Sometimes the planes don and announces the emergence of major new talent in American fiction.
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Dec 14, 2008
David
rated it: 
There are exactly two faintly positive things I can say about this book, so let's get them out of the way.
i. It was mercifully short.
ii. It wasn't quite dreadful enough to go on the 'utter dreck' shelf, though its brevity may have been a key mitigating factor.
Although it didn't quite make the 'utter dreck' cut, it was an overhyped, forgettable waste of time. One of those books where, when I read the glowing reviews it has garnered from others, I feel that maybe I More...
i. It was mercifully short.
ii. It wasn't quite dreadful enough to go on the 'utter dreck' shelf, though its brevity may have been a key mitigating factor.
Although it didn't quite make the 'utter dreck' cut, it was an overhyped, forgettable waste of time. One of those books where, when I read the glowing reviews it has garnered from others, I feel that maybe I More...
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Aug 18, 2008
Mike
rated it: 
I'm waffling between 3 and 4 stars, but lean higher for two reasons. 1) I swallowed the book in four smooth, gut-punching shots, finding it occasionally astringent but relishing its fire, reveling in the boozy combination of nasty jokes and maudlin recollection. It's sentimental and yet rigorously derisive, and I enjoyed the narrator Bennie's company on both counts. 2) This ain't some cheap rotgut, as the prose quite often bubbled and popped and woozily tilted against convention, e.g.:
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Jul 17, 2008
Edward
rated it: 
Too clever by half, as the British say.
Everyone was ballyhooing this book upon its publication.
So I plunked down for a nice hardcover addition.
Everyone knows the concept: one-time drunk, has-been poet, current translator rehashes his life story in a long, long, l-o-n-g letter of complaint to the air carrier that's left him stranded in O'Hare, missing his estranged daughter's wedding/commitment ceremony.
Nice concept.
Execution is fine an More...
Everyone was ballyhooing this book upon its publication.
So I plunked down for a nice hardcover addition.
Everyone knows the concept: one-time drunk, has-been poet, current translator rehashes his life story in a long, long, l-o-n-g letter of complaint to the air carrier that's left him stranded in O'Hare, missing his estranged daughter's wedding/commitment ceremony.
Nice concept.
Execution is fine an More...
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Aug 20, 2008
Jennifer
rated it:
I had such high hopes for this book. The idea of wrapping a narrative within an angry letter to an airline, written while stuck at an airport for hours, is a clever one. Unfortunately, the writing itself goes over the top with clever, adopting an inronic, winking voice that quickly grows old. You never really care about the main character, mostly because his motives hide behind so many layers of smug attitude, coming from the character and the author himself. Plus, the narrator is a translator,
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Jun 23, 2008
Kate
rated it: 
Entirely dysfunctional airline industry as a metaphor for entirely dysfunctional American life--abysmal failures to meet expectations and make connections, mounds of baggage nobody knows what to do with, and that sickening, existential feeling that life can be a vastly unfair, bureaucratic wasteland in which nobody cares. The writing is brilliant--fresh hysterical descriptions of being stuck forever in the hell hole that is O'Hare side by side with a surprisingly deep story of a human life gone
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Feb 06, 2009
Dan
rated it: 
I've always admired Jonathon Miles' personality-driven, lyrically-satisfying journalism - book reviews, food writing, outdoors essays, etc. - so of course I was excited to read his first novel.
Whether one loves or hates this protogonist, or loves or hates this book, (the nature of the beast of this book is that doesn't seem to leave much middle ground as far readerly relationships go), no one can deny Miles can flat-out write, he can write sentences, so well that his honor the craft More...
Whether one loves or hates this protogonist, or loves or hates this book, (the nature of the beast of this book is that doesn't seem to leave much middle ground as far readerly relationships go), no one can deny Miles can flat-out write, he can write sentences, so well that his honor the craft More...
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Oct 18, 2008
Emily
rated it:
Well, I thought this book was about a traveler who got stuck in the airport and wrote a really long complaint letter to the airline (oh...it actually was all that!) I thought the letter would be delightful to read and full of good zingers. NO! The dude writing it was just plain bitter. I've written stuff when I was mad or bitter and it is obvious. And it is also absolutely no fun to read.
I couldn't tell if the author himself is a bitter man (he doesn't look all that bitter o More...
I couldn't tell if the author himself is a bitter man (he doesn't look all that bitter o More...
4 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Apr 21, 2009
Sharon
rated it:
My friend Mia recommended this one--so glad she did. I loved the author's sardonic sense of humor. The story is beautifully told.
It's the kind of book that you can't bear to take back to the library 'cause you love it sooooo much...and when you decide you're going to copy down all the great passages, you end up copying most of the book :)
It's the kind of book that you can't bear to take back to the library 'cause you love it sooooo much...and when you decide you're going to copy down all the great passages, you end up copying most of the book :)
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Nov 08, 2008
Laren
rated it:
When the protagonist's flight to his estranged daughter's wedding is delayed by almost a day, he starts a complaint letter to the airline which turns into a long rambling missive about his life. We learn why he is estranged from his daughter, why the wedding is so important, and ultimately how writing this letter saves his life. There is a subplot of his translations of another author's work (which is his job) and I didn't quite understand why all that was in there. I'm sure my English teache
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Jul 29, 2008
Kelly
rated it:
The Good:
The novel's conceit--life story within a complaint letter to American Airlines. All the complaints were spot on and really depict the indignity of modern air travel perfectly.
The ending. No spoilers for me, but if this novel had ended any differently, I would have been writing a complaint letter.
The Bad:
The novel's protagonist is one of those 20th century characters I recently complained about on the blog (http://kidslitinformation.blogspot.com/2... More...
The novel's conceit--life story within a complaint letter to American Airlines. All the complaints were spot on and really depict the indignity of modern air travel perfectly.
The ending. No spoilers for me, but if this novel had ended any differently, I would have been writing a complaint letter.
The Bad:
The novel's protagonist is one of those 20th century characters I recently complained about on the blog (http://kidslitinformation.blogspot.com/2... More...
Feb 28, 2009
liz
rated it:
Um... Sad. Just, sad. I had read good things about this short novel and was excited to read it, but goddamn is it sad. Aging former alcoholic takes stock of his ruined life while he's derailed on his way to his estranged daughter's wedding. Normally I'm a sucker for anything involving translation or translators, but jeez. I do have a lot of pages dog-eared, which I suppose means it's well-written.
Shortly before I left New Orleans, I was fooling around with an equally alky divorcée More...
Shortly before I left New Orleans, I was fooling around with an equally alky divorcée More...
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Feb 05, 2009
Every critic was at first skeptical of this epistolary "gimmick novel" about a self-pitying, if lovable, loser, but by the end, all agreed that "the concept works beautifully" (Los Angeles Times). Miles's effort produced an intelligent, playful, and, above all, moving story full of humor and well-written digressions. Bennie is a remarkably flawed but sympathetic man, and though his hilarious asides may not always advance the storyline, they certainly contribute to the fun. Th
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Nov 24, 2008
Kathy
rated it:
This book was not what I expected. While I usually do not enjoy surprises, this book was an exception. The author is a journalist for the NY Times.
Benny, the main character, is stranded at O'Hare airport and as a result will miss is daughter's committment ceremony. While it is a story reflecting his anger at the current state of the airline industry, it is also a story of missed chances and life mistakes.
Benny- a middle aged man- has lots of time to reflect on his past and More...
Benny, the main character, is stranded at O'Hare airport and as a result will miss is daughter's committment ceremony. While it is a story reflecting his anger at the current state of the airline industry, it is also a story of missed chances and life mistakes.
Benny- a middle aged man- has lots of time to reflect on his past and More...
Aug 11, 2011
Rafi
rated it:
This is a very interesting book in that the whole style is a letter to American Airlines as a man, Benjamin 'Bennie' Ford waits for a plane, while stuck in Chicago, to LA in order to attend his daughter's same-sex wedding ceremony. Bennie has not been a good father or husband. He is a translator and reflects on his life of mistakes and mishaps. He used to be an alcoholic and survived depression and suicidal compulsion. His mother had a stroke, though it saved her from her mania, manic moods,
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Jul 27, 2011
Clever book, excellent sense of humour, I found that the main character was very real and believable, and I was able to relate to him for better and worse.
The story takes you through the superficial aspects of modern travel into the deeper territory such as loneliness, family, personal anguish and relationships, to name a few.
During the narrative the main character quotes from a book he is reading and although I found this somewhat distracting during the first part of the book, I began to look f More...
The story takes you through the superficial aspects of modern travel into the deeper territory such as loneliness, family, personal anguish and relationships, to name a few.
During the narrative the main character quotes from a book he is reading and although I found this somewhat distracting during the first part of the book, I began to look f More...
Jul 22, 2011
Rebecca
rated it:
Why did I think this book would be about airline gripping? It so wasn't. It was worse. A Dude talking about his life, boo hoo, while trying to fly from NY to LA to go to his estranged daughters wedding. Luckily the book was really short, so it didn't go on and on forever as some of these books do. I think also because it wasn't a real story that it didn't go on forever. God, what even happened. I mean, Dude just talked about his life, growing up in New Orleans with a manic mother and a father wh
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Jun 09, 2011
Jeruen
rated it:
Now this is one good book that I have read. Jonathan Miles' first novel, entitled Dear American Airlines, is one book that I would praise for its originality.
Here's the gist of it. The book is a novel written in the form of a rant. There is this one middle-aged man, Benjamin Ford, who is flying from New York City to Los Angeles, and he has a forty-five minute lay-over in Chicago. However, due to weather reasons, his flight got delayed, and he is now stranded in the Chicago O'Hare Inter More...
Here's the gist of it. The book is a novel written in the form of a rant. There is this one middle-aged man, Benjamin Ford, who is flying from New York City to Los Angeles, and he has a forty-five minute lay-over in Chicago. However, due to weather reasons, his flight got delayed, and he is now stranded in the Chicago O'Hare Inter More...
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May 06, 2010
Evan
rated it:
Okay, so I hope the crystalline clarity of this review isn't tainted by the fact that I read it inappropriately drunk in a Mexican restaurant, but somehow, I think the protagonist would be just fine with that.
So the concept of the novel is that a simpering literature translator is trapped in Chicago's O'Hare airport by American Airlines, who, he claims, is ignoring the beautiful weather outside to ruin his life. What starts as a blistering rebuke to AA (coincidentally the same initia More...
So the concept of the novel is that a simpering literature translator is trapped in Chicago's O'Hare airport by American Airlines, who, he claims, is ignoring the beautiful weather outside to ruin his life. What starts as a blistering rebuke to AA (coincidentally the same initia More...
Dec 08, 2009
Jonny99
rated it:
The central conceit of the book is that it is an epic complaint letter to American Airlines written by a stranded passenger at O’Hare Airport and it works surprisingly well. Miles keeps the illusion up throughout the long digressive text by throwing in contemporary characters (e.g., fellow traveler “Oshkosh Bob”) among those related in remembrances by the protagonist Benjamin (“Bennie”) Ford. Ford is a hapless recovering alcoholic born of a young schizophrenic mother and limited Polish-refugee
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Aug 24, 2009
Schnaucl
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
To view it, click here
Aug 11, 2009
Sue
rated it:
I once spent an extra 36 hours stranded between flights in Chicago, so the premise of this novel made me laugh corrosively right away. Whenever an airport stacks up with the human detritus of canceled flights, you have to figure that some of the humans are missing something important -- like Bennie Ford, the author of this rant to American Airlines. Bennie is trying to get to the wedding of his daughter, whom he was not seen since her infancy. To emphasize how little he knows her, he's just l
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Jul 17, 2009
book club newsletter
The Art of Racing in the Rain
By Stein, Garth
BookPage Notable Title
Meet Enzo, the unforgettable canine narrator of this bittersweet and transformative story of family, love, loyalty, and hope. Enzo is a philosopher with a nearly human soul, and he's gained a wealth of knowledge from hours spent in front of the TV.
June paperbacks for reading groups
Review by Julie Hale
Dear A More...
The Art of Racing in the Rain
By Stein, Garth
BookPage Notable Title
Meet Enzo, the unforgettable canine narrator of this bittersweet and transformative story of family, love, loyalty, and hope. Enzo is a philosopher with a nearly human soul, and he's gained a wealth of knowledge from hours spent in front of the TV.
June paperbacks for reading groups
Review by Julie Hale
Dear A More...
Jun 27, 2009
Judy
rated it:
I bought this book thinking that it was a comic riff on the inconveniences involved with airline travel. Whoops. Not even close. Bennie Ford is traveling, or trying to travel to California, to attend the wedding of the daughter that he hasn't seen since she was an infant (or the commitment ceremony since she is marrying a woman) when his flight is cancelled and he's stuck in O'Hare airport (with thousands of other stranded passengers). Realizing that he is going to miss the ceremony, he begi
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Jun 19, 2009
Bill
rated it:
Miles is the cocktail columnist for the New York Times and books columnist for Men’s Journal. Dear American Airlines is his debut as a novelist, although he has written for several magazines.
Dear American Airlines is a long (very long) complaint letter to AA from middle aged Bennie Ford. He, and thousdands of others, is grounded at O’Hare rather from his New York to Los Angles flight Actually, his plane landed in Peoria and he was bused to Chicago. The alleged reason for groundin More...
Dear American Airlines is a long (very long) complaint letter to AA from middle aged Bennie Ford. He, and thousdands of others, is grounded at O’Hare rather from his New York to Los Angles flight Actually, his plane landed in Peoria and he was bused to Chicago. The alleged reason for groundin More...
Apr 18, 2009
Eric
rated it:
Bennie Ford, a fifty-three-year-old failed poet turned translator, is traveling to his estranged daughters wedding when his flight is canceled. Stuck with thousands of fuming passengers in the purgatory of O'Hare Airport, he watches the clock tick and realizes that he will miss the ceremony. Frustrated, irate, and helpless, Bennie does the only thing he can: he starts to write a letter. But what begins as a hilariously excoriating demand for a refund soon becomes a cri de coeur of a life misspen
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Jul 24, 2011
Ronald
rated it:
This was an entertaining read, written as a 180-page rant to American Airlines as the narrator, Benjamin Ford, is stranded at Chicago's O'Hare Airport while traveling to San Francisco to attend his daughter's wedding. Just a year or two older than I am, Benjamin Ford's cynical cultural references hit the mark with me. By bits and pieces the odd aspects of his family and past relationship come to light, gradually revealing the strange significance of his rendezvous with the ex-wife and daughter h
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Aug 11, 2009
Ryan
rated it:
I actually took this book with me to read on the plane between Houston and New York City. I was able to finish it on the return flight. Although the book did seem to veer a little from time to time, the core of the story was still very well played out. Over the course of the novel, through his writing an angry letter to American Airlines, Bennie is able to come to terms with why his life ended up the way it did. Being stuck at the airport could easily be seen as a life altering event for him, as
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Feb 23, 2009
Suzie
rated it:
Man is stuck at airport. Man tells sad life story in complaint letter to American Airlines.
Inconsistent. The best parts of this book are the confessional parts about being a drunk. These parts are sad, funny, entertaining, raw and real. And also very much worth reading.
Much of this book is self-conscious literary cleverness and wankery. Part of this you can, if you are feeling generous, ascribe to the fact that the main character is a translator and failed poet. There a More...
Inconsistent. The best parts of this book are the confessional parts about being a drunk. These parts are sad, funny, entertaining, raw and real. And also very much worth reading.
Much of this book is self-conscious literary cleverness and wankery. Part of this you can, if you are feeling generous, ascribe to the fact that the main character is a translator and failed poet. There a More...
Dec 28, 2008
Margaret
rated it:
A fine writing style - funny, spot on witty - but, frankly, in need of a plot. Interesting set up: The first person narrator is an extremely verbose overall failure of a guy - really, he is - who is stuck in flight delay limbo in Illinois (first Peoria, and then O'Hare after being bused northeast), and who uses the surplus of time on his hands to write a (slim, 180 page) book long letter of complaint to American Airlines, using the opportunity to review the course of his life and failures up to
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May 04, 2011
Kay
rated it:
Oh. My. God. I kept listening to this book, hoping it would get better. It didn't.
Admittedly, it started off promisingly enough, with a virulent rant address to American Airlines, one all frequent flyers can relate to. Initially, the novel was quite funny in an off-kilter Confederacy of Dunces way. Alas, soon it began to spiral downwards as Benjamin (Benny) Ford, stranded in O'Hare airport, reflects on his life. Suffice it to say his life is a train wreck, in large part a self-infl More...
Admittedly, it started off promisingly enough, with a virulent rant address to American Airlines, one all frequent flyers can relate to. Initially, the novel was quite funny in an off-kilter Confederacy of Dunces way. Alas, soon it began to spiral downwards as Benjamin (Benny) Ford, stranded in O'Hare airport, reflects on his life. Suffice it to say his life is a train wreck, in large part a self-infl More...
