Items related to Taking Flight
Taking Flight Assassination, betrayal and revenge alter the lives of four seemingly successful couples living ordinary lives in Hempstead, New York. Anthony Bartolo was an up and coming high tech hot shot who measured success by the toys he acquired. His life in Hempstead starts to unravel and he finds himself on a noble mission in Post-Civil War El Salvador. There, his life and that of Colonel Juan Hernandez, a former officer in the rebel forces become linked forever, facing life and death as Anthony’s mission changes radically. His experience in El Salvador inspires him to change his life, but first he must reconcile the murderous revenge taken in the name of defending his life, his personal history and a disintegrating marriage with his new found values. The characters in Taking Flight are flawed, but the Salvadoran spirit provides hope for survival and possibly even redemption. For inquiries or comments about the novel, please contact the author at steve95135@gmail.com.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author:
About the Author Stephen Tritto was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. He volunteered for the U.S. Air Force at the age of seventeen after graduating from high school. His four year experience served as his “coming of age and growing up period.” He returned to Brooklyn to continue his education and pursue a career in computer software technology, then relocated to Silicon Valley where he held several executive management positions before pursuing his passion for writing fiction. Winning the 2006 Red Wheelbarrow (S/E) short story competition for “The Cherries and the Holster” convinced him to stay with it. After completing several short stories scheduled to be published in 2013, he began a five year project that produced his novel “Taking Flight.” The author’s other interests include amateur astronomy and kayaking which he invariably manages to bring in to his writing including “Taking Flight” and “Aldebaran is Missing.” His interest in the skies and oceans “provides an excellent perspective to life and a reminder of our place in the world.” The author and his wife, Peggy, live in San Jose, California. Visit the author's blog at: http//trittostephen.blogspot.com
Review:
KIRKUS REVIEW
Tritto's sparkling debut novel succeeds as a gripping tale of one man's self-discovery.
Tritto, a veteran short story author, tells the story of Anthony Bartolo...and his wife, Bernadette, ...DINKs--dual incomes, no kids--living well in the suburbs...By most standards, Anthony should be content, but he feels unfulfilled...Then life throws some changes at the Bartolos... Anthony is blindsided when he loses his job,..Such ruminations could come off as whiny, but in Tritto's capable hands, Anthony blossoms. A member of their social group dies while doing charitable work in El Salvador, and Anthony...volunteers to retrieve his remains...Anthony's worldview changes once he lands in the Central American country, which is populated by believable characters, including his guide, Col. Juan Hernandez, a former rebel leader who serves as security for Anthony...While Anthony jumps through bureaucratic hoops in order to take his friend home, he learns to appreciate the ways of El Salvador... Anthony arrives in El Salvador as a well-meaning but sometimes-ugly American, yet he comes back a changed man, bearing precious cargo: not only his friend's body, but also a secret from his friend's other life. Tritto helps Anthony evolve from a self-absorbed yuppie to a man more empathetic to those around him, a man readers can root for even if he still doesn't truly know himself.
A novel that artfully spans two cultures, from a talented new author ready to take wing.
Publisher:CreateSpace
Program:Kirkus Indie
Review Posted Online:Dec. 24th, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue:Jan. 15th, 2014
Review: Taking Flight By Stephen Tritto Cate Baum October 22, 2013 Book Reviews
Self Publishing Review
When Anthony Bartolo, a successful product manager loses his high-powered job in New York, a turn of events propels him to post-war El Salvador and a head-on collision with cultural differences, leaving him in danger of losing his life – and his marriage – as he uncovers a secret about his friend nobody saw coming.
This is a big read, set in both New York’s well-to-do Hempstead crowd, going onto El Salvador. As Anthony discovers he is socially outcast from the industry that he had dedicated his life to, his wife and friends seems to disengage also, until he realizes not all of them are particularly happy or functional either.
What really shines out to the reader is Tritto’s knowledge of El Salvador. These passages stand head and shoulders in descriptive quality above all else. I wish in my heart of hearts this were more of a travel novel than it is, because this prose seems first-hand and really woven with beautiful detail – I could have done with even more detail at times – smells, colors and skies would have added to the reader’s experience. Tritto’s own sporty kayaking and biking detail also gives Anthony a solid back story.
There is something of Richard Yates to this masculine, set-straight American style – dinner parties are boring and seemingly old-fashioned. While on the surface I understood character relationships, at times I felt I was peering through a dirty mirror – I couldn’t quite grasp the way characters looked or sounded or how they interacted. At times some introspective detail is needed to round the character – I need to know more than the exact time on the clock and the series of tasks carried out by the character – I needed motivation. I did feel also that characters’ voices changed in terms of language and phrasing from time to time also.
Maybe the book could have started the adventure in El Salvador earlier. After all, this is the selling point of the story, and is the richest part of the novel. However, the stark contrast to his staid and plain life in New York really does underline the color and passion he finds in El Salvador.
However, this is a good read and a page-turner, even if sometimes the characters seem a little flighty. I warmed to Anthony early on as he struggled with work, and sided with his seemingly overwrought attitude to others as they judged him unfairly in my opinion. So I was pleased to see him escape on his mission to El Salvador and was happy to see his misconceptions about his wife, friends, job and home life bear fruit later on in the book as he has an epiphany about the way he has been living, surrounded by gadgets instead of a family, and how he has been part of a very narrow-minded and entitled society.
An interesting and heart-warming read, which would make a good movie.
Tritto's sparkling debut novel succeeds as a gripping tale of one man's self-discovery.
Tritto, a veteran short story author, tells the story of Anthony Bartolo...and his wife, Bernadette, ...DINKs--dual incomes, no kids--living well in the suburbs...By most standards, Anthony should be content, but he feels unfulfilled...Then life throws some changes at the Bartolos... Anthony is blindsided when he loses his job,..Such ruminations could come off as whiny, but in Tritto's capable hands, Anthony blossoms. A member of their social group dies while doing charitable work in El Salvador, and Anthony...volunteers to retrieve his remains...Anthony's worldview changes once he lands in the Central American country, which is populated by believable characters, including his guide, Col. Juan Hernandez, a former rebel leader who serves as security for Anthony...While Anthony jumps through bureaucratic hoops in order to take his friend home, he learns to appreciate the ways of El Salvador... Anthony arrives in El Salvador as a well-meaning but sometimes-ugly American, yet he comes back a changed man, bearing precious cargo: not only his friend's body, but also a secret from his friend's other life. Tritto helps Anthony evolve from a self-absorbed yuppie to a man more empathetic to those around him, a man readers can root for even if he still doesn't truly know himself.
A novel that artfully spans two cultures, from a talented new author ready to take wing.
Publisher:CreateSpace
Program:Kirkus Indie
Review Posted Online:Dec. 24th, 2013
Kirkus Reviews Issue:Jan. 15th, 2014
Review: Taking Flight By Stephen Tritto Cate Baum October 22, 2013 Book Reviews
Self Publishing Review
When Anthony Bartolo, a successful product manager loses his high-powered job in New York, a turn of events propels him to post-war El Salvador and a head-on collision with cultural differences, leaving him in danger of losing his life – and his marriage – as he uncovers a secret about his friend nobody saw coming.
This is a big read, set in both New York’s well-to-do Hempstead crowd, going onto El Salvador. As Anthony discovers he is socially outcast from the industry that he had dedicated his life to, his wife and friends seems to disengage also, until he realizes not all of them are particularly happy or functional either.
What really shines out to the reader is Tritto’s knowledge of El Salvador. These passages stand head and shoulders in descriptive quality above all else. I wish in my heart of hearts this were more of a travel novel than it is, because this prose seems first-hand and really woven with beautiful detail – I could have done with even more detail at times – smells, colors and skies would have added to the reader’s experience. Tritto’s own sporty kayaking and biking detail also gives Anthony a solid back story.
There is something of Richard Yates to this masculine, set-straight American style – dinner parties are boring and seemingly old-fashioned. While on the surface I understood character relationships, at times I felt I was peering through a dirty mirror – I couldn’t quite grasp the way characters looked or sounded or how they interacted. At times some introspective detail is needed to round the character – I need to know more than the exact time on the clock and the series of tasks carried out by the character – I needed motivation. I did feel also that characters’ voices changed in terms of language and phrasing from time to time also.
Maybe the book could have started the adventure in El Salvador earlier. After all, this is the selling point of the story, and is the richest part of the novel. However, the stark contrast to his staid and plain life in New York really does underline the color and passion he finds in El Salvador.
However, this is a good read and a page-turner, even if sometimes the characters seem a little flighty. I warmed to Anthony early on as he struggled with work, and sided with his seemingly overwrought attitude to others as they judged him unfairly in my opinion. So I was pleased to see him escape on his mission to El Salvador and was happy to see his misconceptions about his wife, friends, job and home life bear fruit later on in the book as he has an epiphany about the way he has been living, surrounded by gadgets instead of a family, and how he has been part of a very narrow-minded and entitled society.
An interesting and heart-warming read, which would make a good movie.
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- PublisherCreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
- Publication date2013
- ISBN 10 1482662469
- ISBN 13 9781482662467
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages470
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Taking Flight
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ISBN 13: 9781482662467
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Stock Image
Taking Flight
Published by
Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
(2013)
ISBN 10: 1482662469
ISBN 13: 9781482662467
New
Paperback / softback
Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. Seller Inventory # B9781482662467
Buy New
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