Blockbuster

A Novel

By: Richard H. Smith

Narrated by: TJ Clark

Length: 7 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

Jaws arrives in movie theaters - soon to forever shatter expectations for summer entertainment. Theater manager Nate Burton and Spence Reeves, a former Buffalo soldier with remarkable talents, face the frenzied and, sometimes, lethal challenges associated with this blockbuster movie’s arrival.

Nate, who has had to delay his college dreams, also falls for one of his college-bound employees, but must contend with her boyfriend, whose cool superiority inspires a frustrating blend of envy and jealousy.

©2020 Richard H. Smith (P)2020 Richard H. Smith

Dreamlike Youth in the 70’s

What I loved most about this story was how self-enclosed it was. It conjured up perfectly what I would imagine a southern summer would be during one of the biggest movie releases. Nate is an earnest and likable protagonist with his own set of well rendered insecurities. I felt transported from start to finish.

Narrator does a great job too. He added an interesting flavor to the story.

Great story

I enjoyed this story centered around the release of JAWS. The mystery was good but I enjoyed the insights of the main character to his circumstances. it is worth a listen.

A nostalgia trip

One of the great disappointments of my life is that I was too young to see Jaws in its original theatrical run. I was six. So this novel set during the summer of 1975 was appealingly nostalgic. All that was missing was a reference to the Hustle.


Do not be fooled into thinking this is a murder mystery. Yeah, it opens with a murder, and you don't find out who done it 'til near the end of the book, but this is no mystery. It's a coming of age novel about a 19-year-old working in a movie theater the summer Jaws came out.

Nate's a likeable everyman, and you'll root for him. He views the world through a cinematic lens, seeing characters out of Cool Hand Luke here, violence reminding him of Dracula there. In another novel I'd call it lazy writing, but here it's completely appropriate for the character.

The writing here is adequate. Smith's prose isn't going to win any literary awards, and there's an occasional clunky line of dialogue that may make you cringe, but for the most part it's pleasant, easy reading. The narration is fine. Clark captures Nate's youthful voice well, and does a good job with the female characters, too. I would not describe this as a fast paced novel. It's a gentle stroll down memory lane. As I write this in the midst of a global pandemic, I can imagine plenty less pleasant ways to spend a few hours than revisiting a simpler and happier time.

Nice quick read

This book first jumped out at me as I had worked at a movie theater for the better part of a decade through HS/College. So a huge part of my enjoyment is based on this past experience. The book itself was a quick and easy read, but the plot was a little bit too slow. Overall I enjoyed it, getting a nice trip down memory lane going back to my theater days.