Comment

Jul 11, 2016SarahDormat rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
I've always had a fascination with 1980s NYC. The grittiness of it and the artists who came out of it (many of whom are featured in this book) fueled a life-long desire to live there myself and, to get cliché, "be a part of it." By the time I'd moved there in the mid 2000s, however, a lot of that grittiness was gone. So, I still look for books and movies that will take me back to a time I didn't get to experience- A time when Jean-Michel Basquiat was spray-painting graffiti on subway cars and Madonna was hanging out with Keith Haring. This book tries to capture that feel, and for the most part, does a decent job of it. The characters are all flawed human beings (many of whom are squatting in an "artist's loft" and making a mess of their lives, but also some decent art) whose lives intersect in some lovely and some tragic ways. There's something a little flat about this story and the characters, though. I could never truly care about any of them. It lacks depth in places where it feels like it could and should get REALLY DEEP. Overall, though, it's a quick read about my favorite city during my favorite time; so, I enjoyed it. There are cameos by many artists, some of whom I wasn't familiar with, but thanks to google images and this book, I've found some new favorites.