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The Tender Bar: A Memoir
Availability:
In Stock
Price:
$14.95
$2.62*
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| Part No: | 0786888768 |
| Manufacturer: | Hyperion |
| MFG Part: | |
| Customer Rating: | 4.5 / 5.0 |
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- ISBN13: 9780786888764
- Condition: New
- Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
paperback, excellent binding, clean pages, a few ben corners and one corner bend on back cover
"Long before it legally served me, the bar saved me," asserts J.R. Moehringer, and his compelling memoir The Tender Bar is the story of how and why. A Pulitzer-Prize winning writer for the Los Angeles Times, Moehringer grew up fatherless in pub-heavy Manhasset, New York, in a ramshackle house crammed with cousins and ruled by an eccentric, unkind grandfather. Desperate for a paternal figure, he turns first to his father, a DJ whom he can only access via the radio (Moehringer calls him The Voice and pictures him as "talking smoke"). When The Voice suddenly disappears from the airwaves, Moehringer turns to his hairless Uncle Charlie, and subsequently, Uncle Charlie's place of employment--a bar called Dickens that soon takes center stage. While Moehringer may occasionally resort to an overwrought metaphor (the footsteps of his family sound like "storm troopers on stilts"), his writing moves at a quick clip and his tale of a dysfunctional but tightly knit community is warmly told. "While I fear that we're drawn to what abandons us, and to what seems most likely to abandon us, in the end I believe we're defined by what embraces us," Moehringer says, and his story makes us believe it. --Brangien Davis
| Very moving memoir | 2010-07-21 | 4 / 5 |
| I really enjoyed this memoir. My husband had started reading it, but said it didn't grab him, so I picked it up and was immediately drawn in. JR is a very talented writer, and I would find myself laughing out loud (which is very rare for me when I read a book) and tearing up (not so rare for me, depending on the subject matter).
I read a few reviews elsewhere that felt like the epilogue was tacked on. I can see that argument, although I didn't really feel that the book had "ended" before the epilogue, and I felt as though his affection for all these people was what brought him back to revisit his old life 10 years later.
I will agree with some writers that, sometimes, I felt a little impatient with JR, but I think that's because he was being honest about his shortcomings. He definitely has his issues, and his obsession with Sidney was rather annoying--but I think that was the point, and he was describing the intense feeling of first love. There were a few situations that were obviously going to turn out badly, and he forged ahead, but hey--that's apparently what really happened.
All in all, a very enjoyable memoir. I think what made it so enjoyable was JR's emotion. He loved his mother, he loved Uncle Charlie and the crew, and he loved the bar. |
| Compelling Memoir | 2010-07-13 | 5 / 5 |
| I was raised at church; wish now that I'd been raised at Publicans.
Could not put this book down until it was finished, and then I wanted more. |
| Comforting, Enjoyable, and Oftentimes Comedic | 2010-06-25 | 5 / 5 |
| At the risk of repeating what's already been written, I'll make my review short and to the point. This book was a pure joy to read. A *tad* bit slow at times, but what book isn't? The author's ability to share his life's journey with the reader is as enjoyable and warm as you'll ever find. There were moments during this book that I desperately, desperately wanted to go back in time to join JR during his ventures. Or at least observe from a far. I'd give anything to visualize his Uncle and his Uncle's bar buddies while frolicking at the beach or going belly up at the bar. I'll give nothing else away, but I will tell any potential reader that you won't be disappointed. Reading this book was like eating a really, really good steak. You just take a bite, put the fork down, and slowly chew each piece savoring it's flavors and appreciating it while you have it....because soon the steak, just like the book, will be finished.
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| East Coast Stienbeck | 2010-06-05 | 5 / 5 |
| | I read many of the reviews of East coast readers that commiserated their experiences of growning up and visiting Publicans, etc. To know that others felt as he did, added to the realism of the story.. The comparisons to the McCourts and other memoir writers rang true, but as a west coaster, I found his style and the characters reminding me more of John Stienbeck-Cannery Row, etal. A great read! It was hard to put down and for the book to come to an end. I hope he will continue to use his great talent to write a novel whether fiction or non. Thanks JR. |
| Absolutely addicting | 2010-05-24 | 5 / 5 |
| J. R. Moehringer brews up a most engaging, page turning memoir of a man, his local bar and how it smittened his way of life for years.
From the age of seven, J.R.'s life revolved in and around a local watering hole called Publicans just outside Manhattan. Since his father had abandoned him at a young age, he was reaching out for male companionship and camaraderie. Enter the bar.
As he grew older and with all of life's up ands downs, J.R. continually found himself on a barstool at Publicans. Drinking like a fish. With characters such as his Uncle Charlie the bartender, owner Steve the Chief, Bob the Cop, Colt, Joey D., Cager and several other spirited individuals over the years, J.R. was accepted into the brotherhood of drinking buddies. His sanctuary.
Relationships came and went; careers were always on the fence; then enter fate.
Full of spirit and humor, this is a receptive "gulp it down" read. His perseverance with starting and finishing the book is both commendable and admirable. Great writing.
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