Selected Book
Another City, Not My Own
- Mass Market Paperback
- Edition: Ballantine Books ed
- Author: Dominick Dunne
- Publisher: Ballantine Books
- Release Date: November 1998
- ISBN-10: 0345430514
- ISBN-13: 9780345430519
- List Price: $7.99
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Summaries and Customer Reviews provided by Amazon
SummaryDominick Dunne was a ringside witness to the O.J. Simpson criminal trial, about which he wrote extensively for Vanity Fair magazine. In Another City, Not My Own, he revisits the case, this time in fictional form. In this "novel in the form of a memoir," Dunne's fiction skates perilously close to fact in most instances. O.J., Marcia Clark, Johnnie Cochran, and a whole host of celebrity characters keep their own names while the life story of protagonist Gus Bailey closely follows Dunne's own. Like Dunne, Bailey--who has appeared in previous works by the author--is a journalist, the father of a murdered child and thus a keen chronicler of the American justice system. The O.J. Simpson trial is a natural magnet for such a man. Throughout the novel, Bailey spends his days in the courtroom and his evenings at celebrity-studded soirees; names such as Heidi Fleiss, Elizabeth Taylor, and Kirk Douglas punctuate the narrative as Dunne comments on the case, the sensibilities of both the accused and his accusers, and the roles of race, fame, and guilt in America today. But shocking as the Simpson case was, Dunne's denouement to his fictional memoir is so bizarre that it may well eclipse the verdict entirely. |
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
The Most 'Entertaining' Book On The O.J. 'Situation' I've Read
Rating:
It may sound strange using the adjective "entertaining" when it regards an account a man getting away with a double murder, but that's how I found Dominick Dunne's recalling of the O.J. Simpson "case." It was a fascinating read and far different from any other account of this famous murder and trial.
I've read this book twice, now - when it came out, and then a few weeks ago. I was enthralled both times, although I couldn't help but shake my head over Dunne's obsession to name-drop and come to the wrong conclusions about what would happen at the trial. At least he was honest about it.
Dunne might be an incurable name-dropper, but it helps make the book fun to read, even with such a serious topic. If you want to know how many of the Hollywood celebrities (i.e. Elizabeth Taylor), political folks (i.e. Nancy Reagan) victims friends (i.e. Faye Resnick) and many others were viewing Simpson's arrest and trial, it's all here in a very fast-paced, readable novel-style book. It is actually a memoir with Dunne using "Gus Bailey" as a fictional name for himself.
I thought most of Bailey/Dunne's opinions were on the money and he was pretty fair in his portraits of those involved in the case. I was privleged to actually spend a day in the courtroom while meeting the Simpson and Goldman families - a day I'll never forget - and I had the same impressions of them as "Gus" did, which is probably another reason I enjoy reading this book.
A Very Guilty Pleasure
Rating:
No one will ever accuse Dominick Dunne of being a brilliant writer, nor is it likely he ever will win a Pulitzer Prize for his work. "Another City, Not My Own" highlights all his faults as a story teller, yet proves to be compellingly readable trash.
For starters, I take exception to the book's subtitle, "A Novel in the Form of a Memoir." A memoir, by its very definition, requires the narrator to speak in the first person. As this is a third-person narrative inspired by Dunne's experiences while covering the infamous O.J. Simpson trial for "Vanity Fair," and its protagonist is the fictional Gus Bailey (a barely disguised version of the author), it rightly should be described as "A Memoir in the Form of a Novel."
The tale overflows with juicy behind-the-scenes tidbits related to the court proceedings and gossip about the lives of Hollywood's rich and famous, but it's told in a very sloppy fashion, and apparently without the firm hand of an editor to whip it into shape. Dunne maddeningly repeats himself numerous times throughout the book (a bad habit he has displayed in previous works, as well), as if his readers are incapable of retaining a piece of information the first time he reveals it. As a result, characters are identified multiple times, and details are tossed at us more than once. After a while, it becomes very tiresome.
Dunne clearly revels in his celebrity and is thrilled to hobnob with both the great and the fallen, and you can't help but catch some of his enthusiasm as you work your way toward what ultimately is a preposterous finale. Even a trash novel shouldn't leave us with an ending as unbelievable as this one.
Approach this book with caution, and you won't be disappointed. It's an easy read, and you'll laugh out loud at some of the celebrity foibles and courtroom shenanigans Dunne reveals. It's a bumpy ride but a fun journey, although you'll probably want to shower off the dirt and then redeem yourself by reading a classic when you reach the end.
Dunne OJ
Rating:
Although the OJ story supposedly ended years ago, this book is still timely. It is a real insider view of the drama of the trial. One of incidents is a party that he intended with Marcia Clark. He explores the other characters in this drama and though justice has still not been done, this book might just explain what it has not happened yet. Again his experience of the loss of daughter brings poignancy to the book and helps him treat the victims with the respect that they deserve.
this book is O Juicy!!
Rating:
i read this book several years ago and i've passed it on to every OJ junkie i know. its BEYOND spectacular. Dominick Dunne is a master at creating a riveting page-turner with a wicked jaw dropping sense of self depricating humor.
ive since read this book 3 more times.
If that name doesn't impress you, here's another.
Rating:
In this autobiographical novel, Dominick Dunne relates his experiences covering the O.J. Simpson trial for "Vanity Fair" magazine and as a guest analyst on many top TV programs, from Larry King to Dan Rather's CBS News broadcast. Dunne is unquestionably the reporter Gus Bailey in this story, and we follow his experiences in the high and low society world he inhabits. Told in the third person, much of what the narrator, through Gus, tells us is like fodder for the notorious "Page Six" column in the New York Post. He/Gus drops names like roses drop petals after the first frost. It is fascinating to see him/Gus weave his life around superstars and super rich: Elizabeth Taylor, Nancy Reagan, the Bloomingdales, Lady Di, the list goes on and on. In most cases, Dunne uses real names and places; sometimes he uses pseudonyms (he claims to protect himself from lawsuits). Sometimes he gives both, as he tells us the phony names he used in a past book and the real names now of the individuals involved. It's interesting to contemplate why he chooses real or phony to identify the people he/Gus relates with. Dominick, like his alter-ego Gus, was a Hollywood producer who left town a failure, but through his writing again achieved favor among the shakers and movers of Tinseltown. Throughout this novel, Gus tells us of incidents that will make fascinating scenes in a book and probable mini-series that will follow. Interesting that he would use the term "scene" from his previous Hollywood life. (In my experience, writers generally use the term "episode" in such circumstances.) Dunne became an expert on the Simpson case, and used that expertise to get himself invited to fabulous homes and parties world-wide. In addition to these social maneuverings, Dunne tells us all about the O.J. case, the murders, the trial, the behind-the-scene machinations. He/Gus firmly believes that O.J. was guilty and he/Gus also believes that the trial will end in a hung jury. When the not-guilty verdict was delivered, I felt his shock although I, of course, knew the outcome. But, nothing prepared me for the shocking last pages of this book. Well, Dunne does clearly foretell the ending in the first two pages, but by the time it actually happens, I had forgotten that aspect through my fascination with all that went on in between. This is a masterfully presented and well-crafted book.
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