The Honk and Holler Opening Soon

this might wrap things up on an overly high note for most of the characters, but maybe sometimes that's what is best for the story. i really enjoyed this and thought the writing was great, the characters were relatable, the story matters. the end was a little too much but up until then i thought it was great. i fell into this immediately and only really started to come out of it near the end when it maybe started to be a little much for me. but i so enjoyed being in this town with these people, in this cafe.

a really representative example of the writing i loved: "Molly O hadn't missed a day of work at the Honk since she'd found her fourteen-year-old daughter naked in the backseat of a car with a drummer in a band called Hard Drivin'."

This book is full of quirky characters. The Honk and Holler Opening Soon is a restaurant in Oklahoma that is run by a man in a wheelchair. It is often not very busy until a young woman hops out of her ride and says she will work for tips as a carhop. The owner reluctantly agrees. Then a young Vietnamese man who can barely speak or understand English shows up looking for work. This crew, plus Molly O, who keeps things running smoothly round out the employees. As the patronage of the restaurant grows the reader becomes acquainted with some of the strange people of the town. This book captures the mom and pop diners of the past. Each of the main characters seem to be looking for something or missing something in their life. Follow their show more strories as each person has their dreams come true. show less

This is a pleasant read about some unpleasant times. A Vietnam veteran confined to a wheelchair who owns and lives in the back of a small cafe in small-town Oklahoma, which he hasn’t been outside of in 12 years, employs, within few days of each other, a Vietnamese refugee and a young native American woman. Their lives are changed dramatically.

The Honk and Holler Opening Soon is a small diner in Oklahoma owned and run by a paralyzed Vietnam vet in the early 1980's. This book is the stories of the people who work and eat at the café and how they interact and make their lives better with each other. Someone noted that this is not a feel good book overall. I found it was more true to life that way. Not everyone has a happy ending but we can find joy in the joy of others an those around us as well.

I wasn't sure I was going to like this book but after I got a few pages in I got hooked. I loved Caney the main character. For some reason it became more interesting once I learned he was in a wheel chair. Maybe because it was something different. I kind of hoped Sam would turn out better but it worked that he didn't. The only major thing I felt was missing was a scene where Caney found out about his son. I felt a bit gipped that I didn't get to see that.

I enjoy the writing and stories of this author and this was a good one. Loved these characters! Bui, a Vietnamese immigrant, is especially endearing. The Honk and Holler Opening Soon was a mistake on the sign of a little restaurant -- the opening soon bit was supposed to be removable. The charming cast of people associated with the restaurant is down to earth and fun, though not without sobering moments and plenty of action. This seems like a real place; haven't you been there? I have. The regulars come together in a small place to visit, eat, and form a kind of family. I didn't want this story to end.

At 20 Caney Paxton returned from Vietnam with a broken back. He came home in a wheelchair and bought a diner in Eastern Oklahoma. Through a misunderstanding the neon sign he ordered came with Opening Soon as part of the name. Now 12 years later it is still that way. The story begins when a young Vietnamese refugee, Bui, shows up from Houston and a woman, Vena, gets dropped off by a trucker carrying a 3-legged dog. These 3, and the waitress Molly O are the main characters. Great character driven drama of a quirky bunch of people in a small town.