Emi B. (wantonvolunteer) - , reviewed on 9/26/2013 + 84 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

J.R. Moehringer grew up fatherless in Manhasset, Long Island and his memoir is an ode to the bar that he kind of credits with raising him. Moehringer overcame humble beginnings to attend Yale and then Harvard, and to work at the New York and Los Angeles Times. Even so, this book read to me like a list of every time he went out drinking, and everything everybody said at the bar at each one of these outings. The other theme of the book, the spelling and source of his name (with dots or without, Junior or namesake, etc), did not fascinate me any more than the bar premise.

Moehringer is a great writer, a lot of what he wrote was beautiful, and sensitive, especially about what it's like for a boy growing up without a father. I couldn't tell if he was trying to make me cringe when he went on and on about his early sexcapades or college essays, or if it was unintentional. Nevertheless I would've appreciated a shorter version of this book, with less detail about him pissing away opportunities, and less rapturing about how divine some bar was. Sometimes when I read memoirs I think "this guy is not as fascinating as he thinks he is," and this is definitely one of those cases.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details