Nashville Chrome by Rick Bass is the story of the sibling singing sensation The Browns, popular during the late fifties and early sixties. With a primary focus on the eldest of the three, Maxine, the story details their childhood, rise to fame, and their slide down the music charts which led to the ending of their recording together. Read more at http://thekeytothegate.blogspot.com/2013/05/nashville-chrome-by-rick-bass.html ( )

Loved it. Didn't realize it was based on real people until I started recognizing some of the songs. Now I have to read the book by Maxine Brown and look at her website. ( )

In the acknowledgments section of this wonderful book(in the advanced reader's copy), the author provides a quote which may best describe the essential meaning to be gleaned from this book, and also serves as a descriptive parallel to the incredible drive of the book's protagonist, Maxine Brown.

"The book publishing industry might lie at the edge of ruin, but what fun in the still-living"

The Browns emerged from their hard-scrabble Arkansas background to become one of country music's most popular and best-selling groups. Their sound, which was hard-earned and built from their rural surroundings (you must read the way that their talents were put to use by their father at the family's sawmill), was blended with a more urbane, vocal group sheen to provide a prototype for the emergence of popular music yet to come.

Their success in a pre-rock 'n' roll era was both meteoric and unfortunately, doomed. As much as their incredible success was embraced by the world around them, it was soon eclipsed by their eventual associate and an even more mercurial figure, Elvis Presley.

Presley, who entered the Brown's lives, as the world completely changed around them and swept them up in his blazing comet trail, was the long time paramore of the equally fascinating Brown sister, Bonnie Brown, who was able to turn her back on both Elvis and her fleeting fame, virtually unscathed.

Unfortunately, the eldest sibling, Maxine, was also the most driven by her pursuit of fame and was unable to relinquish it's fickle, inextricable grip, and as a result, suffered from several personal demons on her way down to a life of near complete anonymity.

Like many stories in American mythology, redemption awaits for Maxine, from a very unlikely place. Much like the Bass quote I pulled from his acknowledgements section, I believe that Maxine came to realize a certain peace, without diminishing the inextinguishable flame that resided within her, but relieving her of some of the considerable regrets she had about her life.

Even as a fictionalized account, Bass's prose, as spare as it can be, reveals a lot about the incredible, improbable beauty that was the soul of the Brown's music, which was both distinctly American and unconquerably timeless. ( )

I am not able to give an adequate review of how close to fact the book is, but story of the trio and their journey through country music was fascinating.

If you haven't read Rick Bass before, you will find it a real joy. He isn't big on dialogue in this book and there isn't any real plot, but the characters and language are captivating. I found myself reading sections over and over to let the words roll in my mind with the images they created. The depth of character in his study was astounding. Maxine, Bonnie, Elvis, and to a lesser extent Jim Ed are multifaceted and engaging. You actually may be a little sad to finish the book. ( )

This is an absolutely brilliant fictitious portrayal of a very real trio of family singers, The Browns, who during the 50's and early 60's tore up the country music scene only to see their fame quickly diminish as rock 'n roll and the new country music (which they helped usher in) turned their fans attention away. Maxine, the eldest sister who can't stand that their contributions to music aren't as greatly recognized as she thinks they should be, has such a great hunger to relive the group's height of popularity that her requests for a movie to be made of their story prompted Rick Bass to write the book. It doesn't hurt that the stories are so amazing--how close they were to Elvis Presley while he was just beginning, trading off with him for the current number one hit in the charts; touring with the Beatles; and their subsequent fall from fame. Rick Bass's writing style is perfect for the story, an eerily quiet method of description with little conversation that forces the action of memories and regret to drive the plot. I hope Maxine gets her silver screen treatment, because Rick Bass has set it up for a perfect retelling in the silent foreboding mode of Paul Thomas Anderson's "There Will Be Blood". ( )