Review of Surviving Life As An Actor

[Koyna]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Surviving Life As An Actor" by Jerry a. Greenberg.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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99% hard work and 1% luck are required to succeed. I think this applies particularly well to struggling artists. It is that right audition or connection in the industry which can suddenly help accelerate their career. Surviving Life As An Actor by Jerry a. Greenberg portrays the power of luck in the life of an artist. The novel is about a group of friends – Marnie, Donnie, Carter, Lorraine, Leon, and Brenda. They are ambitious, young artists. After attending USC – an institute that has been the starting point of many notable alumni- they did not get a breakthrough for ten years. They religiously went from one audition to another, getting rejected repeatedly. They are so busy practicing their art that they do not have time for themselves. Seeing their lesser-skilled peers get through only increases their frustration. After all this, Marnie, especially, was at her breaking point. Her psychologist had also given up on her because she was so distressed. Will she and her friends be able to pursue their passion for long?

I liked how the author depicted the friendship among the characters. There are talented, driven people. But not selfish in any way. They stick with each other through thick and thin. I think what touched me is that they genuinely care for each other. Putting aside their feelings, they rejoice at their friends' achievements and support them when they require help. Unfortunately, this kind of friendship is rare to see. And it seemed to come straight out of fairly-land.

I feel the author could include more details about the struggles of his characters. In a matter of a few chapters, the characters walked into college, left college, and then pursued their art for ten years. That is a big chunk of their struggle the author could have incorporated in the story. He mentioned issues of alcoholism and drugs, but again very briefly. And surprisingly, lack of money was not a problem, even though some of them were out of work. I wish the author had addressed these issues. It would have given more depth to the book.

I will rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. The language is simple, and the friendship among the characters is touching. However, there are a few grammatical errors. And as I have said before, the author only briefly discussed the various obstacles in the life of an artist.
I would recommend this book to people looking for a casual, light read.

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Surviving Life As An Actor
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