Every decade seems to produce a novel that captures the publics imagination with a story that sweeps readers up and takes them on a thrilling, unforgettable ride. Ron McLartys The Memory of Running is this decades novel. By all accounts, especially his own, Smithson Smithy Ide is a loser. An overweight, friendless, chain-smoking, forty-three-year-old drunk, Smithys life becomes completely unhinged when he loses his parents and long-lost sister within the span of one week. Rolling down t... (show more)
Every decade seems to produce a novel that captures the publics imagination with a story that sweeps readers up and takes them on a thrilling, unforgettable ride. Ron McLartys The Memory of Running is this decades novel. By all accounts, especially his own, Smithson Smithy Ide is a loser. An overweight, friendless, chain-smoking, forty-three-year-old drunk, Smithys life becomes completely unhinged when he loses his parents and long-lost sister within the span of one week. Rolling down the driveway of his parents house in Rhode Island on his old Raleigh bicycle to escape his grief, the emotionally bereft Smithy embarks on an epic, hilarious, luminous, and extraordinary journey of discovery and redemption.
Smithy is an American original, worthy of a place on the shelf just below your Hucks, your Holdens, your Yossarians. Stephen King
Endearing . . . its a ride worth taking. USA Today
In The Memory of Running, professional actor and long aspiring novelist Ron McLarty has invented a character so fully and elegantly defined that the book soars with originality and life. San Francisco Chronicle
Captivating . . . McLarty unspools passage after passage of devastating grace and melancholy, and his taciturn hero hooks himself to your heart. Entertainment Weekly (show less)
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I loved this book so much I hardly know where to begin... It had a terrific premise and even better execution... Smithy in some ways reminded me of... (show more)
I loved this book so much I hardly know where to begin... It had a terrific premise and even better execution... Smithy in some ways reminded me of a less-socially-apt friend of mine which may sound unkind, but Smithy is a noble character and quite heroic in his own way. In fact, if he ever decides to read fiction, I will recommend this to him. Honestly, I would recommend this to anyone, really - it was that good. I still can't get over the fact that the one episode of _Sex & the City_ that he was in was none other than my favorite episode, "Hot Child in the City" - what are the chances?! And the story of how this book got published (he couldn't find a publisher and ended up recording it himself as an audiobook that somehow Stephen King heard and pushed through his own publisher) is a great! All in all, I just loved this book and I sincerely hope he writes more! (show less)
I was not impressed. I don't think I can agree with the Stephen King quote on the cover. I just could not connect with the characters and did not l... (show more)
I was not impressed. I don't think I can agree with the Stephen King quote on the cover. I just could not connect with the characters and did not like the writing style. However there was a lot going on and the characters were very different, not your normally story. (show less)
Write a review...I love it when a book evokes laughter, tears, and talking to the characters. This is such a book. Smithy it a mixture of Forrest Gump and Huckleberry Finn. Childlike and a bit simple in many ways, he is also tremendously compassionate and tenderhearted. He feels the pain of his family's stuggle against the mental illness of his beautiful older sister. He clearly feels feeble in the face of the many sorrows people experience in this world. But, somehow, he turns his ove... (show more)
Write a review...I love it when a book evokes laughter, tears, and talking to the characters. This is such a book. Smithy it a mixture of Forrest Gump and Huckleberry Finn. Childlike and a bit simple in many ways, he is also tremendously compassionate and tenderhearted. He feels the pain of his family's stuggle against the mental illness of his beautiful older sister. He clearly feels feeble in the face of the many sorrows people experience in this world. But, somehow, he turns his overwhelming grief of a triple loss to his favorite childhood companion--a Raleigh bicycle. When he hops on for the first time in 30+ years, he has no idea that he has begun a quest. A cross country ride from East Providence, Rhode island to Venice California, becomes a catalyst for every regret and scar that he has endured in his life. It becomes his redemption, and empowers him to turn his life around. An incredibly lovely book. I highly recommend! (show less)
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I picked this one up off the rack at Half Price awhile ago, but only recently decided to read it. Although it took a time to finish (and a distance – the book has traveled around Indiana and now to Mexico), it was well worth the extended read. Stephen King found this book when it was floundering, self-published nothing and touted it as a future classic, and I think it’s safe to say that King was nearly spot-on. The main protagonist, Smithy Ide, is vivacious and full of character despite being... (show more)
I picked this one up off the rack at Half Price awhile ago, but only recently decided to read it. Although it took a time to finish (and a distance – the book has traveled around Indiana and now to Mexico), it was well worth the extended read. Stephen King found this book when it was floundering, self-published nothing and touted it as a future classic, and I think it’s safe to say that King was nearly spot-on. The main protagonist, Smithy Ide, is vivacious and full of character despite being a 279 pound slob. His exodus across America on a beat-up, Raleigh bicycle is not inspiring, but tragically beautiful. McLarty’s dissection of American life through the various characters Smithy meets and shares his story with is incredible. From a gay man dying of AIDS in Indiana to a educated, Black truck driver in Arizona, each character is just as real and tangible as the next. The double narrative structure (alternating chapters between his current journey and the story of his mentally ill sister, Bethany) is what sealed the deal for me. While not an entirely unorthodox structure, McLarty’s use of it here is unlike anything I have ever read. He reveals only what is necessary until the last few pages, which are heartbreaking. My only problem with the novel was the running interaction between Smithy and his crippled neighbor, Norma. It wasn’t necessarily a “weird” interaction due to her disability and how it is treated, as the theme of disability and redemption is rife through the book, but the manner in which the interaction takes place is strange. If any woman talked to a man the way Norma did, as a stalker would (which she was), that man would buy the first ticket the hell out of there. It works on an over-sentimentalized level, but that doesn’t place well in the rest of the novel. Too much sap and not enough bark in their relationship. But, that fault notwithstanding, it was an amazing work of fiction that comes to life and never tires of what could be the same gimmick. Wonderful, wonderful read! (show less)
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