I'll Be Here All Week


Fiction - General
288 Pages
Reviewed on 11/08/2014
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

I'll Be Here All Week is contemporary fiction written by Ward Anderson. Spence is a stand-up comedian. It's what he does; what he's great at. He's been living his dream for more years than he wants to think about, but it's become more of a dreary succession of seedy hotel rooms and small clubs in desolate towns than the glittering on-the-road act he had envisioned. His wife Beth divorced him after tiring of his long absences, and he lives out of his aging car. As the demand for comedy declines, despite the ever-growing number of new comedy wannabees, his gigs earn him ever less money and little respect from the club owners and his manager. The gig in Montreal is a definite improvement from some of the more recent ones, however, and there's a woman there who catches his eye.

I wasn't sure if I'd like Ward Anderson's contemporary fiction offering, I'll Be Here All Week. After all, I'm not really a fan of stand-up comedy and don't really have a well-developed sense of humor. I was in for a delightful surprise. Spence's story is compelling, and I quickly became involved in his life as he navigates unscrupulous club owners who treat him like dirt and attempts to come to terms with the passage of time. Anderson shares what his lead character feels when he gets out on the stage so vividly. You can see the lights shining on the stage and erasing the audience from view, and feel the rush as laughter rolls around the room during a good set. Then you start to understand why Spence does it, year after year. At least, that's how I felt. I'll Be Here All Week is a marvelous novel that I'll be telling friends about, and I'm hoping to read more of Ward Anderson's stories. I'll Be Here All Week is most highly recommended.