helped to make it clear that women really do rock in so many ways! Thanks to the author for bringing together this story, and thanks to Bookowlie for the positive comments!
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Post by LivreAmour217 »

This is a great review of a book that sounds very promising. I have a fondness for all things '90s, and my dad is involved in the art scene in Athens (he is a painter and photographer), so I will have to check this one out!
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Post by amybo82 »

Livre, I think you'll definitely appreciate it! I could just picture the girls sitting in a cafe with their combat boots and their flower babydoll dresses. Haha!
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Post by teacher_jane1 »

Hey, good review! Ever since "High Fidelity," I can't get enough of inside-the-music-industry stories. Will check it out! Athens GA is indeed a special place!
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Post by amybo82 »

I'd only experienced the shopping side of Athens as a kid, but I love the way this book gave me new insight into the depths of the music scene.
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Post by gali »

Thank you for the great review! Sounds like a fun reading. I like books with strong female leads. The plot sounds promising. Great cover too. I am glad you enjoyed the book overall. :)

Congratulations to the author for the positive review! :tiphat:
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Post by 1_2_5_am »

Thank you so much for your honest review! The author's writing style sounds absolutely amazing!!
I'm really in the mood for some strong female leads!! :banana-rock:
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Post by Candy »

This review is so good. The reason I say that is because the reviewer is very dedicated to this book and wants to get everything in this review s/he can. Reading this review turns me away from reading the book because it seems very confusing at times during the book although the end of the review when she says people who likes strong female leads that's straight up my ally. Thanks so much for this review it's a must read for me now :)
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Post by Heidi M Simone »

As one who loves music and strong female figures, this book sound like a great one to read! I will not be starting a band anytime soon ;), but the premise of the book definitely intrigues me! Thank you a wonderful, honest review!

Also, congratulations to the author for writing such a compelling book and receiving a positive review! :D
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Post by read-by-Theresa »

Thanks for the review. I love to read and although I am not really into music at all I think this book will have something for me anyway. I look forward to reading it.
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