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Summary: Great book!
Review: The only downside to The Wishbones was that it wasn't long enough. It truly left me wanting more. Mandatory reading for any 30-something guy ready to take the plunge into marriage...and a little side note: The page on REM and Stipe was sheer perfection...Tom, you read my mind!
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Summary: THE WISHBONES
Review: The Wishbones by Tom Perotta was one of the best books that I have ever read. It is about a band that plays at weddings and events like that. It is about all of the problems that they go through, losing members of the band, and relationships with others. The book also deals with topics such as adultery and rash decisions that have a very large impact on the character's lives. Friendships, loyalty, and commitment are all huge themes in the book. The descriptive nature of the writing makes the book very easy to picture and it flows well too. The characters in the story are very believable and react realistically to all of the situations present. The book is over 250 pages but it will go by quicker than some 100 page books. The storyline keeps you immersed in this book until the end. If you are looking to read tis book in a literature class, it may be a better idea to make it an optional read. Some words may be found offensive and the content may not be suitable for all readers. Younger readers especially may want to reconsider due to some sexual content.
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Summary: A Truly Great Quick Read
Review: There are some quick reads that enable you to overlook their flaws because you can pretty much fly through them. Then, sometimes, although this is rare, there is that fabulous quick read. The one that is funny, with great characters and an engaging story, that doesn't make you feel empty after you have finished it. The Wishbones falls in the latter category. I loved this book. It's about so many things I love to read about: music, relationships, New Jersey, fear of growing up, friends. Tom Perrotta has given us a highly enjoyable story about Dave, a thiryone year old guitar player in a wedding band (he's got a day job, but it's nothing much). Something happens to him one day which has him proposing to his longterm (15 years, on and off) girlfriend. Then panic sets in. Dave has never really grown up and the fear of marriage makes him do somethings he'll probably regret sooner or later (I have to admit, I was a little annoyed with him at times). But the pieces of his life fall together and by the end of the novel, he realizes what is really important to him. This is a satisfying and enjoyable read. Have fun.
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Summary: beautifully written. about sad people though.
Review: There's no doubt that Tom Perrotta is a terrific writer. His prose flows and one forgets that one's reading. He has a real ear for dialogue and emotional concerns of his characters, and he gets the life of a working musician absolutely right. Too bad his characters are all kind of stupid people. It was hard to empathize with them. In some ways, this is a book version of the film DINER.
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Summary: Poignant and charming novel.
Review: This book really took over my life while I was reading it. Dave's problems, in a way, became mine. I've never read a book with such interest before. This excellent book is about Dave, a guitar player in his mid-30's who was happy in a pretty sad life, but he still had a life. He proposed to Julie his girl-friend and can't forgive himself afterwards. After meeting Gretchen, the girl he's cheating on he starts to analyze his life. This book would make a wonderful movie and I hope someone will be able to make it. I must admit the only slight dissapointment I had with this book was the sad but truthful ending of just conforming. I'm not giving away what, so you'd still have interest in reading it.
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Summary: Fun and some real insights into the male mindset
Review: This book reminded me of some of those British comedies about the average workingman - Brassed Off, the Committments- who have dreams of greatness. In fact I'd love to see it as a movie. I felt like I really understood Dave and I liked him even though he could be a real butthead sometimes. I'd recommend it to anyone.
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Summary: "...Just one more song..."
Review: This book was so good...it simply restored my faith in the novel. Dear Tom, where-ever you are, please send more stories...
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Summary: The Wedding Band
Review: This is an enormously likeable book about love, music, and, especially, the choices required by time, money, and cultural expectations. Despite these "heavy" undertones, this is light reading at its best, full of distinct, interesting characters, humorous unexpected developments, and a brisk pace. The story involves Dave Raymond, the 31-year old lead guitarist for "The Wishbones," a wedding band in which Dave feels both stuck and exhilarated. He has his own pre-wedding anxieties, as he finally proposes to his high school sweetheart, and then worries that he will settle into a bland suburban life sans music. At a gig, he meets Gretchen (nom de plume: Marlene Fragment!), an aspiring bohemian poet, who seems Dave's last chance at prolonging and preventing some touch choices. Perrota is great at irony, and he almost overplays this, but the book moves so quickly that one doesn't mind. Although some of the book covers familiar "rites of passage" decisions, there's some outrageous (and I've heard, fairly realistic) wedding scenes, an unexpectedly tense gig with an unusual audience, and the musical aspirations of the singer (think "Springtime for Hitler," but in somewhat better taste. I liked the comparable "High Fidelity" more; it better captures the depth of rock and roll obsession, but this is close--An appealingly light look at marriage, weddings, and some awful 70's music. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Predictable doesn't necessarily mean boring.......
Review: This is, essentially, a coming of age story-the fact that most of the primary characters are in their 30's notwithstanding. Tom Perrotta's The Wishbones follows the various travails of Dave Raymond. Though in his 30's, Dave still lives at homes with his rather long suffering parents. Dave also has a long suffering girlfriend of 20 years. Actually, virtually everyone Dave knows well is long suffering--that appears to be the price you pay for having a son/friend who hasn't quite grown up. Saddled with a dead-end day job, Dave's life actually revolves around his Band, The Wishbones, which plays wedding gigs on the weekends. Dave is intelligent and aware enough to recognize his shortcomings--he's a good, not great guitarist with no original music vision of his own whatsoever--but not yet sufficiently emotionally mature=or secure-enough to toss in the towel on his dreams of musical stardom. As event unfold, Dave finally gets up the nerve to propose to his girlfriend--then immediately stars getting cold feet. There is not one single surprise to be found anywhere in this entire novel. Yet, the book is anything but boring. Perrotta has a wonderful talent for developing intricate, interesting and engaging characters, skillfully evokes the sense of Dave's New Jersey neighborhood, has a finely tuned sense of comedic flair and is adept with dialog. This is one of those books that proves that predictable doesn't have to be boring. In point of fact, a lot of surprise and unexpected plot machinations would not have worked anyway, making what is, and was always meant to be, on ordinary, daily life sort of story seem contrived and hokey. The ending is rather anti-climatic even so, and there are some rough passages to be gotten through--Dave's whole flirtation with joining a Christian rock band seems out of place, for instance. But these are minor flaws in an otherwise competent, witty and engaging story. So, tune into the Wishbones and enjoy a pleasant read!
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Summary: Wedding Day Jitters!
Review: This story was pretty predictable but still enjoyable moving along at a steady pace. It was interesting enough to keep my attention but nothing out of the ordinary happened, just everyday life for these characters. Dave & Julie have been sweethearts since high school. The words "I Love You" have always come easy to both of them. Their love for each other was always there, even though they had several on and off breakups. Dave's always loved music and plays in a small wedding band called "The Wishbones." He's always had the freedom to play his music and live a half-way decent life by still living at home with his parents. Everything changes when the words slip out from Julie, "Let's get married." Will Dave decide to marry Julie, or continue to live the single life playing in the band? It's a decision he makes too quickly and then regrets after meeting Gretchen and having an affair with her. Now his decision becomes even harder. I would definitely recommend this well-written book for those out there who haven't decided to get married yet. Did Dave make the right decision or didn't he? You can make that decision after finishing this book. Maybe Tom Perrotta is giving a good lesson here-people should not get married just to be married. Where's the fire?
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