Total Page : 384
Publisher : Hyperion
Publication Date : 2005 09 01
>> Bar none a good read
Over the course of the year I have picked up and put down The Tender Bar at my local book store several times I was reluctant to read it because of my own childhood memories of living with an alcoholic and also avoiding any confirmation that I may have screwed up my son s psyche as a single parent Then on my commute home one evening I heard Andre Agassi discussing his decision to ask JR Moehringer to help write his own memoir and the reasons why he did on NPR I took the plunge and bought it for my weekend read Wow I m so glad I did Mr Moehringer s personal story is alternatively heartbreaking funny and triumphant I can identify with the child that tried to be perfect to the point that it becomes a little neurotic I loved and laughed so hard when he related the Shakespeare Firestone conversation between the bar patrons aka surrogate father figures it was on par with Abbott and Costello s Who s on First shtick at least to me I also felt delighted at his various personal triumphs like graduating from Yale or writing for the Times even with his setbacks and ultimately the realization that it was time to walk away and move on with his life I encourage anyone who like myself may have some hesitation to read this memoir it isn t a sob story or a conceited you too can overcome your past bromide It is a well written interesting recounting of insights gained and a loving tribute to people a place and time in one person s life Good stuff
>> Poignant searingly honest memoir
I really loved The Tender Bar Any book that can sweep you into a story and its beautifully rendered characters all the more beautiful poignant and powerful because they are real is worthy of recognition and I found this memoir to be fascinating and enormously moving It was also interesting from its snapshot of a slice of American and local history Manhasset Long Island in the 70s and 80s and into the early 21st century The author being raised by his mother in her father s dysfunctional home lived right down the street from the Publicans bar where his uncle worked and where the bar patrons became the author s family Telling the story cannot do it justice Moehringer s and his mother s run of bad luck and the consequences of repeated poor judgment could be too dark and depressing if it weren t for his uncanny sense of humor powers of observation and willingness to expose himself warts and all to the reader Yes there were times you wanted to kick him in the seat of the pants but it appears he finally found his own footing
My only quibble is that after a wonderfully rich telling of his childhood and early adulthood there is a conspicuous ten year gap as the story jumps abruptly from his first job as a journalist and what appears to be a downward slide towards alcoholism to the end of the book where he has clearly stopped drinking has become a recognized journalist and finally appears to have gained a healthy perspective on his past
The scenes in the bar and the many conversations over many years between Moehringer and the bar s zany wonderful patrons were filled with laugh out loud hilarity philosophical depth fascinating bondings and break ups and unspoken rules and behaviors that engendered fierce loyalty and unexpected tenderness The intersection of Moehringer s personal story with the events of 9 11 and its impact on the characters and the community were especially moving
>> Please J R a Sequel Soon
I don t know where this book has been in my life but I just finished it and wish I had the sequel to pick up right this moment He is an amazing writer with phrases that you can t decide whether you want to devour or roll around on your tongue like rich chocolate I actually avoided this book for a while because as a female I didn t think a book about a guy who hangs out in a bar could interest me at all I don t even know what finally made me read it but I was spellbound Like other reviewers I laughed out loud many times which was such a pleasure Thank you J R Moehringer for a great read
