The End of the Playboy
About
NEW RELEASE COMING IN OCTOBER 2024
Sideways meets Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
From the acclaimed author of East of Lincoln comes this irresistibly funny and heartfelt comedy-drama about an aging rockstar playboy who falls for an older woman over one madcap and life-changing weekend in Los Angeles.
Larry Funk is in a funk. Adrift in Los Angeles's celebrity-obsessed youth culture, the 49-year-old Gen X rock star and former Casanova grapples with fading fame, advancing age, and a waning musical career threatened by the pop culture wars in a fractured nation.
Set in the chaotic year of 2016, amidst national turmoil and heartbreaking losses, Funk and the rest of a wistful America are stuck in a “holding pattern.” But during one magical spring break weekend in L. A., his career is miraculously revived when he gets a second chance at love and becomes the unlikely star of a hidden camera reality show. With humor and grace, this authentic middle-aged hero with a crooked smile and an easy gait will momentarily charm a new generation of fans in this high-stakes game of who gets the girl. With the odds stacked against him, Funk, as always, will give the fans their money’s worth in this life affirming, and often hilarious odyssey.
In an uncertain world of shifting landscapes, a seasoned artist comes to grips with his legacy and relevance on the grand stage. Love, mortality, and the eternal flame of creativity set the tone for Funk’s entertaining journey of rediscovery.
For readers who like a mash up of American romantic comedies, old-school misadventures, road and buddy movies, midlife dramedy, humorous literary fiction, Romantic Comedy, Less, Rabbit Angstrom, Frank Bascombe, Love American Style, A Fish Called Wanda, When Harry Met Sally, 70s and 80s music, and the timeless comedy-drama Sideways.
Praise for this book
"An unexpected rollicking ride. Highly recommended for book club discussion groups."
"Clever and thoughtful, and very funny at times, the humor sparkling and razor-sharp, the dialogue a repartee of quick wit and volleying comebacks. If there is a serious message to be taken from this offering, it is perhaps that age is just a number, and there is a whole life ahead still to be enjoyed."
"From the moment you start reading Harlin Hailey's The End of the Playboy, you know you're in for a wild ride through the ups and downs of Funk's hilariously tumultuous life. The captivating story expertly blends humor, drama, pop culture, and nostalgia into a laugh-out loud journey that will keep you entertained from start to finish. Hailey's ability to capture the zeitgeist of the time, with all its cultural turmoil, makes the narrative both timely and timeless. This comedic odyssey proves that old rock stars can still find new ways to shine, and it should be shining on the big screen.