Official Review: The Crimson Blueprints by Kim Ekemar
Posted: 05 Sep 2016, 14:21
[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Crimson Blueprints" by Kim Ekemar.]
3 out of 4 stars
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Writers often get inspiration from their surroundings, their experiences and the people they meet. Yet what happens when a book is being written, and the characters seem eerily similar to reality? Too similar. The Crimson Blueprints is a story written by Kim Ekemar which falls under the C/T/M/H genre. I jumped at the chance to review this book since I had previously read, reviewed and immensely enjoyed another book by the same author.This is a book about a story within a story.
This is the story about a young man, Paul B. Crimson, who returns from Viet Nam (this is how the name is written in the book) with all the memories of what had occurred and all the horrors of war. Yet he doesn’t only have these memories in his mind, he has written all of it down with the idea of getting it published. After trying at several publishers, his book is finally accepted. It is published and is a huge success. Unfortunately, due to his success and owing to a habit he picked up in Viet Nam, Crimson’s life has turned into one of vice and drug abuse. However, his publisher, JP thinks that he still has a lot of potential and so encourages him to write another book. Unfortunately, Crimson doesn’t have any idea of what to write about. JP sends him to stay with some friends of his in the snowy village of Harbor, so that he may have an opportunity to concentrate on his book. It is here that Crimson starts to write again. However the story that he writes doesn’t seem to have a clear outline, and as the story unfolds we see parallels in Crimson’s life. Coincidences that could be deadly.
What I found amusing about the story was the author’s brilliant insertion of himself into the book. In the beginning of the story we read an ‘editors note’ in this it says that the author, Kim Ekemar received this story - The Crimson Blueprints - to publish. So although we know that this is a work of fiction this adds to the authenticity and leaves the reader wondering if the story is really true.
The book is made up of the story that Crimson was writing as well as his life at that particular moment. It also included some correspondence between himself and JP, the editor. The book also includes police reports of what had occurred and flashbacks to Crimson’s time in Viet Nam. The characters were brilliantly crafted. JP the editor, is an old man who is trying to right the wrongs of his youth and mistakes of his career, and Paul Crimson is a disturbed, yet intriguing character.
The main character is deeply damaged, probably from his experiences at war or other reasons. However, I didn’t like him as a person at all. I also didn’t like the crude description of what the main female character in Crimson's book goes through. Crimson bases the characters in his story on people in his real life, and fiction and reality become mixed-up.
Unfortunately I did pick up one or two grammatical errors, which would bring down the score of the book in some readers estimation. However, this did not deter me much from enjoying the book. I am giving this book a three out of four stars because I think it definitely deserves it. I think that many readers would enjoy this book, especially those who are interested in the psychological effects of war on a person, those who would like to see how a writer finds his inspiration in his environment, as well as those who enjoy a crime thriller.
******
The Crimson Blueprints
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3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
Writers often get inspiration from their surroundings, their experiences and the people they meet. Yet what happens when a book is being written, and the characters seem eerily similar to reality? Too similar. The Crimson Blueprints is a story written by Kim Ekemar which falls under the C/T/M/H genre. I jumped at the chance to review this book since I had previously read, reviewed and immensely enjoyed another book by the same author.This is a book about a story within a story.
This is the story about a young man, Paul B. Crimson, who returns from Viet Nam (this is how the name is written in the book) with all the memories of what had occurred and all the horrors of war. Yet he doesn’t only have these memories in his mind, he has written all of it down with the idea of getting it published. After trying at several publishers, his book is finally accepted. It is published and is a huge success. Unfortunately, due to his success and owing to a habit he picked up in Viet Nam, Crimson’s life has turned into one of vice and drug abuse. However, his publisher, JP thinks that he still has a lot of potential and so encourages him to write another book. Unfortunately, Crimson doesn’t have any idea of what to write about. JP sends him to stay with some friends of his in the snowy village of Harbor, so that he may have an opportunity to concentrate on his book. It is here that Crimson starts to write again. However the story that he writes doesn’t seem to have a clear outline, and as the story unfolds we see parallels in Crimson’s life. Coincidences that could be deadly.
What I found amusing about the story was the author’s brilliant insertion of himself into the book. In the beginning of the story we read an ‘editors note’ in this it says that the author, Kim Ekemar received this story - The Crimson Blueprints - to publish. So although we know that this is a work of fiction this adds to the authenticity and leaves the reader wondering if the story is really true.
The book is made up of the story that Crimson was writing as well as his life at that particular moment. It also included some correspondence between himself and JP, the editor. The book also includes police reports of what had occurred and flashbacks to Crimson’s time in Viet Nam. The characters were brilliantly crafted. JP the editor, is an old man who is trying to right the wrongs of his youth and mistakes of his career, and Paul Crimson is a disturbed, yet intriguing character.
The main character is deeply damaged, probably from his experiences at war or other reasons. However, I didn’t like him as a person at all. I also didn’t like the crude description of what the main female character in Crimson's book goes through. Crimson bases the characters in his story on people in his real life, and fiction and reality become mixed-up.
Unfortunately I did pick up one or two grammatical errors, which would bring down the score of the book in some readers estimation. However, this did not deter me much from enjoying the book. I am giving this book a three out of four stars because I think it definitely deserves it. I think that many readers would enjoy this book, especially those who are interested in the psychological effects of war on a person, those who would like to see how a writer finds his inspiration in his environment, as well as those who enjoy a crime thriller.
******
The Crimson Blueprints
View: on Bookshelves
Like stoppoppingtheP's review? Post a comment saying so!