Book Review ~ Fifteen Minutes by Karen Kingsbury

Karen Kingsbury

Contemporary Fiction

About the book:

Zack Dylan has a dream. He wants to sing on the biggest stages, for the biggest crowds, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make it come true. But Zack also made a promise to his college sweetheart when he left Kentucky to compete on the popular TV show Fifteen Minutes: If he made it, nothing would change him or his faith in God.

Overnight, Zack becomes the nation’s most popular contestant, a country singer comparable to a young Tim McGraw. As his star rises, Zack is often asked to compromise and quiet his beliefs. Just as he’s on the verge of winning it all, his choices lead him to the brink of personal disaster. Meanwhile, a former Fifteen Minutes winner is searching for meaning amidst her own private losses. Can she warn Zack about the real price of fame? Or will Zack lose everything he loves for his fifteen minutes of glory?

My thoughts:

Die-hard Karen Kingsbury fans are going to be thrilled with this newest offering. Karen is such a prolific and talented writer. It is hard to imagine how one could write so many stories without becoming formula driven. So far Karen has managed to escape that trap.

In Fifteen Minutes the search for fame and fortune is what Zack Dylan is after. Zack is a young man devoted to God, his family and his fiancé. He is convinced that he can help them all by trying out and winning Fifteen Minutes, the reality TV singing competition. Before he really knows what is happening he finds himself compromising time and time again.

The true costs to obtaining and maintaining fame are addressed in this well-written book. The stories of Kelly and Chandra give us a glimpse of the price of fame. It takes a toll on every aspect of their lives. The voice of God has become silent, their families are destroyed, and the contentment they thought they would find with having it all is elusive.

Fifteen Minutes gives a great fictionalized account of reality TV and those unsuspecting individuals who clamor to become a part of it. It will make you think differently as you watch your favorite show each week. I think you will begin to picture the contestants as real people with real lives. For that we can all benefit from the reading of this book.

Connect with the author: