The Other Side of Mulholland

I've lived in Los Angeles since 1958 and what Stephen Randall writes is barely, just barely, satirical. It's one tiny step to the side of reality. I found the book to be humorous and amazingly perceptive in regard to the "industry" as TV and movies are called. There are very few areas of Los Angeles that aren't affected by the industry whether it's dry-cleaning, hardware stores, nurseries, etc. so when something is that pervasive the people involved in it think they're indispensable. Of course they're not, but the arrogance and pretentiousness of these people knows no bounds until they get dumped for the next "flavor of the month". Mr. Randall understands this all too well and has brought it out admirably. What's unfortunate is that there are millions of people in Los Angeles who aren't like this and are pretty decent (although we all drive badly, now, because traffic is so cutthroat). If you want an enjoyable, quick read I heartily recommend this book.

I was expecting this to be a Hollywood/L.A. book, but I was surprised to find it was much, much more. It's really a great (and funny) look at modern relationships (homosexual and heterosexual) and family dynamics. I expected inside scoop on Hollywood but what I really liked were the characters. They made the book for me.

This is a unique novel: written from the experience of an LA native, dealing with the moronic ambience of TV screenwriting and the essence of East Coast immigrants and corporate drones who venture to Hollywood with jackpot dreams and an absolute absense of talent, it is also the story of a fascinating pair of brothers raised in the San Fernando Valley, their parents and the social ecology of Los Angeles at the Millenium. In addition to Randall's hilarious take on the ridiculous totems in the TV business, it is a serious portrayal of how a talented pair of twins navigate among the unwritten (and unpredicable) currents of the industry, never losing their sense of humor and irony.Recommended highly!

I just finished reading "The Other Side of Mulholland" and found it to be insightful with sharp wit that truly captures the LA I love...and love to hate. A great companion to summer days sitting by the pool or at the beach. Whether an insider or an outsider to LA, it's sure to be enjoyed by all!

Though not a native, I spent more than a decade living and working in los angeles--long enough to understand the peculiar, hidden nature of the place. until stephen randall penned this wonderfully affecting and affectionate novel, nothing i'd read whether fiction or nonfiction about the essential L.A. truly and fully captured its character (and characters). joan didion's play it as it lays is the closest runner-up, in my opinion, but didion's protagonist was a very specific type--affluent, malibu-moviebiz wife afflicted with anomie and idleness--and the novel, while artful and absorbing, seems pretty dated (and awfully depressing) by now. The Other Side of Mulholland manages to send up the whole have-a-nice-day fake sunniness of l.a. while never being bleak, and it's refreshingly contemporary without being overly, pretentiously hip. It's a must-read for anyone with a healthy sense of irony, a taste for funny and stylish prose, a desire to explore tinseltown beyond the tinsel, a yearning for well-drawn, complex and appealing characters that ring true to life, and an interest in the dynamics of quirky, all-American family dynamics. i started reading this book on a flight from l.a. to n.y., appropriately enough, and by the time we landed i'd not only finished the delicious thing, but I'd laughed so often and so loud that I thoroughly annoyed my seatmate and made my jaws sore in the process. It was a small price to pay for a hell of a lot of fun. if this is stephen randall's first novel, i hope he writes many, many more; i'll buy and read them all. Already I'm a huge fan.