JANUARY 2018 | SARASOTA SCENE 121
arts&culture
LITERARY Scene
By Ryan G. Van Cleave
THIS MONTH, RYAN REVIEWS A SINATRA MEMOIR, AN
EROTIC ROMANCE, AND WWI HISTORICAL FICTION
CONSTANT CRAVING
by Tamara Lush
Florida author Tamara Lush’s
third novel, Constant Craving,
is a page-turner of a romance.
Like Lush herself—a reporter
and correspondent for the Associated Press—the story’s
heroine, Justine Lavoie, is a journalist. She’s just inherited
her grandfather’s newspaper company, yet things don’t go as
smoothly as they might. Before long, she’s forced to seek out
a loan from Florida Capital, and the new head is her Cuban
ex, the once-broke-now-loaded Rafael. All he wants in
return for giving her the money so desperately needed by her
business and all its workers who now depend on her? Spend
a month with him and see what happens. One sultry Cuban
dance later, and she’s accepting this offer.
Ultimately, Constant Craving is a story of second chances.
These two lost their virginity to each other and both know on
some level that they’re perfect for each other, yet they have
15 years of mistrust, ill will, and betrayal to push past.
Lush is a fine writer and her knack for creating catchy banter
and well-wrought characters is evident throughout the book.
And for readers aching for some real romance? I offer three
words. Steamy. Sexy. Smooth.
A fine, fine read.
Rating:
www.tamaralush.com
THE T
WAY IT WAS: MY
L
LIFE WITH FRANK
SINATRA
S
by b
Eliot Weisman
and a
Jennifer
V
Valoppi
I confess—I’m
not a Sinatra fan. Not
that I dislike him or anything, but rather I’m simply too
young to have appreciated how The Voice was one of the
most influential music artists of the 20th century. But after
reading Weisman’s story here, I’ve now got a far more robust
sense of the star-studded wild life that Ol’ Blue Eyes enjoyed
for decades as well as a good glimpse at this mega-star who
clearly trusted few and kept much of his own life private. And
who better to help us past that veil of secrecy than Parkland,
Florida resident Eliot Weisman, who served as Sinatra’s longtime
manager and ultimately as the executor of Sinatra’s estate?
Whether it’s how “this crowd” (what Sinatra called the zoo
that was his family) drove him bonkers or describing the neardisaster
that was the Duets session (which became his best
seller) or how Weisman chose prison over participating in the
legal trap designed to catch Sinatra, Weisman was there. This
book reveals it all in clear, non-egotistical prose that keeps the
spotlight where it belongs—on the Chairman of the Board.
One thing that I really learned from this book is how generous
he was. As Weisman shares:
When a Las Vegas casino refused to allow Sammy Davis
Jr. in the front door in the 1960s, Sinatra famously said,
“Let him in or I’m out.” He provided financial help to
boxers Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson when they fell on
hard times, and gave them the use of his plane when they
needed it for medical treatment. I borrowed his plane to
pick up Liza in Minneapolis when she completed her first
stint in a rehab at the Hazelden drug rehab center.
He was an avid reader of the newspaper in every town and
city we went to. When he read a story about someone in
need, especially if it was a policeman or fireman, he would
have someone call Golden his accountant and send
anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 anonymously. Frank’s
father had been a fireman and he had great admiration for
their service.
This book is interesting, well-written, and
compelling. It gives a real sense of Weisman’s
affection for and commitment to the Boss, but it’s
Sinatra who—as always—steals the show. Highly
recommended.
Rating: