The Secret Life Of Damian Spinelli: As Told To Diane Miller (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
Ended up really enjoying this book, which was pleasantly surprising, because when I first started it, I was like what the heck is this crap?! But if you can get past the first chapter or so, it is quite an enjoyable, quirky, fun and quick read. The book tells the clearly exaggerated tales of the General Hospital character, Damian Spinelli's adventures helping the troubled citizens of Port Charles in hilarious, and sometimes downright stupid situations they find themselves in. So if you're looking for extremely light and fun reading, this is the book for you! Many people don't realize that in addition to her terrific acting, Hennsy is also a well-established author. A lot of people were surprised when they first heard about this project, but I think that it makes lot of sense. Fans of all genres, books to sports, movies to politics, are always eager for tie-ins. So if you have a great author right on set, and funny characters you can take advantage of, not to mention a history of successful tie-ins (Robin's diary, right?), why not? And lo and behold, it worked! Online fans seem to either love or hate the idea, but shoppers seem to be pleased, the book made it to #10 on the New York Times Hardcover Fiction Best Seller List (week of April 24, 2011 for sales ending week of April 9, pretty darn impressive!) even before the cancellation of two of our beloved ABC shows was announced, just goes to show that soap fan loyalty still has some power. Too bad it's all going to end up going to fewer shows and internet soaps soon. OK, back to the book! Sorry for the rant, it's been rough week.This is definitely a book for fans. If you aren't a fan of General Hospital it might serve as a good introduction to the show, or just be good for some laughs, but the real appeal is all of the inside jokes. Hennesy either has a terrific ear for dialog or got a helping hand from the show's writers, perhaps both, but she really captured the characters' nuances and details. Everyone will have their favorite moments, and I'm sure some people will have a few quibbles, but overall I enjoyed the book. It was silly, yes! But it was supposed to be. Spinelli is a silly but sweet character, but all of that bluster hides a heart of gold, just as all of Diane's brusqueness hides a tender heart as well. I've always loved their scenes on the show together and I thought the book captured Diane's reluctant respect and affection for Spinelli really well. Most of the chapters are a bit satirical, so if you can't laugh at the show a little then you might not take too well to this book. It just isn't meant to be taken too seriously, on any level. Taken in good fun, it's a great book with tons of laugh out loud moments. The parts I especially enjoyed were the mentions of Alice (no longer Big), the chapter with Tracy and Luke, Jax really being 67.5 (hilarious!), Carolyn getting her personal trapeze artist experience included in the material, and Sonny single-handedly populatin' Venezuela. The Some Like It Hot chapter was really funny too; I'd like to take credit for it since I remember Tweeting with Hennesy once about favorite old movies and mentioning it (and getting a reply), but since it's such a huge classic, I guess I can let it slide ;) That's part of the fun of social media though, it's nice to think that maybe somehow I added that tiny little bit of impetus that helped move that idea along. If not, at least maybe I'll get some of you guys to read the book and enjoy it, I know that that works!
What do You think about The Secret Life Of Damian Spinelli: As Told To Diane Miller (2011)?
it was fun to read the little quirks that Spinelli put in to make this a cute book .......
—Kelly
Love the story point of view. Knowing the characters is a must to get full effect.
—SultryBubbles
Could possibly be the worst book I've ever read and I'm a General Hospital Fan!
—Bella
