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  <description><![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]></description>
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    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
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    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <date_added>Thu Nov 01 08:30:23 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Nov 01 08:32:59 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The literature of alcohol is a tricky field for new writers to enter. There's the constant risk of slipping into lazy cliches as well-worn as the overlapping water rings on a bar (you see what I mean?). Then, too, so many masters of fiction have already gone before and blazed a brilliant trail—-Wi...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8517569">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8517569]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
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    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <read_at>Sat Apr 12 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Apr 13 09:53:49 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Apr 13 09:59:47 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Oddly enjoyable.  Or enjoyably odd.  I'm not sure which it is.  I've read worse.  I've read way better.  It's a series of short stories about a bunch of &quot;losers&quot; (IMHO) who frequent this bar called Lucy's.  Now, I know there are people like that out there, but in this book, there's an enti...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/20059159">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/20059159]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>79756224</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Kori]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Morgantown, WV]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>399</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Sun Dec 06 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Dec 03 08:15:32 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Dec 06 18:24:15 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Hmmmm.  I enjoyed these characters a lot, and I was especially interested to see the ways in which they figure into each others' stories.  But there were still things that bothered me a little at the end.  I took issue with the way certain events and emotions within the characters evolved (&quot;How...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79756224">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79756224]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/79756224]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>45452842</id>
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    <id>1128986</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Suzanna]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
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</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Thu Feb 05 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Feb 05 08:11:32 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Feb 06 03:20:55 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This depressed me.  It made me want to stop being an alcoholic redneck from upstate New York.<br/>Seriously, the alcoholism was rampant and terrifying.  I felt hopeless reading about the failed (repetitive, always doomed) relationships, bored by the endless dart-games, nervous every time someone go...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45452842">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45452842]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45452842]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>2295921</id>
    <user>
    <id>140744</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Jeff]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Richmond, VA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/140744-jeff]]></link>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>399</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <date_added>Sat Jun 23 08:08:37 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jun 23 08:10:36 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A wonderful, funny, moving collection.  Only one problem: the next-to-last story doesn't fit in with the rest of the book, but that's a tiny quibble.  I would read this book again, absolutely.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2295921]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2295921]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Djrmel]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Schererville, IN]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2076721-djrmel]]></link>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Sep 30 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Feb 27 18:37:05 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Feb 27 18:37:29 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[ A novella about the clientele at a small town bar set in rural New York told as a collection of short stories makes for a very pleasant read, once you get into the book. The first few chapters had the feeling of a group of wacky original characters in search of story, but eventually the lives and t...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47743276">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47743276]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47743276]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Dec 21 09:10:34 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jan 09 10:48:40 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A quick, if not entirely 'fun' read, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> takes an accessible idea and fluidly, efficiently, sees it through. The idea of a novel-in-stories is appealing for many reasons--the aforementioned pacing, the ability to follow through multiple, compact narratives with the same characters, etc...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10816573">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10816573]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10816573]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>6293846</id>
    <user>
    <id>384163</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Kristen]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174840431m/444734.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Sep 16 16:42:08 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Jan 04 11:06:02 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I bought this on a complete whim. I hadn't heard of it. I almost never buy books I haven't already heard of. But the title jumped out at me. And it was adorably small (5.5 x 7.5). And I opened it to a random page and liked what I saw.<br/><br/>Turns out it has gotten some very good reviews. <br/>...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6293846">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6293846]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>12990708</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Sam]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
  </title>
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    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>3</rating>
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  <date_added>Sun Jan 20 16:26:02 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Feb 09 10:06:28 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[What's the problem with linked stories?  There shouldn't be any intrinsic fault in a series of stories that fit together in some way, and I know some collections that do it brilliantly.  It's just that so many linked collections seem to mistake repetition of character for characterization and episod...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/12990708">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/12990708]]></url>
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      <review>
  <id>60120131</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Sarah]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>399</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
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</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <read_at>Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jun 17 20:13:56 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jun 17 20:29:55 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[seriously, kim: thank you!! a quick read... but the funniest and most heart-breakingly real group of stories i've read in a long time. i haven't laughed out loud like that since david sedaris. it's like... the small town you were from, plus a james mcmurtry song, plus beautiful girls (the movie), pl...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60120131">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60120131]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60120131]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>57637177</id>
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    <id>2083794</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Lara]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Ypsilanti, MI]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174840431m/444734.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174840431s/444734.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>399</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu May 28 12:21:24 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu May 28 12:21:44 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[The book reads like a series of short stories, but they all work together in a cohesive novel, which is no small feat. Yet, there’s a hipster lens on this book I can’t get past — like the author thinks all this small-town drinking and despair is so quaint and cool. I read it all in one sitting...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57637177">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57637177]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/57637177]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>25528826</id>
    <user>
    <id>676159</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Petra]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Cambridge, MA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/676159-petra-loesch]]></link>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
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  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174840431s/444734.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>399</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <date_added>Thu Jun 26 06:18:03 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jun 26 06:33:52 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A Novel composed of stories, all centering around a bar in upstate New York and the lives of those who flock there for various reasons. Here is what I like about it. You have been there, we all have. The local bar at the corner, the favorite haunt, where you are known and where your life touches upo...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/25528826">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/25528826]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/25528826]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>65881349</id>
    <user>
    <id>1654645</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Debbie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[775113342]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1654645-debbie-nance]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1244983923p3/1654645.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <isbn>1416535241</isbn>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174840431m/444734.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174840431s/444734.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>399</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Aug 02 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Aug 02 11:31:18 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Aug 02 11:32:10 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I’ve been reading on this book for seven or eight months. It’s a collection of short stories that all center on life in a bar, with the same cast of characters. Very well written. I’d bet money the author went through a creative writing program somewhere and there’s nothing wrong with that, ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65881349">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65881349]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/65881349]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>10991677</id>
    <user>
    <id>69086</id>
    <name><![CDATA[AP]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Washington, DC]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/69086-ap]]></link>
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  <isbn>1416535241</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781416535249</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">103</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174840431m/444734.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174840431s/444734.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>399</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Dec 25 09:40:14 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jan 01 08:03:35 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I'm not really a fan of the novels in stories concept. I get it that it's hard to find a market for short stories and we don't want them to disappear so we're selling them as novels, but something about the whole practice of repeating information, reintroducing characters, using small pages with big...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10991677">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10991677]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10991677]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>67644356</id>
    <user>
    <id>2572422</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Michele]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Boulder, CO]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2572422-michele]]></link>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174840431m/444734.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174840431s/444734.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>399</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Aug 16 15:05:19 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Aug 16 15:07:33 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A quick read, and one I wasn't expecting to really get taken with, but I did.  When you want to get absorbed in characters but not for too long and don't want to have to think too much while you're reading, this one works.  I think part of the draw was recognizing people from my past in the characte...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67644356">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67644356]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>40520152</id>
    <user>
    <id>808890</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Debbie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/808890-debbie]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174840431m/444734.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174840431s/444734.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>399</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <read_at>Thu Dec 18 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Dec 20 08:16:16 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Dec 20 08:18:42 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[A novel in stories, with many of the characters re-appearing throughout the book.  A slice of life look at small town America, with imperfect people doing imperfect things, drinking too much, getting into too much trouble, living irresponsibly --  but each is human and loveable in his/her own way.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/40520152]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/40520152]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>64951271</id>
    <user>
    <id>1279767</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Nita]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Columbus, OH]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1279767-nita]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://photo.goodreads.com/users/1214667586p3/1279767.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
  </title>
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  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5483694.Later_at_the_Bar_A_Novel_in_Stories</link>
  <average_rating>4.00</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance. A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Jul 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jul 25 18:41:24 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jul 25 18:41:24 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Novel told in stories - people connected primarily by a bar. Spare writing. Felt the gaps between the stories that I wanted filled, but that left me to make things up in my own head. Not a terribly happy book, but a real book about real people and the things they do.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64951271]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64951271]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>54205990</id>
    <user>
    <id>384881</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Anna]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Oakland, CA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/384881-anna-chopova]]></link>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>399</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Fri Apr 24 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Apr 27 21:44:28 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Apr 27 21:48:54 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[you don't have to be a bar regular to identify with the characters' stories, not so much the day-to-day stuff, but the feeling of longing that overtakes you when you want something that for, whatever reason, is always out of reach.  just a great read]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/54205990]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/54205990]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>63654647</id>
    <user>
    <id>138086</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Scott]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Chicago, IL]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/138086-scott]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-M-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">103</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jul 15 17:52:30 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jul 15 17:53:55 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Good debut novel... collection of stories that are integrated where the final chapter ties it all together.  I liked the characters and their complexities even though everyone else in book group thought that they were all just drunks.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63654647]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>10153876</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Beth]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[San Francisco, CA]]></location>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Later, at the Bar: A Novel in Stories]]>
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  <average_rating>3.28</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>399</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[Lucy's Tavern is the best kind of small-town bar. It has a good jukebox, a bartender with a generous pour, and it's always open, even in terrible weather. In the raw and beautiful country that makes up Rebecca Barry's fictional landscape, Lucy's is where everyone ends up, whether they mean to or not. <p><p>There's the tipsy advice columnist who has a hard time following her own advice, the ex-con who falls for the same woman over and over again, and the soup-maker who tries to drink and cook his way out of romantic despair. Theirs are the kinds of stories about love and life that unfold late in the evening, when people finally share their secret hopes and frailties, because they know you will forgive them, or maybe make out with them for a little while. In this rich and engaging debut, each central character suffers a sobering moment of clarity in which the beauty and sadness of life is revealed. But the character does not cry or mend his ways. Instead he tips back his hat, lights another unfiltered cigarette, and heads across the floor to ask someone to dance.<p><p>A poignant exploration of the sometimes tender, sometimes deeply funny ways people try to connect, <em>Later, at the Bar</em> is as warm and inviting as a good shot of whiskey on a cold winter night.<p><p></p></p></p></p></p></p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Barhounds]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Dec 08 16:18:47 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Dec 12 20:26:46 -0800 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Without the diminutive size of this book, and font so large it wouldn't require a separate edition for the visually impaired, this book never would have been written.<br/><br/>The format of telling a novel through short stories worked.  It was the charachters themselves that got on my nerves.  Des...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10153876">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/10153876]]></url>
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  <id>8</id>
  <name><![CDATA[WorldCat]]></name>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=444734</link>
</book_link>
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</book>
</GoodreadsResponse>