Tag Archives for reviews

Praise from Wes Funk at The Rooster

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Wes Funk, author of the novels Dead Rock Stars and Cherry Blossoms, offers some praise for A Masque of Infamy:

“A Masque of Infamy is my kind of book! A no-bullshit novel – the type that reels the reader directly in with smooth passages, gritty dialogue and countless references to rock ‘n’ roll culture. The world needs less syrupy-sweet superficial feel-good yarns and more stories of surviving the human condition. Dessaint delivers.”

Read more on The Rooster.

Review from BookSpin

BookSpin reviews A Masque of Infamy:

When I was asked to participate in the book tour for this novel, my inclination was to politely decline. I explained to the delightful lady who asked for my participation that I primarily read nonfiction and didn’t normally make time for fiction.

The few times I do dip my foot into the fiction pool is when the plot is unique or in some way appealing to me by piquing my curiosity. I re-read the synopsis of A Masque of Infamy and, for whatever reason, the curiosity factor kicked in.

Read the rest of the review here.

Review from Shannon’s Book Bag

Shannon’s Book Bag reviews A Masque of Infamy:

This was a surprisingly good book. Billed as autobiographical novel, it reads extremely entertaining. Louis is a very believable hard-assed, yet naive teenage boy struggling with a crappy family situation. Dad is a pervert, Mom is a basket-case, and “family friend” Rick is a nut-case.  Louis does what he feels will produce the best situation for himself (and in turn his little brother), but also feels guilt at not being able to change the situation and confusion as to how to deal with things that have happened to him in the past. Despite being a bit of a self-centered shit, you can’t help but feel for him being stuck in his crazy life.

She didn’t like the ending, however, and like several other reviewers, found it frustrating.

But after buying into this kid’s life, the writer leaves you high and dry with no resolution to any of the situations – and not in a “sequel will be coming soon” sort of way. He just up and leaves…and you are left to wonder, “Seriously, that’s it?!” Frustrating, at least to me.

A common response to the novel has been that it ends abruptly and there is no tidy conclusion, no sense of what the future will hold for Louis or his brother. Because I tried to make the novel as close to the real experience as I could, within the limits of memory and the constraints of narrative, A Masque of Infamy is a story about real life, and real life is almost always messy. At one point, I contemplated writing a fictional ending that would tie it all together, but it just didn’t seem genuine. And as much as this is billed as a “novel,” I only changed names to protect my family, and because I used a lot of dialogue to tell the story, I couldn’t in good conscious call it a memoir. But it is a true story. This is how it happened.

Review from The Relentless Reader

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The Relentless Reader reviews A Masque of Infamy:

The night I finished this book I had a dream that I was a patient in a psychiatric hospital. I can’t remember the last time a book seeped into my sleep. That says a lot about the affect this novel had on me.

Horrible things happen to Louis and his younger brother. Things that made me angry and squeamish. The way these boys view the abuse raining down on them was unsettling. There was a casual acceptance in their attitude. As I read further I realized that denial was a tactic they used to stay sane.

The ending proved problematic though:

I wasn’t happy with the ambiguous ending of this book. I wanted to know what happened to this family. I didn’t expect a happy ending exactly, but I did hope for more.

This is my current statement regarding the ending of the book.

Review from the Avid Reader

An unfavorable, but  somewhat disconnected, review of A Masque of Infamy from The Avid Reader blog.

I thought this book was an ok read. it was horrible but it wasnt great. Louis was the character who I liked the most in this book . The thing for me with this book is a didnt like the writting style. The plot of the book was good too, it was different and refreshing which I always love reading books that I dont read all the time. I also love the cover too, I think its very cool! I would recommend this book because I think there are people out there who would like it, mind you its not for everyone but its worth a read or a look.

Review from Crafty Mom Zen

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A Masque of Infamy reviewed on the blog Crafty Mom Zen:

This book captivated me from the first page. I literally could not put this book down once I started it. And for a mom of a busy toddler, that’s saying something!

Dessaint has such a way with words that you feel as if you are a part of the story he is telling. As a transplanted “yankee” to the deep south for 10+ year, I really related to the culture shock of moving to the bible belt when your image just doesn’t quite fit the mold of those around you. There is an authenticity to the story that only drives home the fact that this story is based on the life experiences of the author. It is very real and at times my heart ached not only for the characters of the book, but for the author himself.

I did find the ending a tad abrupt. I want more! I hope that Kelly Dessaint continues writing and maybe someday shares with us the rest of the story.

Oh, that ending!