Review by kathyh1955 -- Blinders by Michael Amon
2 posts
[Following is a volunteer review of "Blinders" by Michael Amon.]
Blinders by Michael Amon introduces the reader to the world of competitive wine tasting where the love of wine is a distant second to the love of the money which can be won in wine tasting competitions. Who knew there were competitions between wine tasters? Who knew there were even professional wine tasters? I certainly did not! But frankly, there are many things I do not know! I did learn from Blinders that one should not brush one’s teeth, use mouthwash or deodorant before a wine tasting competition!
These wine tasters compete in blind taste tests and are call—wait for it—blinders! Blinders follows Trilby, a former world champion taster with money problems after he stumbles across a country bumpkin, Bobby, who has an uncanny ability to identify wine by name, year, producer, and any other way to identify wine. Trilby has made some bad financial decisions over the years which have put him in danger of losing his family home. He needs to make a big score to gain his financial freedom and sees Bobby as his ticket to getting there. Trilby is amazed at Bobby’s untrained skill in differentiating wines and takes Bobby under his stylish wing! Bobby is a naïve young man from the country who learned about wines from his father and acquired his moral compass from his Aunt May. Trilby convinces Bobby there is money to be made with his unique and virtually infallible gift.
Trilby sets out to mold Bobby into the world champion of wine tasters. He provides training and opportunity for Bobby to compete against the best in the world at competitions which are conducted by wealthy Johnny Tan, a man who has no apparent moral code. The book is educational regarding how the taste tests are conducted and how the betting (which is illegal) is handled. Educational but not boring! And I am not usually interested in the logistics of how to set up wagering or odds or anything related! But Amon explained the processes in a relatively clear and entertaining manner, and I believe I may have learned something new, so win-win!
Amon has created interesting characters, all of whom are bent. Some are bent just a little; others are bent like a horseshoe. Do no expect to find many of the characters to have redeemable characteristics and you will not be disappointed. And yet, I was charmed by the book. There was an action movie vibe to the book—I kept imagining the characters as characters in a movie.
I gave the book a 4/4 because I liked Amon’s breezy, lively style of writing and a story line which I had never read about before. However, there were a couple of things readers need to be alerted to. First the language is pretty salty. Lots of F-bombs and at least one MF. Also, sex language, not sexy language, just sex language. Definitely not for everyone. However, these issues were not necessarily surprising considering the direction of the story line.
On a more positive note, the characters were engaging and the story line lively. I found myself having difficulty putting down the book. Very enjoyable. So, in summary: lively book, interesting characters, intriguing story line, and a quick read.
******
Blinders
View: on Bookshelves |
Blinders by Michael Amon introduces the reader to the world of competitive wine tasting where the love of wine is a distant second to the love of the money which can be won in wine tasting competitions. Who knew there were competitions between wine tasters? Who knew there were even professional wine tasters? I certainly did not! But frankly, there are many things I do not know! I did learn from Blinders that one should not brush one’s teeth, use mouthwash or deodorant before a wine tasting competition!
These wine tasters compete in blind taste tests and are call—wait for it—blinders! Blinders follows Trilby, a former world champion taster with money problems after he stumbles across a country bumpkin, Bobby, who has an uncanny ability to identify wine by name, year, producer, and any other way to identify wine. Trilby has made some bad financial decisions over the years which have put him in danger of losing his family home. He needs to make a big score to gain his financial freedom and sees Bobby as his ticket to getting there. Trilby is amazed at Bobby’s untrained skill in differentiating wines and takes Bobby under his stylish wing! Bobby is a naïve young man from the country who learned about wines from his father and acquired his moral compass from his Aunt May. Trilby convinces Bobby there is money to be made with his unique and virtually infallible gift.
Trilby sets out to mold Bobby into the world champion of wine tasters. He provides training and opportunity for Bobby to compete against the best in the world at competitions which are conducted by wealthy Johnny Tan, a man who has no apparent moral code. The book is educational regarding how the taste tests are conducted and how the betting (which is illegal) is handled. Educational but not boring! And I am not usually interested in the logistics of how to set up wagering or odds or anything related! But Amon explained the processes in a relatively clear and entertaining manner, and I believe I may have learned something new, so win-win!
Amon has created interesting characters, all of whom are bent. Some are bent just a little; others are bent like a horseshoe. Do no expect to find many of the characters to have redeemable characteristics and you will not be disappointed. And yet, I was charmed by the book. There was an action movie vibe to the book—I kept imagining the characters as characters in a movie.
I gave the book a 4/4 because I liked Amon’s breezy, lively style of writing and a story line which I had never read about before. However, there were a couple of things readers need to be alerted to. First the language is pretty salty. Lots of F-bombs and at least one MF. Also, sex language, not sexy language, just sex language. Definitely not for everyone. However, these issues were not necessarily surprising considering the direction of the story line.
On a more positive note, the characters were engaging and the story line lively. I found myself having difficulty putting down the book. Very enjoyable. So, in summary: lively book, interesting characters, intriguing story line, and a quick read.
******
Blinders
View: on Bookshelves |
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