4.6 stars – 22 Reviews
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Here’s the set-up:
With My Year as a Clown, Williams introduces us to Chuck Morgan, a new kind of male hero–imperfect and uncertain–fumbling his way forward in the aftermath of the abrupt collapse of his 20-year marriage.
Initially, Chuck worries he’ll never have a relationship again, that he could stand in the lobby of a brothel with a hundred dollar bill plastered to his forehead and still not get lucky. But as his emotionally raw, 365-day odyssey unfolds, Chuck gradually relearns to live on his own, navigating the minefield of issues faced by the suddenly single–new routines, awkward dates, and even more awkward sex.
Edited by Joy Johannessen (Alice Sebold, Michael Cunningham, Amy Bloom), My Year As a Clown will attract fans of the new breed of novelists that includes Nick Hornby, Jonathan Tropper and Tom Perrotta. Like others in that distinguished group, Robert Steven Williams delivers a painfully honest glimpse into the modern male psyche while writing about both sexes with equal ease and grace in a way that’s both hilarious and heartbreaking at the same time.
Reviews
“With MY YEAR AS A CLOWN, Robert Steven Williams has written a terrific novel. He pulls back the curtain on male masculinity — showing us what a guy really goes through when dealing with the difficult mess of his beloved spouse’s infidelity and the ensuing divorce. Williams’ characters give us the real-deal: a gut wrenching and often humourous look, showing us the everyday horrors of what it’s like to start all over again as one approaches middle age.” –Suzan-Lori Parks, Pulitzer Prize winning playwright for Topdog/Underdog
“When we first meet Chuck Morgan, the main character in Robert Steven Williams’ new novel, My Year as a Clown, he’s broken, twisted and confused. And that’s what makes him so interesting. Like other intriguing literary heroes, Chuck is at his best after life has knocked him to the ground, forcing him to find a new way to be strong again; damaged maybe, but more confident this time, with a kinder, more open heart.” –Jimmie Dale Gilmore, singer, songwriter, guitarist, member of the Flatlanders
“Robert Steven Williams has written a novel of tremendous honesty, humor, and insight. His story of Philadelphia Eagles-loving Chuck Morgan, cast adrift on the rocky shoals of dating when his wife of twenty years suddenly leaves him, does for men what Bridget Jones’s Diary did for women.” –Joy Johannessen, editor (Alice Sebold, Amy Bloom, Michael Cunningham)
About The Author
Robert Steven Williams is an author, singer-songwriter, and musician. His debut novel, My Year as a Clown was published in December 2012 by Against the Grain Press.As a writer, Williams was a finalist in the Raymond Carver Short Story Contest and was awarded a Squaw Valley Writers Community Thayer Scholarship. He attended Bread Loaf, Sewanee and the Squaw Valley Writers’ Conferences, and worked closely with the esteemed fiction writer, Barry Hannah. His short fiction has appeared in Carve Magazine, The Orange Coast Review, and the anthology Tall Tales and Short Stories Volume II. Additionally, he was the executive producer of the critically acclaimed BOOM! Studios CBGB Comic series and nominated for a 2011 Harvey Award for Best Anthology. Robert’s work has also appeared in Poets & Writers Magazine, Billboard, USA Today and LetterPress, a newsletter for writers. He is also co-author of the best-selling business book, The World’s Largest Market.
As a musician, Williams studied songwriting with Rosanne Cash, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, and several other top country writers. In 2005 he released the critically acclaimed CD “I Am Not My Job,” featuring Rachel Z (Peter Gabriel, Wayne Shorter) and Sloan Wainwright.
Check out Robert’s website at: http://www.robertstevenwilliams.com/
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