Running On Empty

This is like a Tom Waits song... there's something deliciously grubby about it - atmospheric and as another commentator said, it has a lazy feel. I read the first few chapters, then dipped in and out of a few more. There's also something of the John Irving tone here too... possibly you just succeeded in transporting me to an America I don't know but to which those two masters (Waits and Irving) have also successfully taken me before.

You have an unhealthy addiction to semi-colons, by the way.

This is a lovely, lazy book of authentic affection between four best friends, until Spencer dies, and the emotional struggle with which the remaining buddies must deal after the death. Although somewhat immature in their lifestyles, each character was skillfully and very fully developed - and, as a reader, I love character development (that might be due to the psychologist in me) in a good novel: without it, the novel fails to interest me no matter how good the plot.

So, first off: fantastic character-development and great dialogue between the characters: authentic, natural and, through the dialogue, the reader empathizes with the immaturity, emotions, sadness and joys of the characters. The only suggestion I have as a reader is that some of your chapters went on for a little too long. As a stand-alone short story, many of the chapters are appropriate in length, but blending into a novel, they slow down the plot a bit too much. That doesn't lessen the artistic, lyrical (even with all the "fucks") and so-very-human nature of your dialogue. It's wonderful, even if goes on too long in some places within the novel.

I cried at the end along with Miles: "He was crying, tears rolling down his cheeks like a baby, not just for leaving, or for Spencer, but fo all of it. For all the things that were, and all the things that weren't." These stupid, immature characters stole my heart as did old Shep who was still alive when, in the end, Lee returned with his daughter, Keely, and visited Miles and Lisa.

Steven: Your book is an emotionally-provoking, charming, sad, delightful study of close friendship and loss among well developed characters, each of whom touch the heart of the reader and take up residence there as their story unfolds through outstanding dialogue. It has been my pleasure and my honor to read this work by a very talented, gifted new writer. I hope you are soon published! Many stars for a fantastic book.

Hello Steven,

Saw your name on a forum about McCarthy's Blood Meridian. I thought anyone who could argue for and against McCarthy would be worth reading. And that proved true. I like the subtle and unpretentious use of language, it holds the story really well, gives it both warmth and a visible edge. The characters are very well drawn and engaging from the start and I think the dialogue throughout is perfectly realistic in pitch and tone. There's nothing forced, very little over-writing, the descriptive passages work well to create a believable space for the characters to evolve in.

I like the way that a deeper sense of sadness or loss is moving just below the surface that underpins the youthfulness of the action and some of the dialogue. You have done what many authors here seem unable to do, which is to create a sense of mood that permeates the writing and to me mood is a functional part of a story, it's backbone, it holds the narrative true.

These comments are based on the first 6 chapters I have had time to read. I always try to read all of a posted book if I like it but that always takes a bit of time because of my own writing and reading outside of the site. But I will try.

This is good writing. Best of luck with it.

David Howsam.

Steven,
I chose 9 aka The Wild Beaver.
That CB talk is killing me...remember mine well "Kid Dynomite" oh...come on, I was 11 and liked Good Times.
"We need to get high!" "I'll second that." classic. heh, very nice.
"Wild Beaver! May Day! May Day!" cracking up here.
Farrah Fawcett on a bear skin rug...I loved that poster.
Man, I'm lovin all these 70s references...and the scenario...great fun.
I'm sort of wishing there was a bit more initial interaction w Wild Beaver. Just a bit...something a little more promising somehow...
Went back and read the first as well:
The tour of the roads in the 3-7 paragraphs are not as attractive as others. I'm fearing you'd lose readers with those right up front...not nearly as compelling as the business in 9.
But the rest...so well done mixing the humor with the sentimental.
Yes I think you really have something here.
When is this getting published? Please keep me updated, even if its POD.
thanks.
-=B

Now read to just past chapter 4. After the excellent first chapter the writing has become too scenic - with a loss of dynamic, and. for me, interest - but also it's become narrow in scale: there was someting universal in quality in chapter one, notwithstanding it's a particular time and place; something to do with the quirky pastoral quality that rubs up against emotion, and, as I've already said, the gentle humour and pacing and, I think, just the overall vocab choices made. Now if you could only reduplicate that ...
Robert

Just read the first chapter so far. Good dialogue and off-beat humour that already captures character, and well-paced. So I'll be reading more. Watchlisted for now
Robert

Nice easy on the eyes writing at its best. Thats how I describe this. You have a great voice for this type of book and certainly this genre. Not only have you done your hard work before starting this book, but you have pitched your characters at the right time and with the right pace. I can see this doing well in the future if you push this. I wish you luck.
Sean Connolly. British Army on the Rampage. (B.A.O.R) Please consider me for a read or watch list wont you??
Many thanks. Sean

It's a good take on friendship from different angles from different periods of times in their lives set against the changing times in the USA (end of the '60s 'dream' upto the beginnings of a shift to the 'rightwing' era of Reagan, seems a lifetime ago now.

Good characters and portrayal of young lives trying to make sense of it all. BACKED

This is like a Tom Waits song... there's something deliciously grubby about it - atmospheric and as another commentator said, it has a lazy feel. I read the first few chapters, then dipped in and out of a few more. There's also something of the John Irving tone here too... possibly you just succeeded in transporting me to an America I don't know but to which those two masters (Waits and Irving) have also successfully taken me before.

You have an unhealthy addiction to semi-colons, by the way.

Hey Steve....Finally stopped by to take a look at your book. Read the first four chapters. Very impressive. Pace was excellent, interesting characters, storyline. You do a fantastic job of capturing the atmosphere of that time. I will say that Chaper 4 confused me with the different paragraphs - I was not sure what was going on there. I knew Miles, Rip and Spencer, but I somehow missed your fourth character. Also, in the first chapter, I found it very distracting for his parents to be referred to by their first names instead of "Mom" or "Dad",,,seemed unnatural in the dialogue, imo. You are a gifted writer, and I enjoyed taking a quck peek of your story - best of luck! Ruby

I thoroughly enjoyed reading 'Running On Empty' and finished the complete manuscript. I think you've written very interesting titbits from each of the boys' lives and put them together to make a very compelling whole. As time progresses and Spencer's death occurs I was slightly frustrated because no details were given, I think it is a great hook for keeping the reader wondering if they'll find out any more about this. I thought the mix of childishness and maturity true to reality of young guys growing into adulthood.

The friendship with and after Spencer is interesting, they certainly are a unique and unusual trio.

I found each of the three main characters to be beautifully developed individuals with their own distinct personalities. I'm not a big reader of literary fiction... but I could certainly read more books like this one.

A few notes I took while reading:
Ch1 - I found the description of the detritus of snow melting quite interesting, and not something I've thought about before.
- Rip flopped on his head and rapped his head on the door handle... I thought the way this was worded made it sound like this action was intentional.

Not sure what chapter (in the lunch room) - eats his desert = dessert.

A well deserved high star rating from me.

Tara
Wife to Brett Adams, Dark Matter

Hi Steven,

This is an intense and interesting story. You did a great job in fully-developing your characters, they came to life effortlessly. Chapter one is really strong and you delivered in chapter two as well. You write beautifully and with class. You're a talented writer/artist and it shows in your work.

I really liked Running On Empty and I'll come back to read more. This is a great example of literary fiction and for that, this is highly starred.

It's me,
D
LEO & ROVER: THE PURPLE MARBLE ADVENTURE

Hi Steven, I read chapter 9. This is a really entertaining read, it bought back so many memories for me of my experiences with CB radio. You have a very smooth story with very real characters and very real dialogue. It feels like I am sitting with the others listening intensely to the radio for any response or noise.
This should be popular with many people and I think you should be very proud.

Kindest Regards and Best Wishes
Lenny Banks - Tide and Time: At The Rock

Hi, Steven

Mick Jones recommended this to me a while ago and I have only just got around to reading it. And what a heart-warming story of friendship, encompassing everything that friendship holds dear and some things we'd like to forget!

The beginning is very sad and you do a great job in portraying that to the reader. This reader was very moved. There are some wonderfully amusing moments, in fact, humour flows naturally throughout the story - very, very funny in places - making this a very entertaining read.

I'll continue to read to the end - and I would buy this, Steven, without a doubt. When is it going to be published?

I wish you the best with it.

Michelle :)

This is a nice read. I like the relationships built between the four friends - I think you've hit just the right note. There's so much genuine humour and a real strength in the writing that fairly pulls the reader into the story and takes us for a very enjoyable ride.

I read up to chapter 12 today and I will definitely be finishing it.

Breaker breaker, ten four ... over and out ... (haven't a clue what it means but I love the speak) :D

Neil

Steve, this was recommended to me by Mick (Hit The Ground Running) Jones and it has been my best 'Authonomy Sunday read' so far. What an absolutely fab story. I love your characters, so real. And such humour! That CB chapter had me crying with laughter:

'"Breaker one-nine, this here's the Big Woodpecker. We got us a nine-twenty on a two-forty, and our balls are turning blue."'

The bits following on from this line were hilarious but the one that got me hooting with laughter was:

'"Breaker one-nine for the Big Woodpecker.' A woman's voice, silky, sultry, like a 1940's starlet. Joan Crawford cool. 'This is Wild Beaver."

Four mouths collectively drop'.

Really made my Sunday - LMAO

I loved all the 1970's memoria - Hogan's Heroes, Happy days (THE FONZ) ... so many mentions of things I remember so well from my younger days (haha). And I don't understand baseball but that chapter 5 really held me!

Up to chapter 11 but had to put it down (ha) because my eyes have had enough but I'll be back!

Starred and shelved. Good read. Thanks for making my day :)

Lynn

Fast paced , with excellent crackling dialogue , the novel proceeds a tremendous rate , with clearly defined characters. I shall certainly be reading on with interest. Watchlisted and starred. Would you be in a position to read the first chapter of my novel 'A Buccaneer' which is set amongst Pirates in the 17th century , with best wishes from Strachan Gordon.

The race, Chevy v Barracuda, in chapter 19 is especially well done. This has the lot. I liked it from the start, the "clutch plate" detail, and Datsuns. Backed.

Recommended to me by Bea Sinclair and I really enjoyed this book. High stars and on my watchlist awaiting promotion. good luck Deebie

Great story, very well written, it made me laugh and cry. I could see this as a TV series. Very well done. High stars and watch listed. Will recommend this to both male and female friends. Yours Bea

Hello Steve,

First of all, I'd like to commend you on your short chapters. Long chapters viewed in this context give me the ague. Chapters should be short, anyway, shouldn't they? That's how we differentiate them from books. That said, I've stopped after 4, because I feel the wine glow spreading through my cheeks like a tardy birthmark and need to jot down a comment before I lose my critical faculties.

I can offer very little in the way of criticism. I bought into this book from the very first paragraph. I liked how it started in media res, and it's emblematic of your quiet assurance that you managed to pull it off - introducing four characters (one of whom just happened to be dead) that I instantly warmed to and felt comfortable with. I wanted to be there, drinking with them.

I sense that you're rifling through your own history with this work - and there's certainly nothing wrong with that when it lends such a well-observed and evocative tone to the writing. I enjoyed how the following chapters began to colour in the lives of these characters, although perhaps Chapter 4 was slightly too fragmented.

That's the only negative I can express. In the same vein, I'm also slightly perturbed by your pitch, which seems to imply that chapters can be viewed in isolation - this gives me pause and makes me think the book may be more a series of vignettes, lacking in overall cohesion. But, I'd like to read further when I have time (quite busy these days) and find out for myself. I'll add it my bookshelf - that one less click can save a lot of time.

ADDENDUM: It's only after I finished reading that i realised you're that bloke who sometimes gripes about how more people should be reading your book. I always thought you were a bit of a big girls blouse off the back of that. But now I think you're right - more people should be reading this book. It's very good.

Dave

Nothing much to offer you in terms of crit, you obviously know what you're doing. Actually thought your first chapter was one of the best I'd read in a while, plunges right in, sets the tone nicely and feels really confident.. You have a real grasp of language and an obvious ear for dialogue. On my shelf as of right now!

Hello Steven,

Saw your name on a forum about McCarthy's Blood Meridian. I thought anyone who could argue for and against McCarthy would be worth reading. And that proved true. I like the subtle and unpretentious use of language, it holds the story really well, gives it both warmth and a visible edge. The characters are very well drawn and engaging from the start and I think the dialogue throughout is perfectly realistic in pitch and tone. There's nothing forced, very little over-writing, the descriptive passages work well to create a believable space for the characters to evolve in.

I like the way that a deeper sense of sadness or loss is moving just below the surface that underpins the youthfulness of the action and some of the dialogue. You have done what many authors here seem unable to do, which is to create a sense of mood that permeates the writing and to me mood is a functional part of a story, it's backbone, it holds the narrative true.

These comments are based on the first 6 chapters I have had time to read. I always try to read all of a posted book if I like it but that always takes a bit of time because of my own writing and reading outside of the site. But I will try.

This is good writing. Best of luck with it.

David Howsam.

This is a lovely, lazy book of authentic affection between four best friends, until Spencer dies, and the emotional struggle with which the remaining buddies must deal after the death. Although somewhat immature in their lifestyles, each character was skillfully and very fully developed - and, as a reader, I love character development (that might be due to the psychologist in me) in a good novel: without it, the novel fails to interest me no matter how good the plot.

So, first off: fantastic character-development and great dialogue between the characters: authentic, natural and, through the dialogue, the reader empathizes with the immaturity, emotions, sadness and joys of the characters. The only suggestion I have as a reader is that some of your chapters went on for a little too long. As a stand-alone short story, many of the chapters are appropriate in length, but blending into a novel, they slow down the plot a bit too much. That doesn't lessen the artistic, lyrical (even with all the "fucks") and so-very-human nature of your dialogue. It's wonderful, even if goes on too long in some places within the novel.

I cried at the end along with Miles: "He was crying, tears rolling down his cheeks like a baby, not just for leaving, or for Spencer, but fo all of it. For all the things that were, and all the things that weren't." These stupid, immature characters stole my heart as did old Shep who was still alive when, in the end, Lee returned with his daughter, Keely, and visited Miles and Lisa.

Steven: Your book is an emotionally-provoking, charming, sad, delightful study of close friendship and loss among well developed characters, each of whom touch the heart of the reader and take up residence there as their story unfolds through outstanding dialogue. It has been my pleasure and my honor to read this work by a very talented, gifted new writer. I hope you are soon published! Many stars for a fantastic book.

Enjoying this immensely, Steve. Like the story, like the characters, like the writing. Not much else to say really - except maybe 'good job'. Oh and why is it not higher in the charts?

And still reading for pleasure :)

Some shelf time soonish.

Mick

I was really impressed by this

Your characters are great. I particularly like how each one stand out from the others. No clone characters here. The dialogue clearly sets them apart too. Something writers are always being told to do but that is easier said than done.

There is a poignant beauty to the writing, despite the bleakness of the circumstances. I particularly liked the bit where Miles was at the grave of his friend and wants 'some kind of feeling at least, other than being pissed off, or wanting to laugh.' This sounds so true, not just a cliched description of grief. I also love the description of the moon following him - again so true.

As others have said, this deserves to be higher in the rankings. I'll put it on my shelf for a while.

Best wishes
Kirstie
The Girl who ran with the Wolves

I love your writing style. You have a way with words. Your imagery is superb and your characters come to life. This book deserves a much higher ranking, and I am backing it. I've run out of time now, but I'll definitely be back to read more.
RaineyC
The Pencil Case

Hi, there – this is your review from AudreyB. I am often accompanied on my reviews by my English teacher alter-ego, The Grammar Hag. If I say anything you don’t like, it was probably her idea.

So you more or less have me at “machine shop.” My dad was a journeyman level tool and die maker. I bet you even know what that is. And I have many relatives in Rhode Island. So we’re like this: crossed-fingers.

What a marvelous opening line. I don’t care for the big shockers or the blistering images. This is evocative and funny. Your whole book reminds me of the rest of the New England canon: October Road, Beautiful Girls, Providence, Good Will Hunting. You have the same ability to project immature men demonstrating sincere affections. That’s a compliment in case it’s not obvious.

When microwaves first came out, I used to warm my bologna and cheese in there. This is scary.

This is much better than some of the books I’ve read lately with two-digit rankings. You need to get yourself into a crit group, man. (Like that? Seventies-speak.)

~AudreyB

PS--Oh, sure; Brad Wind likes YOUR Seventies-speak.

Great dialogue. Backed. Not necessary to comment much on really good stuff.

i just read your first chapter and i'll be back for more. this is really polished. you have a distinct, witty voice. i loved the line about the marines ability to fix anything from riots to slouching.

your dialogue is especially strong- realistic AND interesting- a balance many writers find hard. the only 'criticism' i can offer is that when he refers to 'us pallbearers' it seems like something intended to let the reader know they're pall bearers when he'd probably just say 'they want the pallbearers to sit with the family.' the dialogue that follows makes it clear that they'll be the pallbearers.

i wonder why pokey gets treated delicately, but trust that becomes clear in later chapters.

this is really good. thanks for the read.

You are right. These chapters have their own lives and can be read as short stories, or taken as a whole. I read all of it, of course - I'm stubborn that way; I'll read all of almost anything. In this case, it was no difficulty at all. Your writing is smooth and in most cases easy to follow. (I say "in most cases" because I did get confused a time or two - no fault of yours, the problem was between the screen and the chair -all my own.)

The characters: I loved them, I laughed with them, I cried for them. I especially loved the moments with Marcel and Miles, having known a similar pair. I felt for Pokey (Lee, I said!) and his trials.

I did find it hard to believe that the girl would dump Miles just as she did. The evening was fine, they roll out of bed later and ... she's leaving? Knowing that she had put up with his dumbassery earlier, I was startled by this. But who's to say, some girls might choose to end on a high note like this. (I'd have picked a fight with him, personally, so I could leave on a low note. I'm not an entirely well woman.)

The other thing that made me pause to consider was the cigarette challenge. I've seen this done - I hate to admit I did it once - but I don't know if everyone knows what this entails. It's an excellent opportunity to make your reader squirm, so I think you should detail this scene a little bit more.

Other than those things, and a few spelling errors (Visine, not Visene; Popsicle, not Popcycle, etc), the only thing I'd mention was in chapters 12 and 19 there was some formatting problem that was placing some of your return dialog on the same line as the previous dialog.

Such tenuous threads hold us in place, and we never realize it until the first one snaps. Then we know; but it is too late. Too late to recapture what we had; impossible to explain to anyone that we once had it.

Well, I didn't like this until the dialogue started and then it became great.
I couldn't picture the place the people or the season until well into the first half of ch 1.
I like sparse description but the beginning is all narrative and tells you a lot but doesn't paint the picture in my head.
Why? Although a bit cliched, setting the scene with the apearance of things rather than the mechanics of the place: this was there, this road goes there, doesn't give the picture batter in my head. Sight sounds , smells etc.
If the narrative distance was closer you would paint a better picture.
So, that's crit. On the positive side you have tremendous ability with dialogue. Minor subtext comes through well in the teenager's talking and the story flows very well after that.
Take all this with a pinch of salt, i'm only an amateur and perhpas not qualified to comment.
Best to you.
I've backed this because it could be a tremedous story judging by the synopsis.

Running down Santa Claus lane and ho-ho-ho.

GK Stritch
CBGB Was My High School

Great stuff ... like the mood and the natural dialogue.

Ch 3.
There is an almost lazy feel to the story, a sort of slurred feel, but I am not complaining because I keep finding bits I like and I am happy because of it. This caught my eye 'Reflectors set in guard rail posts spun by like tracers.' And then this little dab, 'The whiskey rolled off the seat.' Your chapters are short, but I don't care because I then came across this bit, which, again, I really like, 'He sat next to the grave, smoking the joint, drinking the whiskey, waiting for something to happen. Everything was quite, just the whiskey sloshing in the bottle, his own breathing.' Such is life, baffling, baffling. Not this sentence is the best of all because I can relate to it having experienced it exactly as you describe: '...on the swings, talking, figuring out the world, climbing higher and higher in the air, swinging so high the chains wld go slack when they came back down. And then they wld jump out, trying always to fly farher than before.' That is just how it was. And maybe that is how adolesence is, too, with the swinging denoting our fearless ambition and how tethered we are. But then we leap out into the world ... and disappointment. Maybe those moments of youth are our very, very best.

Ch 2
The descrition of Marcel Dumont is cracking. I feel like I've known him all my life from graph 4.

Ch 1.
Graph 7 is a good un. I cld see that town and 'the debris of winter'and the idiot buring frozen leaves.This sentence leapt out at me as just as true today as it was then: 'Iran, lawns, lilacs, what did any of it matter. Nothing mattered.'

I completely disregarded you and read chpt 1; and was so pleased I did - it's a terrific read. Lovely, lovely writing (I'm jealous!); great dialogue; great opening; funny in parts i.e. the Marines could stop people slouching; and so sad at parts with the 3 boys waiting to go into the church. terrific stuff. Will pop this on my WL and up on my bookshelf when I have a space (next few days, promise). And I think I'll come back and read chpt 15 next! Good luck, all the best, Ceeds
'JOE'S NAN'

Steven -- I love this! The dialogue is fantastic and the characters so likeable and the writing accomplished. Six-stars for you my boy and it's backed. K. x (ps thx for backing American Sycamore )

intersting depiction of American life on the 1970s

Lynne Ellison

The Green Bronze Mirror

Ha ha , I enjoyed reading your story. F U N N Y.
Backed
BP

Totally awesome, says this New Englander. I could sit down with a box of maple sugar candy and have a blast with this.

Well done!

Suz

An atmospheric story with well developed characters. Impecable attention to details. Vivid settings. Lively dialogue. Spot on storytelling. Hilarious humor. A delightful read. Backed.

Seventeen is a gem. A great sketch of the workplace, every character comes to life. It is just a delightful episode.
Backed

Nothing wrong with the 1st chapter dude.....nor any others I dipped into...well observed and good reading....backed
ASC
Violet Hiccup

Steven, I've only had a dip in the chapters you suggested. The time warp is well in place; your characters well drawn. The opening describing the parents is succinct as in chapter 9 the cb radio and its uncoolness is classic.

I wish you well with it and will give it backing.

All the best,

T. L. Bartush
Bleak House Bleak Shed

Excellent work!

The tone and dry humor are spot on. Loved the bit about how Pokey looked in his sport coat and tie. Word choice such as "moron" for the guy burning the leaves works for the excellent tone. The banter between the three friends as the gird themselves with booze before their best friend's funeral is really pitch-perfect. The "generic" "genetic" "frickin'" "friggin"" exchanges ring so true. I know these guys. I've gotten stoned with these guys. I've left these guys behind and miss them. In just a few short pages you got them off the ground and running. Nicely done.

I also appreciate the little touches such as catching the cigarettes on the rebound. Works so well to create the scene in the reader's minds eye.

One suggestion - I'd would expect them to be smoking a jay as Rip arrived. Maybe have them fail to hide the fact from Rip's old man. (Who I'm sure considers them losers to begin with.)

One typo in chap one: When Rip says God is dead and Miles replies "What'd you say that for?" you have a quotation mark instead of an apostrophe in what'd.

Really like this a lot. I have no doubt this will do very well.

All the best,

Eric

Chapter 22/23/24

'The Bee Gees trilled', spot on. In fact there's loads of brilliant lines, 'jeans tight enough to shut off circulation', 'She'd scare a blind dog off a meat truck', 'made a sound he thought was a laugh', 'subtle power you could feel in the soles of your feet'.

I've not read the previous chapters, but get the impression Miles is more than a bit arrogant with a cynical streak, and what's this about Spencer and flattened tires? Still, it looks like he's the one holding the trio together. And he's way preferable to Eddie and Stub.

Hm, and then we switch to Pokey who seemingly knows more about what to do with a skunk than what to do with Mary. A laugh aloud moment in the ice cream parlour as Pokey gets sundae inside his shirt. Turns out to be lucky though, 'Lee Hulbert, once known as Pokey, didn't mind at all'. Is the whole point of this that the MCs are growing up as opposed to apart, becoming individuals?

I'm guessing the next chapter will be Rip, so here goes. Is Eddie kidding, or is Rip tripping? 'Someone put an atomic bomb in there', that's the answer. This story is both funny and poignant, and nostalgic as well for people who shared that place and time. The dialogue and characterisation excel, and the writing is both accomplished and polished (no nits at all) ... backed.

Hi Steven

This is great - there's something so real about it, it reminds me of Bruce Springsteen. Not too sure what's going to happen but glad to be along for the ride. It takes me into a different world and that's what I'm always looking for in books. Backed.

Nicole (Chosen)

Great first chapter steeped in 70s detail and trivia, making it very real, creating class atmosphere.

Loved this - a lot. Nothing new to add to the well deserved praise below, but have made room for you on my bookshelf!
Joanna Carter
Fossil Farm

It really is a fascinating read. A pity I can't read more but time waits for no-one. Any way, BACKED

Dear Steven Merrill,

I like Running on Empty. I like it alot. I'd like to send it to my twenty-something- year-old-nephew who lives in New Hampshire.

Good stuff. Backed and all the best.

GK Stritch
CBGB Was My High School

I think if I’d found this at the library I might have taken it home. It’s sad, but there’s an authentic tone to it.