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rayrayvolver's review against another edition
2.0
This was really just an OK book. Dangerously close to 1 star. There are moments of clarity in the book, but a lot of it felt disjointed.
di_orourke's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bookgirl1209's review against another edition
3.0
Smithy Ide has had a tough life..he's lost both his parents and his long lost sister. He's overweight, he smokes and drinks and really doesn't have much of a life. So he decides to ride his bicycle from Rhode Island to California to go claim his sister's body.
This is not a surface kind of read. This one grabs you by making you figure out what and why Smithy is doing. A 300 lb man suddenly gives up smoking and drinking and starts riding his bike 10, 20 miles a day..unbelievable!
But when you stop and think and pay attention to the metamorphosis that Smithy goes through in dealing with his grief and the disappointment in himself and his life it's much easier to suspend disbelief and enjoy the show.
Smithy is a character that I think will stay with me awhile.
This is not a surface kind of read. This one grabs you by making you figure out what and why Smithy is doing. A 300 lb man suddenly gives up smoking and drinking and starts riding his bike 10, 20 miles a day..unbelievable!
But when you stop and think and pay attention to the metamorphosis that Smithy goes through in dealing with his grief and the disappointment in himself and his life it's much easier to suspend disbelief and enjoy the show.
Smithy is a character that I think will stay with me awhile.
gaby_am's review against another edition
4.0
Para ser completamente honesta, no sé que calificación darle a este libro. No me gustó, pero me gusto, y considero que está bien escrito y que los personajes están bien desarrollados.
La historia
El personaje principal es un hombre de 43 años cuyos padres acaban de fallecer. Cuando joven, Smithy Ide era atlético y bastante activo. De mayor, el pasatiempo favorito de este veterano de Vietnam es beber cervezas y vodka con jugo de naranja comiendo galletitas saladas, cosa que demuestran bastante bien sus 126 kilos (~278 lbs). Vive en un apartamento que odia, tiene un trabajo que no le gusta, no tiene amigos ni novia; en resumen, todos podemos estar de acuerdo en que es nuestra definición de perdedor. La historia, está narrada desde su perspectiva.
Seguido el funeral de sus padres, Smithy se embarca en un viaje en bicicleta desde Rhode Island hasta Los Ángeles a. Aparte del viaje a través de los Estados Unidos, Smithy se reencontrará a él mismo al mismo tiempo que nos narra como llegó a ser lo que es ahora.
La narración
Como ya dije, el libro está narrado desde la perspectiva de Smithy. La narración no es lineal en el tiempo, si no que el autor se vale de saltos en el tiempo a lo largo de todo el libro. Cosa que a mí particularmente me gusta mucho, excepto cuando las diferentes líneas de tiempo no están bien delimitadas. Durante la mayor parte del libro la dinámica es un capítulo en el pasado, un capítulo en el presente, pero en algunos capítulos salta 20-30 años de un párrafo a otro, lo que lo hace bastante confuso.
La historia
El personaje principal es un hombre de 43 años cuyos padres acaban de fallecer. Cuando joven, Smithy Ide era atlético y bastante activo. De mayor, el pasatiempo favorito de este veterano de Vietnam es beber cervezas y vodka con jugo de naranja comiendo galletitas saladas, cosa que demuestran bastante bien sus 126 kilos (~278 lbs). Vive en un apartamento que odia, tiene un trabajo que no le gusta, no tiene amigos ni novia; en resumen, todos podemos estar de acuerdo en que es nuestra definición de perdedor. La historia, está narrada desde su perspectiva.
Seguido el funeral de sus padres, Smithy se embarca en un viaje en bicicleta desde Rhode Island hasta Los Ángeles a
Spoiler
recuperar el cadaver de su hermana loca, BethanyLa narración
Como ya dije, el libro está narrado desde la perspectiva de Smithy. La narración no es lineal en el tiempo, si no que el autor se vale de saltos en el tiempo a lo largo de todo el libro. Cosa que a mí particularmente me gusta mucho, excepto cuando las diferentes líneas de tiempo no están bien delimitadas. Durante la mayor parte del libro la dinámica es un capítulo en el pasado, un capítulo en el presente, pero en algunos capítulos salta 20-30 años de un párrafo a otro, lo que lo hace bastante confuso.
readingbecomesme's review against another edition
1.0
I was not impressed. I don't think I can agree with the Stephen King quote on the cover. I just could not connect with the characters and did not like the writing style. However there was a lot going on and the characters were very different, not your normally story.
gommette's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
3.5
Le road trip est bien exécuté, les personnages sont assez divers sans être trop clichés. Les flash-backs sont intéressants mais on ne sait pas trop d'où ils viennent. Faire marcher toute la personnalité du protagoniste autour des seins est un peu chiant et l'histoire d'amour sort de nulle part donc pas vraiment crédible
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness and Car accident
fhammond_36's review against another edition
4.0
Good on the first read - wanted to know what was going to happen. Great interesting characters.
meetyournextbook's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
greer777's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Recorded book, read by the author
3.5***
Smithson Ide (Smithy) is 43, a self-described loser working at a toy factory, friendless, a chain-smoker, a drunk and seriously overweight (279 lbs), when a family tragedy pushes him to DO something. Coming across his old Raleigh bicycle in a corner of his parents’ garage, Smithy starts pedaling … and then keeps pedaling on a journey across America and towards a new life.
The novel is told in alternating chapters – one giving the background on the Ide family, especially Smithy’s older sister Bethany who suffers from mental illness; the next chronicling the present-day happenings as Smithy bikes from Rhode Island to California. I seem to be reading a number of books lately that use this device, and it’s a difficult one to pull off successfully. McLarty does a pretty good job of it here. The change in perspective is abrupt, but not jarring and I found it easy to follow these parallel stories.
I was a little confused about Norma – the girl next door who suffers a childhood accident that colors the relationship between the two families. She wasn’t as fully developed as I would have liked, and I didn’t really understand the attraction between her and Smithy at first.
Of course, I didn’t really understand Smithy, either. He’s a complicated character and difficult to get to know. He, himself, frequently peppers his own conversations (or thoughts) with “I don’t know.” He is truly a man who has lost himself and his slow reawakening is the whole purpose of this novel. There were times when I wondered if Smithy also suffered from the same sort of mental illness that struck Bethany, but I still grew to like him, and was cheering him on as he made the quest to retrieve his sister.
Along his journey Smithy comes across a variety of characters that help or try to thwart him and express humanity at its best (and sometimes worst). These cameo appearances are brief but well-drawn, and I wish McLarty would write a few more novels about some of them: Father Benny, Carl Greenleaf, Kate and Roger.
McLarty does a fine job of narrating the audio version. His pacing is good, and his style of reading aloud works well for this first-person narrative.
3.5***
Smithson Ide (Smithy) is 43, a self-described loser working at a toy factory, friendless, a chain-smoker, a drunk and seriously overweight (279 lbs), when a family tragedy pushes him to DO something. Coming across his old Raleigh bicycle in a corner of his parents’ garage, Smithy starts pedaling … and then keeps pedaling on a journey across America and towards a new life.
The novel is told in alternating chapters – one giving the background on the Ide family, especially Smithy’s older sister Bethany who suffers from mental illness; the next chronicling the present-day happenings as Smithy bikes from Rhode Island to California. I seem to be reading a number of books lately that use this device, and it’s a difficult one to pull off successfully. McLarty does a pretty good job of it here. The change in perspective is abrupt, but not jarring and I found it easy to follow these parallel stories.
I was a little confused about Norma – the girl next door who suffers a childhood accident that colors the relationship between the two families. She wasn’t as fully developed as I would have liked, and I didn’t really understand the attraction between her and Smithy at first.
Of course, I didn’t really understand Smithy, either. He’s a complicated character and difficult to get to know. He, himself, frequently peppers his own conversations (or thoughts) with “I don’t know.” He is truly a man who has lost himself and his slow reawakening is the whole purpose of this novel. There were times when I wondered if Smithy also suffered from the same sort of mental illness that struck Bethany, but I still grew to like him, and was cheering him on as he made the quest to retrieve his sister.
Along his journey Smithy comes across a variety of characters that help or try to thwart him and express humanity at its best (and sometimes worst). These cameo appearances are brief but well-drawn, and I wish McLarty would write a few more novels about some of them: Father Benny, Carl Greenleaf, Kate and Roger.
McLarty does a fine job of narrating the audio version. His pacing is good, and his style of reading aloud works well for this first-person narrative.