Passing Judgment

by Keith Ferrell

Book Overview

A highly acclaimed Hollywood director forced into retirement as a result of tragedy on the set of his last masterpiece, Baird Lowen is content to fish for bass and write incendiary articles about the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312861737
• ISBN13: 9780312861735
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 350 Pages
• Weight: 1.15 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.9" x 8.7"

Customer Reviews

Hot buttons and shades of gray

There's a book review cliche that goes like this: "I couldn't put it down." Pardon me if it applies.You can get a look at the synopsis of this novel above this review, so I'll not repeat the plot or names of characters etc. here. My praise for the book goes to the writer himself, who manages to weave his written tapestry in shades of gray with only a couple of solid blacks and whites. As the book deals mostly with the seamy side of Hollywood (or at least one seamy film with some horrible incidents attached to its production) and with the misbegotten deeds of a few Christians whose judgment seems to have left them at least momentarily, there are hot buttons a-plenty. The filmic exploitation of young attractive girls, the power and wealth that comes to the most gifted televangelists, illicit sex of various kinds, etc., all play a major role in the characters' passing judgment on one another throughout this very well-written volume.The author manages to keep the reader off balance, telling his tale through the eyes of a successful film director who has had to put his career on hold because of some unfortunate incidents surrounding his last movie. This character has a sour outlook on Christianity because the latest star TV preacher made his name in his hometown, and several of his old friends have risen to various levels of power along with said preacher. Yet the author does a brilliant job with those shades of gray, as several of the Christians met by the director prove to be most excellent human beings even in the eyes of this jaded Hollywood type.....but not all.On the other hand, the people who knew the director in high school seem to all have an axe to grind with him. This bears the ring of truth, based on various details of the different relationships, all of which are very nicely laid out for us to read and understand. Ultimately we are left with an exceptionally interesting overview of these relationships, past and present, and the multiple plot lines relating to power in Hollywood, in politics, in religion, etc., all play out in a very satisfying manner, and the reader is left with lots of material for thoughtful moments of reflection and contemplation on these issues. Ferrell plays fair with the Christian and non-Christian points of view, although he displays a clear prejudice toward those who try to struggle their way through life without faith, only able to cling to another person or a career in fits and starts, even while it is clear that the narrator (the director) is aimless and filled with self-doubt and finds the televangelist and his wife to be blameless people whom he comes to count as dear friends. One can hope for his redemption beyond the pages of this book, but that's not in the author's mind. It's those shades of gray, playing around the edges of the hot buttons, that make this book so fascinating from page to page, as the author rolls out his well-laid surprises and, for some bizarre reason, chooses to strew a tota