Tim P.

• Rated 5 stars

“A classic of travel writing and a snapshot of small-town America in the 1970s. A honest, observant and smart account of a trip in custom van on the "blue highways" -- anything but the interstate. At times it can be a wee bit corny (think Charles Kuralt) in its portraits of the people he meets. But there are many memorable characters (also documented in beautiful b&w photos). The hitchhiking preacher and the boat-building couple comes to mind. To top it off, Moon's research on the places he visits is very thorough -- lots of great details on their history. On the whole this is a very worthwhile journey. The book definitely made me go blue on my last (much shorter) roadtrip and had me looking for local diners and how many calendars they had on display (the author's measure of quality).”

Tim P. wrote this review Saturday, November 3 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“The best history book I've ever read. 1,200 pages of dense type, it took me two months to finish it. Packed with detail, it was never boring, with a social, economic and political history of NYC weaving in many characters and classes. You'll find out what the city was like in 17th and 18th centuries -- from a small town on the downtown tip of the island to a sprawling metropolis. Mention of many major characters such as Alexander Hamilton, Samuel Morse, Walt Whitman, Thomas Edison, Boss Twead, etc. If you live in the City it's an essential read. It's on my list of re-reads.”

Tim P. wrote this review Friday, November 2 2007. ( reply | permalink )

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• Rated 4 stars

“Loved it! It's the story of a Dominican-American family and their "curse" - fuko. Oscar, Oscar's mom and his sister. And told by Oscar's sister's boyfriend. Great footnotes on DR history -- Trujillo, I had no idea. And nice mix of occasional Spanish (appreciated for the flavor, although I only understood 20%) and nerd speak... Oscar's a big fat nerd... lots of references to D&D, comics, sci-fi, etc. While it's a bit unrealistic that the narrator knows all the references, the story is told in such a likable and entertaining way, it's totally forgivable. My only complaint is about the end of the book. I'm not sure the parallel of what happens to Oscar and what happened to his mom is fully explained -- other than the fuku. If that were more illuminated, this could be truly great novel.”

Tim P. wrote this review Friday, November 2 2007. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 2 stars

“I had high hopes for this book as it was chosen as one of the best of '06 by the NYTimes. I was expecting a clever account of the NYC literary establishment with realism and dry humor. Instead I got something close to chick lit. Cartoonish characters, no depth, stupid plot. Pointless.”

Tim P. wrote this review Friday, November 2 2007. ( reply | permalink )