Author: Blake Nelson
Publisher: Little Brown Books
Publication Date: June 3, 2014
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Review:
Robert “Cali” Callahan ran away from the foster system in Nebraska and has cut out a life for himself in Venice Beach, California. He has a pretty sweet set up, a treehouse to live in, friends, and above average basketball skills. When a private investigator asks Cali to help find missing people, who are presumed to be in Venice, his sweet set up gets a little better funded. The problem is people that go to Venice don’t want to be found.
I loved the setting of this story. I’ve always liked Venice Beach and the eclectic people that gather there. It’s one of those quintessential California places and Nelson brought it to life beautifully.
I also enjoyed experiencing Venice Beach through Cali’s eyes. He was an interesting character and I admired how independent and driven he was. Despite being a runaway with few options he was always looking to the future. He also had his own inner moral compass and I liked watching that grow and change throughout the story.
The writing in The Prince of Venice Beach was sparse. There wasn’t unnecessary dialogue or excessive inner monologues which I both liked and didn’t. Because the writing was bare I didn’t feel like I got to know the characters and their motivations as much as I would have liked to.
Overall, I enjoyed The Prince of Venice Beach. The setting was spectacular and I liked Cali but I wished there had been more details. I would have liked to experience more of Cali’s thought process and to have known him better.
Happy you enjoyed it for the most part. Not sure if this is for me though.
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