Official Review: The Craynes Greatest Hits by Gina Marie

[Ronnauticaa]

“Good Vibrations” by Gina Marie is a book that teaches more of a lesson that opposites do attract. It is a book full of direct and indirect mystery meanings, by that I mean you can not automatically tell what is going to happen in the book and that everything seems to have double meaning. “Good Vibrations” also give the reader more of a visual imagination that is developed by the words of the author creating wonders of different scenery. It is a great book and I would prefer this book for others to become addicted to.

[docfatima]

Life full of innocence, friendship, freedom to travel and explore, music... Its a stuff of a dream or rather a wish I would like to get fulfilled if a genie appears. I would love to read this dream.

[Mercelle]

The four friends must have had a wonderful time together. Their musical journey must be interesting to read about.

[Quinto]

It's an era I would like to read about. The freedom and flower power are unfamiliar. Great review.

[Izesicle]

Based on the sample and review, I think I'll like this book. The title is positive and I liked that there was a song playlist recommendation.

[Kalin Adi]

The story seems to portray the characteristics of the '60s. Topics such drugging and sexual orientation were boomed since that age. I don't think it is for me, though. Thanks for the review.

[tmazonga]

Good Vibrations (The Craynes Greatest Hits Book 1) by Gina Marie and edited by Lauren Leasia


The book is a flashback to the 1960s years of rock n roll, free spirits, antics, hippie life, love, beach parties, homosexuality, the Los Angeles (California) rock scene at that time with everything it embodied, and matrimony. It is the story of four young strangers who come together through a series of coincidences and form a musical band, The Craynes, despite their heterogeneous backgrounds. They then live and work together like the typical family with their own share of ups and downs. The story of the group`s genesis is triggered by Trixie, wife of Alex, one of the four men, when she asks how the group came into being in the first place.


The author, Gina Marie, did not take up the writing of this piece of work by chance. Her very background prepared her adequately for the task because she holds a Bachelor`s degree in English – the language in which she writes – and specifically in the domain of writing, which means she is a professional writer. She also has the advantage of having started writing early in life as she already wrote a novella while in High School, followed by two others. She furthermore wrote stories for her own children. It was afterwards that she embarked on the gigantic project of writing the serialized novel under the title of Hippie Logic, later changed to The Craynes Greatest Hits, of which Good Vibrations is the first volume. That means that the sky is definitely the limit for Gina in her writing career, if I can call it that. She has a passion for music and not unexpectedly, incorporates it in her writings.


In order to enable her readers grasp the characters in the book easily, the writer opens the narrative with a leap forward to the year 1968 in which she introduces all the five main characters before returning to 1965 in a later chapter to start her story, so to speak. After the scene is thus set, she again picks up the story from 1968 where Trixie exclaims: “Man, you guys are a riot! I had no idea you went through all that together!”


For readers specifically interested in characterization, this is how Gina sets out the five principal characters: There is Jamie Day, “the sleeping man” whom Alex calls “Jay”. He is from Los Angeles in California. Alex Norton, the one with “the slight southern twang” and the “sweet southern charm” whom Trixie calls her “husband” is said never to act on impulse. He plays the acoustic guitar player and is from San Antonio in Texas and moves to Los Angeles. Trixie, “the youthful beauty with long, red hair” is the lone female in the group who gets married to Alex but is close to Jamie who disappointingly to her turns out to fall in love with men instead. Sebastian Pauley, “the blond” and the “free spirit” is from Connecticut. He plays the banjo and the harmonica. Danny Smithson, “the short one” and the one with “the British accent” is from New York but originally from Manchester in the UK. He is referred to as the “little kid with brown hair” and nicknamed “Little Englishman”


This cover image of the book aptly depicts the period in question by featuring a teenage-looking and smiling lone girl throwing up her hands and letting go herself in typical psychedelic and hippie fashion. To crown it all, she is wearing a crown of flowers which was very typical of what has come to be known as “the counterculture of the 1960s” because the culture differed substantially from that of mainstream society by reinforcing anti-authoritarianism and embracing everything anti-establishment. Other counterculture aspects are portrayed in the book itself such as in the following descriptions: “mass of brown curls falling partly into his face”, “record player”, “a trail of smoke wafted from the end of the joint and twirled in the air, creating lazily dancing patterns”,


The author uses the Third Person narrative technique which according to Novel Writing Help, is more objective than the First Person, is less claustrophobic, is more immediate, and gives the writer greater freedom. Another advantage of the Third Person Narrative which is highlighted by The Balance is that it is “omniscient”, “objective and trustworthy” because it involves an all-knowing narrator telling the story.


I personally appreciate Gina for digging up the past because I, like her, not only identify with the swinging musical days of the 1960s and the 1970s which she captures so ably. In fact, my music library includes some of the albums of leading musicians of that period and tie in with what she calls a “Playlist to help you get into the `groove` of the book”. Occasionally I love sitting back and listening to the music. I think particularly of hits such as “I Get Around” (1964) and “She Knows Me Too Well” (1965) by The Beach Boys; “Mrs. Robinson” (1968) and “Sounds of Silence” (1966) by Simon and Garfunkel; “Under My Thumb” (1966) and “Wild Horses” (1969) by The Rolling Stones; “Blowing In The Wind” (1963) and “Like A Rolling Stone” (1965) by Bob Dylan; “Let It Be” (1970) and “Here Comes The Sun” (1969) by The Beatles; as well as “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” (1969) and “Ohio” (1970) by Crosby, Stills and Nash.


However, the editing and proof reading could have been better. An example is the phrase which says “he lied back in the grass and watched the clouds”, instead of “he lay back in the grass”. There is monotony in the excessive use of the verb, “spy”, like in “he spied a `help wanted` sign”, referring to Alex in Los Angeles; The word is used at least ten times in the story, although there are several other synonyms that could have replaced it once in a while such as “saw”, “spotted”, “notice” and “observe”.


This book would particularly interest lovers of music in general and scholars of musicology in particular, including those interested in the historical evolution of music. I would not recommend it to teenagers still in their formative years because of the disturbing use of drugs in it. That is why I believe the publication is for adult consumption.


I give the book a 3 star rating.