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Summary: The Book of Wonders indeed...
Review: I love this book. I know that is sort of a banal comment, but I can't express it any other way. Ironically, I was trying to set a record of my own (# of books in 2 weeks) and this was the record breaker (#10). How appropriate huh? Still, that doesn't tell you anything about the book. This story is basically a romantic fable. It is filled with warmth, wonder, and whismy. It is impossible to not fall in love with characters--the ones in the background, Shrimp, Early Wyatt, and others are wonderful--are so honest. One cool touch, the town and all the records are real--the characters aren't, but it adds another dimension to this book. It will reaffirm your belief in true love, even if you don't have it. It is about hope. It is a simple, quick read (I read it in one sitting), but I miss it already. I want to go back and visit with Willa and JJ and the whole town. The truth? This book left me in tears. Tears of joy.
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Summary: A fine feast of a novel...
Review: What lengths would you go to for love?J.J. Smith, Keeper of the Records for The Book of Records (akin to the Guinness Book), is a "been there, done that" kind of guy. He has traveled all over the world authenticating the longest kiss, the most splits of a single human hair, etc. Then he receives this letter about a man who is eating pieces of a jumbo jet in order to prove his love for a woman. A Tall Tale? Maybe. Could happen? Probably not. Plain fun? You betcha! The Man Who Ate the 747 is a feelgood novel with downhome humor and a sweet love story. Most of the characters in this novel go through some kind of change, which is always a refreshing change of pace after reading novels where the characters are stuck in the same desperate loop, who never learn lessons or grow beyond their boundaries. Ben Sherwood's writing is gentle and flowing and transports readers to wide open spaces where the unthinkable happens. "We chase wild dreams and long for all that eludes us, when the greatest joys are within our grasp, if we can only recognize them." How true... Read this novel and see for yourself.
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Summary: Buy this for Valentines Day
Review: This book is a very short, sweet interlude to read in between more serious fiction. It is well worth the few hours it takes to read it. Buy it for someone you love on Valentines Day!
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Summary: Selected to receive the 2001 Alex Award by YALSA.
Review: The Man Who Ate the 747, a novel by Ben Sherwood, is one of ten books selected to receive the 2001 Alex Award by the Young Adult Library Service Association (YALSA), a division of the ALA. The Alex Awards were created to recognize books written for adults that teens may enjoy. The novel is a believable tall tale about an extraordinary event and about falling completely, sweetly, and passionately in love. The story takes place in an ordinary place, Superior, Nebraska, a quiet farming community where white bread and pot roast with brown gravy is the norm. An ordinary man J.J. Smith is the Keeper of the Records for the Book of Records; he travels the world recording the world's greatest and most unusual events, including this one. What he finds in Superior, Nebraska is more than what he came to record. The story is joyous, compelling, warm and fulfilling. A must read, just for the twinkle of it all.
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Summary: Charming, quirky romantic comedy
Review: The opening chapter hooked me and it's the rare writer who can do that just by describing a character's job duties. JJ Smith, the protagonist, 'authenticates greatness' by observing and recording Guinness World Records. Yet he feels ordinary and inadequate after his girlfriend Emily breaks up with him. A letter arrives on his desk telling about a man literally eating a 747 that recently crashed in the Midwest. Intrigued, JJ heads to Omaha, Nebraska, to authenticate this feat. There he meets Wally Chubb, who is doing this to prove his undying love for a woman, Willa Wyatt. The townsfolk tend to fall into the country-rube cliché, but overall, Sherwood writes with affection for his characters. We see JJ and Willa begin to fall in love and we ponder how Wally will take this news. We see Superior (the fictional Nebraska town) overrun with reporters and wonder if Willa will leave the small town for the big city. We also wonder if Wally will ever realize the long-suffering devotion paid to him from Rose. Normally, romantic comedies are not my cup of tea. But Sherwood won me over with his tale. It's an easy, breezy read and since Sherwood works in the film industry, I wouldn't be surprised to see this playing either on the small screen or at a multiplex sometime soon.
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Summary: Has there ever been a more banal and cliched book?
Review: This is such a condesending book about "Middle America." The characters seem like the creation of a Harvard undergrad who thinks that mid west rubes are just so darn cute and earthy. Yuck.
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Summary: A Very Fun Read
Review: This book was so much fun, an interesting story about a man trying to prove his love in the most unusual way. If only men did stuff like this for us in real life, right ladies? If you want a classic dignified read, don't get this book, but if you strictly want entertainment, this is the book for you.
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Summary: It kept me reading...
Review: J.J. Smith had an interesting life; verifying the worlds longest toenail, witnessing the worlds longest kiss, but the most exciting event was a man in a lonesome town eating a Boeing 747. As you've probably guessed, he is a Guiness Book of World Records verifier. He gets an annonymous tip of a man eating a Boeing 747 to show his love for a woman. I highly recommend this book to any age category. it is funny, entertaining, and kept me reading the whole time.
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Summary: america at it's best
Review: What a sweet breath of fresh air. This is a perfect airplane book (no pun intended) or a great beach book. Yes. the man does really eat a plane to prove his love and the way this becomes such a casual fact of the story is very funning and charming.
This book is about small town America, people with good hearts, the power of love and a man who finally finds his real desire in life. It will show you joy in the smallest and most unexpected places.
Again, the writer has given the main character such a matter of fact voice when describing all the world records he has witnessed being broken that you can't help but get as caught up in it as he is.
I loved this sweet book and will pass it on to friends.
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Summary: Story of the Greatest Love, Ever
Review: J.J. Smith has traveled from Australia to Zanzibar, confirming the greatest attempts of skill and persistence the world has ever known. He is the Keeper of Records for "The Book of Records," a job that has consumed his life for 14 years. When his miserable boss threatens to fire him, J.J. decides to find the most unique and amazing world-record attempt, and that's exactly when a child's letter arrives telling J.J. of such a feat. The letter claims a man in the Midwest is attempting to eat an entire 747. The kicker is -- he's doing it for love. So J.J. hops the first flight to Superior, Neb., to meet Wally Chubb and the object of his affection, newspaper editor Willa Wyatt. Chubb isn't interested in breaking any records, but he agrees to make the attempt in hopes of winning Willa's heart with the whole world watching. J.J. is an unassuming man, one who is so afraid of love that he's completely thrown himself into his job. He travels the world and sees the most phenomenal things, but he never makes a connection with anyone. Wally is the big lug of every small town, the good man who is completely overlooked. He has loved Willa all his life, and will do anything to win her affections. Willa, however, is a beautiful and determined woman. She has that Diana quality about her -- the thing that drives men to make her their muse -- and yet she's never been unable to find a man to match her heart. Ben Sherwood has put some real heart into this novel. The story's pace zooms faster than a falling star, and its moral is clear without being preachy. While most small town stories drown the reader with extraneous exposition and a homey angle, this book offers a delightfully fresh view of how to achieve "happily ever after." "The Man Who Ate the 747" makes a bold statement with its first sentence: "This is the story of the greatest love, ever." Although I had my doubts after such a grandiose claim, Sherwood's sweet romance won my heart within just a few pages. When I finished the book with tears falling down my cheeks, I knew I'd have to recommend this story to everyone I know.
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