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Loading... The Pint Man: A Novel (edition 2010)by Steve Rushin
Work InformationThe Pint Man: A Novel by Steve Rushin
   None No current Talk conversations about this book.   ) ewillse | Mar 23, 2014 |  PatienceFortitude | Mar 6, 2014 | PatienceFortitude | Mar 6, 2014 | PatienceFortitude | Mar 6, 2014 | In this, his first book, Rushin employed his knowledge and passion for words and made words and language the centerpiece of his novel. The premise of the story does not sound promising. A story about an unemployed wordsmith, spending his substantial down time in his favorite bar, enjoying his Guinness and indulging in his word play games with the other denizens of the bar. The story itself is rather thin and the characters were not all that well developed, except maybe for the main character: Roddy Poole and his love interest Mairead. Everyone else was dealt a short and compact history as well as the necessary accoutrements so that the story moved along at a pace that served the story. The key to this book is what happens between the character development and the plot evolution: the space between the notes, the time between actions, the bassline of the tune. Rushin filled it up with ruminations and pontifications about words, logic, trivia, and anything else involving the English language. So much so that the conversations became the focus and the reason for reading. The structure of the conversations drew me back, time and again. The discussions of the random facts stand seductively on the pages, where as the usual centerpieces: the characters and the plot became the window dressing. It is a bravura performance of the usage of the English language while in an alcohol soaked environment. I actually liked the book, a lot. The romance portion of the plot was sweet and vulnerable but the defining theme was a bit thin, but I didn't really care because the word, ah the words were so abundant, rich, and savory that I didn't much care about anything else. Well, actually I did care about the little romance. In the end Roddy Poole did end up getting his Rebecca Lobo. Just like in real life. (  ) pw0327 | Dec 19, 2011 | no reviews | add a review
A funny and endearing novel about the comforts of a never-ending adolescence and the glories of Guinness. nbsp; For Rodney Poole, a friendly and unassuming lover of clever wordplay and television sports of all stripes, Boyle's Irish Pub is a haven of good cheer, pleasantly pointless conversation, elaborate jokes, heated trivia contests, well-poured pints, and familiar faces. The pressures and demands of the outside world hold no sway there- the crowd at Boyle's is his family, and with family all sins are forgiven. nbsp; But reality cannot be kept at bay forever, and now Rodney's best friend and partner in inertia, Keith, is getting married and moving to Chicago. Since Rodney has for the most part enjoyed his bachelorhood vicariously through Keith, the prospect of being single, middle-aged, unemployed, and without his pal to while away the nights with is causing Rodney to rethink--or rather, create--his priorities. nbsp; When Keith introduces him to the lovely Mairead (rhymes with parade), a cheerful career woman who seems to enjoy his bad puns, ambitionless nature, and love of literature, Rodney can spy an honorable path to grown-up-hood at last. But a series of comic mishaps jeopardize his budding relationship with Mairead, his friendship with Keith, and most serious of all, his place on a barstool in the idyllic world of Boyle's. No library descriptions found. |
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 Google Books — Loading...GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.6Literature English (North America) American fiction 21st CenturyLC ClassificationRatingAverage: (3.67)
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