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 I was sorry it ended! Sep 08, 2010
This was a great story! It brought back memories of my own childhood when on occasion my Father would take me along with him and my Uncles to "Ceils" across the street in the small town we lived in, in Wisconsin. How I loved to go along and listen to all the stories and laughter. JR transported me back to that time and more. This is an honestly written, believable story of a childhood, teenage years, and finally the long, sometimes painful journey into becoming a mature adult. It was sad and funny and I didn't want it to end. I loved all of the nicknames for the characters and how they got them, and the charisma of "Steve" and his charm and smile. A truly engaging and delightful read.
 Funny tales of a man with one name. Sep 04, 2010
In this book we read about the life of a man who looks for a father in about every gentlemen and scoundrel he comes across. This book is also about his mother, about his growing up fatherless even though his father is alive somewhere out there in the world, he tries to find a father in other men. It seems to me that the author was looking. Readers like me will want to take notes but never get a pen or even a Blackberry. JR's world surrounds his Uncle Charlie and how much he looked upto him for growing up. Charlie is a difficult to believe character for his mannerisms and charms are absolutely legendary but at the same time, he's a bit of a talkative funny unsmiling bartender who never got his share in life.
The funniest thing about the book and also the funniest thing about Tender Bar that stays with you is the author's struggle with his name. I have a difficult name and many variations of it so I keep losing myself with different sets of friends who know me as a different alias so for this reason I kind of related with the author. The correlation ends right there. This book is quite similar to Angela's Ashes though it lacks that powerful gulp and sorrow the Irish-American book had. I give it four stars for reasons I can't quite pinpoint or explain. JR did make me laugh and also want to tear up on a couple of occasions. We all wish we write a book about our life, this one man did and he did remarkably well. Lovely language.
Tip - Avoid reading while traveling long distance, just dont ask why
More than just a bar Aug 09, 2010
This book is one of the most amazing memoirs I've read. If you have every frequented a local establishment, you'll relate to a large portion of this book.
Very moving memoir Jul 21, 2010
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 Jul 13, 2010
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.
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