Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer
At this point, whenever I see a novel by Golden November, I pick it up without even reading the blurb. Golden November has become one of my all-time favorite authors, and there is a reason for that. His stories are complete, concise, and contagiously fun to read.
Reviewed by Asher Syed
Golden November novels are described as a book that reads in the same way a television show or a movie would be with the volume off and the subtitles on, and that's probably the most perfect way to explain how November's books work.
Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers’ Favorite
The story of G, JBT, and the gang continues in this comedy-drama that will keep you entertained until the end.Simple, humorous, and incredibly entertaining, every novel by Golden November is fun to read, but this one is extra special. I love how each character gets a story to tell, but it is always G and JBT who tie everything together in the end. While we do have the usual characters in the story, I love how each time Golden November allows a different character to come forward and shine. As always, the dialogues are fantastic,. This unhurried, filtered, fast-paced, and unique way of storytelling is remarkable.
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers’ Favorite
For readers unfamiliar with November's style of writing, it is done in a format similar to a screenplay.The dialogue only narrative to be acted out as opposed to simply being read. Family inviting friends to a music award ceremony kicks off the story. This is not a prestigious ceremony but hilarious nonetheless and readers are given song lyrics to sing along. The best part of November's writing style comes from sarcastic, deadpan humor. This is really brought to life when the story is being acted out and it is really, really hard to keep a straight face when reading
:-What's the crunchy stuff inside the sandwich?
- It's cucumbers, do you like it, Fred?
-His name is Charlie!
The crew zig-zag from one near-catastrophe to the next in good detail and alternating lines are what a reader is working with...but it does work. Golden November hands out another great time to be had by alll. Recommended.
Reviewed by Stephanie Chapman
The setting is Milestoneville and the development of Channel 1994. Opening with JBT and G jumping from an airplane. The duo head to Channel 1994’s Award Show. The story then transitions to pre-show interviews by Amy. JT and Pineapple are both rival contestants for the best music award. Then a third transition is to the Award Show where the host seems to have forgotten his manners. He insults Click Clack and his family on stage. Then he turns to the crowd and announces that everyone was the winner of the Worst Music Award. The remainder of the book features a cast of colorful characters and the rise of Channel 1994’s popularity.
Meanwhile, JBT and G are on the hunt for a book that seems to be desired by many.The conversations were like reading the subtitles of a movie in a foreign language. The names of every character didn’t seem to be the focal point that Golden November wished me to follow. At the beginning of the book, I read the introduction that this is a book to act out rather than to read. Once I did, I found it was easy to understand. My favorite moment came from The Host Of Channel 1994’s Award Show. Even though he was fired for making fun of various important people, the jokes were not vulgar, and the audience found them funny. The novel hosts numerous themes ranging from suspense to comedy and drama. I think that the book could be converted on-screen as a soap opera. Anyone who likes to read scripts or desires to be a screenwriter would enjoy this book.
Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer
As always, the fast pace and the expressive dialogues were the highlights of the story. I loved to know G, and JBT synched from the first moment they met. The twists in the story were intense and fun. Try as I might, I was never able to guess what would happen next. Golden November truly is a master of the craft.
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers’ Favorite
Golden November is as hilarious as readers have come to expect from this uniquely talented author and their brand of storytelling. November's live-action structure is intended to be read in precisely this way. One does not just read through the book itself, although in the interests of full disclosure I had to this time around, but will remedy that at the first opportunity. My family and friends would be cross with me if they found out I had a date with Milestoneville without them. Instead, two or preferably more readers run through the dialogue-only script as if they are acting. Full-color photographs are provided in lieu of spacial descriptions and this makes the reading process streamlined. The humor is absolutely on point and the writing gives us a a peek into the author's deadpan comedy chops. This is another brilliant addition to the Milsestoneville series.
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers’ Favorite
Golden November's book is an act-it-out novel meant for multiple readers to participate in as it revolves around the fictional cast of characters that the author has revisited in multiple spin-off books. Each story is an episodic compilation of several interweaving plots involving small clusters of familiar characters from Milestoneville, with several ancillary, transient characters that come and go but set the tone for others. For example, a scene in this installment includes a skydiving instructor who is impossible to understand, but every reader will want to play his part. The book takes us from the late 50s to a 1994 music awards show, from burgers and rifles to shark diving, and from one hilarious line to the next,
Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers’ Favorite
Acquaint yourselves with the colorful characters of Milestoneville and accompany them in their glorious adventures. Author Golden November uses several different plot threads and merges them together to create a unique narrative that is unpredictable yet surprisingly engaging to read. The plot moves at a blistering pace, taking unexpected twists and turns you never see coming. G and JBT hit the ground running, and their banter and quick back and forth make their scenes some of the most entertaining of the entire plethora of characters. Filled with action, humor, and plenty of charm,
Bernadette Longu
If anyone has ever 'people-watched' in a busy shopping center, restaurant, or even at the airport, there are lots of times you may have wished you could eavesdrop on their conversations. Golden November has done this with delightful humor.
Jamie Michele
Reading out the lines in a group is the best way to get everything November's stories deserve from them, and it's always roaring fun when another book in the series comes along.
Asher Syed
November writes books, not for independent reading but instead for groups of like-minded readers to act out. This can mean different things to different people but, for me and my family, it means picking out characters to “play” and cracking on with them. Unlike a traditional book, November's text is 100% speaking roles with stock photography to show actors where they are in that scene. Very highly recommended.
Rabia Tanveer
The action is intense, the pace is fast, and the plot is entertaining; three ingredients of every Golden November novel. I love how Golden November doesn’t give us anything in terms of descriptions, yet I still read the dialogues for each character in a different and distinct voice. The dialogues are so powerful in this book that you will have a hard time not creating a mental image of each of the characters you come across. Simple yet effective, another job well done by Golden November.
Jamie Michele
The common denominator in Golden November's string of subplots is clear - women are amazing. We are right back with our favorite cast of characters as author Golden November ropes us in for a new adventure. It is so much fun to have the opportunity to read a new Golden November book. I waited for a weekend when a couple of friends could come to spend the afternoon acting out the novel.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn
It is always hard to describe these books and series to readers who have never encountered them before, but suffice to say Golden November always provides lively characters, plenty of unexpected twists in the plot, and a no-nonsense approach to storytelling that means anyone from any reading background can always enjoy the drama.
Asher Syed
Another winner in November's long list of them. Recommended.
Rabia Tanveer
It is truly astonishing how Golden November can create whole character portraits with just dialogues. Each character has a distinct style of how they speak and emote. Somehow, Golden November can convey the intentions, emotions, and directives behind each action of a character with simple dialogues. As always, the setting is perfect, the characters are incredible, and the dry humor is enough to keep you in a calm and happy mood all day long.
Reviewed by Vincent Dublado
I find a certain fascination in the avant-garde style of storytelling that Golden November has presented in this series. There’s a charm in the dialogue-based story that serves as the main instrument in moving the storyline. The dialogue novel is nothing new, but the way November infuses it with the characters feeling like real people makeing this work unique. You have conversations among characters that serve as the only means of narrative advancement, and this allows you to effectively visualize mentally what is taking place. This, for me, is part of the wonder that makes the Milestoneville Series entertaining because it’s purely a cerebral experience that doesn’t require too much representation. November has a cutting-edge storytelling style that can well be adapted as a stage play for its dialogue-driven plot
.Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers’ Favorite
For readers unfamiliar with November's writing style, the Milestoneville books are what my family now refers to as the “book-game” because it is meant to be acted out in its entirety.
Reviewed by Foluso Falaye
Author Golden November's book includes several memorable characters and many brilliant, comical additions.
Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer
Chapter after chapter, writer Golden November takes readers into the characters' lives and gives an insight into their minds. I like how the author changes the tone for each character and fully embraces the characters' personalities in their dialogues.
Reviewed by Romuald Dzemo
The drama is intense and the entire narrative is stocked with tension. Readers are hardly aware of what could happen next as the intrigue mounts with characters having hidden agendas. Apart from the drama, readers will enjoy the author’s superb handling of character development. These characters come alive on the pages and they feel as real as though they lived next door to readers. The beauty of the writing is elevated by the realism infused into it and the creation of characters that are genuinely flawed and believable.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn
The script-like formatting feels like I’m reading a transcript of the story’s events, as if Golden November and I are covertly watching the events take place together from a nearby unmarked van.
Vincent Dublado
May well be read as a series of different characters in different situations operating in the same world. There is plenty of humor along the way, and there is the great pleasure of singing along as you get a front seat to a music award ceremony. This is at-the-moment humor that is effectively funny as you take it in moderate doses. Golden November’s humor is a world in itself, as it often turns on a logical contradiction or it sometimes defies logic. What you normally accept as realities are pushed to absurd extremes. Consider the case of Chatsworth, the pen salesman who sells his product door to door. You cannot help but admire the credulity he puts into his showmanship in convincing homeowners why they need a pen.
Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers’ Favorite
Golden November’s dialogues are the highlight of the story. They are genuine to the characters. Readers familiar with the characters can listen to the dialogue with closed eyes and guess correctly which dialogue belongs to which character.
Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers’ Favorite
Out of all the books in the Collector's Edition, Golden November's Welcome to Milestoneville is definitely my favorite. The primary reason is due to me now feeling like I know all the characters pretty intimately, which indicates the effectiveness of this means of storytelling where most would presume there is no real way to do that. The second reason is that the photographs used in this book were really good. I mean, they always are, but these are standouts. And finally, there is no way I can be anything but chuffed when a group of Ren Faire folk says things like, “Why doth the chicken cross the road?” Just kidding, sort of. Actually, with the Renaissance re-enactment troupe, the dialogue was much more thorough than usual for these stories. The use of entire paragraphs was well done and, considering the characters were ancillary, I definitely got to know them. Great fun and I'm happy to recommend it.
Reviewed by Vincent Dublado for Readers’ Favorite
And this is what sets the Milestoneville Series apart from other fiction. November has his own way of giving a twist—a kind of plotting that is out of the box. It is the type of event that you least expect, and it sets the story arc into full force. The dialogues make no attempts at pretentiousness and take the liberty of self-censorship as evidenced by the characters blurting out the word 'duck' as a substitute for the F-word. Although the highlight of Conversations is the interaction among characters, it is still packed with incidents suggesting that Milestoneville is a place subject to tensions reflected in what its residents think, say, and do. This story is a confection of sorts that examines the absurd stuff of humanity; dazzling to the point that leaves no room for disbelief.
Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers’ Favorite
Collector's Edition an engaging read that is bound to delight adventure lovers. Fast-paced and filled with humor and an adventurous spirit, author Golden November's entertaining novel is a joy to read. The characters have colorful personalities that pop out of the pages and feel vibrant and full of life. G and JBT have a wonderful sense of chemistry between them that makes you root for them. I thoroughly enjoyed their dialogue and banter, laden with quick-witted humor.
Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers’ Favorite
As always, the dialogues are crisp, the narrative is fast, the humor is dry (but hilarious), and all the characters are memorable!
Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers’ Favorite
A plethora of new characters joins the ensemble, but November gives each of them distinct personalities that make them stick out amongst the bunch. Despite being part of a series, Life of the Impersonators: Conversations also functions as a standalone. Recommended to adventure lovers.
Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers’ Favorite
After reading at least half a dozen stories by this author, I still don’t understand how he adds so many characters into his stories, tells an entertaining story, and does it all without overwhelming readers. Am I a little sad that this is the last book with these characters? Yes, I am, and I will miss them and Golden November’s genius narrative style.
Enter Milestoneville might just be my new favorite in the Milestoneville universe that Golden November has created. I always find their work to be funny but the beauty of reading an author's full canon is that you can witness their evolution as a writer in real time. November has shown that this remains true and, to me, this is firm evidence. The dialogue is witty and intelligent, and often it is laugh-out-loud hilarious. There is a particular scene where Varrius, stranded on his boat, is having a full-on conversation with a dolphin who appears to be responsive to what he's being told. It was the belly-ache inducing laugh that guaranteed a really good time to come. Another is the mayoral debate between Click Clack and Asterick. Trust me when I say that getting lost in Milestoneville is always worth it.
