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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
reflective
medium-paced
read for book club. not my cup of tea. (or in the case of our book club, glass of wine.) i got so far in it, though, that it seemed stupid not to finish it. too long, too whiny, waah waah waah.
A well-written memoir full of colorful, larger-than-life characters. The most present, of course, is the bar at which the author spends so much of his youth. The book is written with lots of emotion, with a particular focus on the need that a young boy has for male role models. His relationship with his mother is quite prominent as well. I hope the author writes a follow-up book that explores the challenges of the years after he left the bar...
This is a book I'd thrust into the hands of every teenage boy out there: it's a book about a boy becoming a man, by looking up to the all the male figures in an utopian bar. JR, a boy raised by his mother alone, fighting poverty, loneliness and feelings of inadequacy finds solace in the bar across the street, which manages to bring together people from all backgrounds, a sort of completed Babel Tower.
It is also a memoir, which makes the reading all the more enticing: after all, few things are more catchy than a good story that's real.
It's a coming of age book revealing the struggles of manhood and finding your voice. A delightful reading, from the beginning to the end, and an honest look at what it takes to be a man.
It is also a memoir, which makes the reading all the more enticing: after all, few things are more catchy than a good story that's real.
It's a coming of age book revealing the struggles of manhood and finding your voice. A delightful reading, from the beginning to the end, and an honest look at what it takes to be a man.
I'd say it's between a 3.5 and a 4 on the star scale, but we round up in my family.
Some of the writing didn't feel very tight, and some of the situations didn't seem very believable. These were a small enough part of the whole that reading this book was still very enjoyable. The epilogue had me in tears.
Some of the writing didn't feel very tight, and some of the situations didn't seem very believable. These were a small enough part of the whole that reading this book was still very enjoyable. The epilogue had me in tears.
funny
reflective
fast-paced
After reading the prologue I put the book down, not wanting to read about fat guys sitting at a bar. But it turns out this book is about a boy's life (JR) and he's a great writer. The prologue was unnecessary, as most of them are, which is why they annoy me. Epilogues, on the other hand, I love; and this one was really sad.
JR gets into Yale, and one of my favorite parts was where Frank Sinatra gives a speech at Yale.
Lots of literary allusions as a bonus.
JR gets into Yale, and one of my favorite parts was where Frank Sinatra gives a speech at Yale.
Lots of literary allusions as a bonus.
emotional
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced