Review by Emma Patel
April 28, 2008
The Magic and the Mayhem explores an age old problem that
threatens to emaciate the core of what gives us strength. When fathers
are not present in the lives of their children those very children are left
with a void that reverberates throughout their lives. In this story John
Drake learns that there is more to life than Berber carpet and his prized
Corvette. He discovers that being a responsible parent is not the worst
thing in the world and in fact may be the best thing in the world.
An interesting point made by this author is what happens to men when
they don't grow up to face the reality of fatherhood. Her story suggests
that their growth is somehow stunted just as the child's is when
they don't step up to do the right thing.
Her writing is crisp and seamless and puts you right in the middle of
the action. There are some very funny moments and if you're a parent
you'll remember when you were where he is.
For a first try, its brilliant. I look forward to future works by the author.
April 28, 2008
The Magic and the Mayhem explores an age old problem that
threatens to emaciate the core of what gives us strength. When fathers
are not present in the lives of their children those very children are left
with a void that reverberates throughout their lives. In this story John
Drake learns that there is more to life than Berber carpet and his prized
Corvette. He discovers that being a responsible parent is not the worst
thing in the world and in fact may be the best thing in the world.
An interesting point made by this author is what happens to men when
they don't grow up to face the reality of fatherhood. Her story suggests
that their growth is somehow stunted just as the child's is when
they don't step up to do the right thing.
Her writing is crisp and seamless and puts you right in the middle of
the action. There are some very funny moments and if you're a parent
you'll remember when you were where he is.
For a first try, its brilliant. I look forward to future works by the author.
November 2, 2008 by Steven Pradia
The debut novel of Julie Miliner, The Magic and the Mayhem is a tale of a 30-
something man reaping all the benefits of a single life. Selfish as ever, John Drake
doesn't eat much because he’s cheap. Drake doesn't form relationships solid enough
with the bevy of women he beds as he’d rather continually play the field. The
protagonist of Magic also does not have protected sex and subsequently learns the
value of following this teenage lesson.
The early chapters of Magic detail the quickly uncovered newfound fatherhood Drake
finds himself inheriting. A first knock on his door comes from Tiny. The little boy
nearly identical to a younger version of Drake is a result of his army days as a youth.
The second knock reveals Tomeka, the lone child he was aware of yet opted to avoid
for over a decade. At a point when Drake playing Dad to two children in a spotless
one bedroom apartment seems like plenty of fodder for the remainder of the novel, a
third knock comes along. This bundle of joy is just that, a set of twins and a toddler
are amongst his newest order of responsibilities. As if overnight, Drake is “sinking
deeper and deeper into the abyss where all single men who don’t wear protection
one day fall.”
Dodging the threat of eviction from his condo, nasty stares from neighbors and fellow
shoppers while in public, Drake makes due if for no other reason than that he
doesn't have a choice. An inevitable coming of age story is developed. The need to
protect Italian leather, Japanese stereos and premium box springs is shelved in the
name of nurturing a newly discovered gaggle of heirs. While yet a 4th knock comes to
the door, a comical run in with a lady friend of Drake’s he’s been avoiding occurs, the
general trials of single fatherhood take place and Drake’s growth ensue it is the latter
that amounts to the backbone of the novel. I found the outstanding achievement of
the story to be the way Miliner gradually develops Drake. The womanizer initially
introduced is molded into a selfless loving father who in the end hardly resembles the
Drake of old.
The debut novel of Julie Miliner, The Magic and the Mayhem is a tale of a 30-
something man reaping all the benefits of a single life. Selfish as ever, John Drake
doesn't eat much because he’s cheap. Drake doesn't form relationships solid enough
with the bevy of women he beds as he’d rather continually play the field. The
protagonist of Magic also does not have protected sex and subsequently learns the
value of following this teenage lesson.
The early chapters of Magic detail the quickly uncovered newfound fatherhood Drake
finds himself inheriting. A first knock on his door comes from Tiny. The little boy
nearly identical to a younger version of Drake is a result of his army days as a youth.
The second knock reveals Tomeka, the lone child he was aware of yet opted to avoid
for over a decade. At a point when Drake playing Dad to two children in a spotless
one bedroom apartment seems like plenty of fodder for the remainder of the novel, a
third knock comes along. This bundle of joy is just that, a set of twins and a toddler
are amongst his newest order of responsibilities. As if overnight, Drake is “sinking
deeper and deeper into the abyss where all single men who don’t wear protection
one day fall.”
Dodging the threat of eviction from his condo, nasty stares from neighbors and fellow
shoppers while in public, Drake makes due if for no other reason than that he
doesn't have a choice. An inevitable coming of age story is developed. The need to
protect Italian leather, Japanese stereos and premium box springs is shelved in the
name of nurturing a newly discovered gaggle of heirs. While yet a 4th knock comes to
the door, a comical run in with a lady friend of Drake’s he’s been avoiding occurs, the
general trials of single fatherhood take place and Drake’s growth ensue it is the latter
that amounts to the backbone of the novel. I found the outstanding achievement of
the story to be the way Miliner gradually develops Drake. The womanizer initially
introduced is molded into a selfless loving father who in the end hardly resembles the
Drake of old.
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