Book Review: Only Milo by Barry Smith

Nicole of Books and Bards asked me to be apart of the Only Milo book blog tour going on this month.

Here are the sites to check out this month:

The Charmed Bracelet (Oct. 1)

Me (Today)

Adventures of Cecilia Bedelia (Oct. 9)

Beth Fish Reads (Oct. 16)

Lit and Life (Oct. 26-27)

vvb32reads (Oct. 29)

Only Milo (September 1, 2009) by Barry Smith:

Meet Milo, a closet writer who emerges from his dull, SPAM-flavored retirement to become an unseen force in the literary world. But when Milo's illicit ghostwriting is nearly exposed on national television, his options are limited. In a world of egotistical, no-talent authors and duplicitous, back-stabbing publishers, how can Milo achieve the recognition he deserves?

This book drew me in from the beginning. We meet Milo, retired, loves Spam, but wants to get published. He soon starts dating a publisher, Margaret, who hires him to translate José Calderon's first novel from Spanish to English. Except the book his horrible and decides to use his own novel as the "translation." But when Calderon finds out and almost cracks under pressure on live TV, Milo knows he has to "take care of the problem." And so begins Milo's journey to gain the recognition he deserves and nothing will stand in his way as one by one those who stand in his way fall by the wayside.

It was shocking to see the callousness of Milo has he continues on his way to success. That was what was so incredible about this book. Milo is a horrific murderer and yet I care about the guy. I don't want him to get caught; I want him to be successful and find the happiness he's been looking for.

What will a person do to gain their heart's dreams? We come face to face with the demon inside us all. How many people do we step on to gain our dreams and desires, how many do we callously overlook and destroy? I thought this was a brilliant satire on how we can corrupt ourselves to the point of losing our souls. Yet, in the end, Milo finds success and happiness; just as in life when good things happen to bad people, or people less-deserving.

Barry Smith really shows us Milo, who he is, in only 256 pages. A fascinating read that makes you laugh and think! I say, a wonderful combination!

Thanks to Nicole, again, for letting me be apart of the Only Milo book blog tour and giving me the chance to read such a fun and thought-provoking book!