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11th out of 146 books
—
105 voters
The Honk and Holler Opening Soon
by
Billie Letts
Caney Paxton wanted his cafe to have the biggest and brightest sign in Eastern Oklahoma-the "opening soon" part was supposed to be just a removable, painted notice. But a fateful misunderstanding gave Vietnam vet Caney the flashiest joke in the entire state. Twelve years later, the once-busy highway is dead and the sign is as worn as Caney, who hasn't ventured outside the...more
Paperback, 320 pages
Published
May 1st 1999
by Grand Central Publishing
(first published 1998)
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LOVED this book! I am a huge fan of Billie Letts now. I read Where the Heart Is many years ago and loved it, so I picked this one up in the US for something to read, didn't get to it until I got home but loved it the minute I started reading it. She creates the most wonderful characters, and like my other favourite author Tim Winton, her skill is in creating characters that are flawed but beautiful.
ISBN 0446675059 - I find myself put off by books that have a Reading Group Guide, which strikes me as wildly presumptuous on someone's part. That alone didn't have me thinking highly of this book, but it did get better.
Caney Paxton, wheelchair bound but broken in far more important ways, returned home from Vietnam and opened a cafe. One drunken phone call changed the name from "The Honk and Holler" to "The Honk and Holler Opening Soon", a name that - considering the people it is home to - is mor...more
Caney Paxton, wheelchair bound but broken in far more important ways, returned home from Vietnam and opened a cafe. One drunken phone call changed the name from "The Honk and Holler" to "The Honk and Holler Opening Soon", a name that - considering the people it is home to - is mor...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
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Reading a Billie Letts books is like reading a Hallmark movie with none of the terrible dialogue and poor scripting. In each of her books you instead find valid characters, moving events and a great sense of both Oklahoma and the community these characters find there. All of these things are encompassed by a great story and succeed in conveying these things in a way that very few Hallmark films have ever been able to or honestly ever tried to do. In essence its feel good drama for the soul with...more
This was a surprizingly good book- I would almost say "amazing" but it was more like super good. It is about a group of people (locals and 2 strangers) who's lives revolve around a small, remote town cafe mistakenly called Honk and Holler Opening Soon. Its a bit much to review, bit if you liked Where the Heart Is, you will most likely enjoy this book.
This book pulled me in right from the start, held me tight for at least two thirds of the trip but eventually loosened its grip and dropped me, disappointed and alone, in the Oklahoma dust alongside Route 66. I stuck out my thumb as the eighteen wheelers and F-100s flew past but, try as I might, I just couldn't seem to catch a lift. Meanwhile, up the road a piece, the neon sign outside the Honk and Holler sputtered and went out.
I was initially and immediately enthralled with the Honk's ensemble...more
I was initially and immediately enthralled with the Honk's ensemble...more
Right off the top, I must confess that I hold a special place in my heart for stories that magically, profoundly, and brilliantly, bring together a collection of people that “normal” society has labeled “misfits”. Brown shriveled leaves, blowing with wild abandon and caught up in a maelstrom of loneliness and isolation. Emotionally crippled with the impossible reality of Never ... Never finding that place of belonging. No denying, Billie Letts has a special way of gathering these lost souls. Rev...more
Another great read from Billie Letts, author of Where The Heart Is.
The Honk & Holler introduces us to some very interesting characters, their life in a small town cafe and a great story line.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to Billie Letts' next book coming out in July 2004 called "Shoot The Moon".
From the back cover:
"Caney Paxton wanted his cafe to have the biggest and brightest sign in Eastern Oklahoma-the "opening soon" part was supposed to be just a removable, painted not...more
The Honk & Holler introduces us to some very interesting characters, their life in a small town cafe and a great story line.
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and look forward to Billie Letts' next book coming out in July 2004 called "Shoot The Moon".
From the back cover:
"Caney Paxton wanted his cafe to have the biggest and brightest sign in Eastern Oklahoma-the "opening soon" part was supposed to be just a removable, painted not...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I enjoyed this. Full of unique and interesting characters. Set in a rural, small Oklahoma town. Caney runs and lives in the town diner. It's where all the town folk meet up for gossip, food, and friendship. Everyone has some quirks, some demons in their past, some tragedy, some loneliness yet they are able to find "family" in the other members of the town. They hold each other up, help in their time of need, and are able to be comforted by each other.
By the end some story lines are neatly wrapp...more
By the end some story lines are neatly wrapp...more
I've only read the first chapter, but it's pretty good.
I really like how the author describes the characters. She makes them so realistic, and relatable.
The plot is just beginning to develop- hopefully it will soon :)
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Oh my. What an excellent book. Billie Letts is seriously my favorite author. She is able to get the reader to make them feel like they are living with the characters. You feel like you are growing with them, and you learn to either love or hate 'em.
The plot was wonderful- A ru...more
I really like how the author describes the characters. She makes them so realistic, and relatable.
The plot is just beginning to develop- hopefully it will soon :)
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Oh my. What an excellent book. Billie Letts is seriously my favorite author. She is able to get the reader to make them feel like they are living with the characters. You feel like you are growing with them, and you learn to either love or hate 'em.
The plot was wonderful- A ru...more
Aug 02, 2011
Lindsey Torkko
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
just about anybody
Shelves:
delightful
I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and was filled with interesting characters. They had some crazy, difficult, down and dirty lives. They seemed real even if the idea that they were all in the same place at the same time seems a stretch. I appreciate that the ending wasn't all wrapped up. Life never really wraps up with all the loose ends tied into place for all the people in your life at one time. Finally, this book showed a wide variety of people; female, male; white, black, Native Ameri...more
The Honk and Hollering Opening Soon by Billie Letts is mostly another quick, easy read - one that leaves you feeling all warm and fuzzy in the end.
Where a group of people are brought together, all with thier own issues, and then together work on those problems together. Although this book wasn't as light as others and did have some parts that didn't fit into that happily-ever-after-ending, you still felt that everything would be okay if you met up with the characters in a few years from the end....more
Where a group of people are brought together, all with thier own issues, and then together work on those problems together. Although this book wasn't as light as others and did have some parts that didn't fit into that happily-ever-after-ending, you still felt that everything would be okay if you met up with the characters in a few years from the end....more
Have you ever read a book, and gotten a feeling of deja vu? That's what happened with this one. As I was starting the story I realized that I must have read this earlier, perhaps when it was published and I just didn't remember doing so. While 3/4 of the way through reading it, I am enjoying it, even though it is predictable and has 1 dimensional characters. Reminiscent of Fannie Flagg's books about small time life, it is nothing to cheer about, but I will finish it. I'm sure there will be no su...more
I picked this up because I *sort of* recognized the author's name. Stupidest title of a book I've seen in some time. The title alone could have kept me from reading it. It wasn't a terrible book, altogether. I felt that the characters were one dimensional with cliched problems and attributes. It had a few sections that caused a knee-jerk reaction from me, but I felt the author was trying too hard to make it an emotional novel rather than drawing readers in by letting them love and become attache...more
Finally, just what I was looking for.
It was dark, it was humerous, it was twisty, it was American down to its boots, and it had memorable, likeable characters from page one.
It's sort of what the Shipping News would be, if it were set in the Midwest.
I liked the style of the book, the multiple perspectives, the twists in the plot, the similies and metaphores that were drawn from the setting and the language that tasted like leather and grit. It made me laught, it made me sigh, it was a great way t...more
It was dark, it was humerous, it was twisty, it was American down to its boots, and it had memorable, likeable characters from page one.
It's sort of what the Shipping News would be, if it were set in the Midwest.
I liked the style of the book, the multiple perspectives, the twists in the plot, the similies and metaphores that were drawn from the setting and the language that tasted like leather and grit. It made me laught, it made me sigh, it was a great way t...more
Ahh--now here is the type of book I've been waiting to sink my teeth into since summer rolled into town!
I feel like every time I write a review, my main focus is on characterization, but for me, the characters and how I feel about them are what really make a book for me. An author can write with the most elegant prose on the face of the Earth, but if I can't feel a connection to the characters, I can't get into it.
This is the first time I've ever read anything by Billie Letts, but I'm already...more
I feel like every time I write a review, my main focus is on characterization, but for me, the characters and how I feel about them are what really make a book for me. An author can write with the most elegant prose on the face of the Earth, but if I can't feel a connection to the characters, I can't get into it.
This is the first time I've ever read anything by Billie Letts, but I'm already...more
Billie Letts’ Honk and Holler Opening Soon is definitely one of my all-time top 50 favorite books. Re-reading it pleases me immensely.
The reader is introduced to simple but genuine, quirky and amazingly touching characters. Most of them are regular customers and patrons of “The Honk & Holler (Opening Soon)”, as they come together mainly to drink coffee, have breakfast, lunch or dinner, and visit at this side-road café, owned by Caney Paxton, a war veteran. The majority of the characters liv...more
The reader is introduced to simple but genuine, quirky and amazingly touching characters. Most of them are regular customers and patrons of “The Honk & Holler (Opening Soon)”, as they come together mainly to drink coffee, have breakfast, lunch or dinner, and visit at this side-road café, owned by Caney Paxton, a war veteran. The majority of the characters liv...more
This book was recommended by several people in the Next Best Book Club and is a book club book for my local library.
It is set in Oklahoma and is the story of four unique and creative characters who have been overwhelmed by life. You have Caney, a Viet Nam vet who owns the Honk & Holler Cafe; Vena Takes Horse and Native American woman; Molly, an older African American woman; and Bui, a Vietnamese immigrant. Their lives are enriched by their tentative friendships with each other. Added to thi...more
It is set in Oklahoma and is the story of four unique and creative characters who have been overwhelmed by life. You have Caney, a Viet Nam vet who owns the Honk & Holler Cafe; Vena Takes Horse and Native American woman; Molly, an older African American woman; and Bui, a Vietnamese immigrant. Their lives are enriched by their tentative friendships with each other. Added to thi...more
This was another very enjoyable book on loan from Pamela Lynn. This was a story about finding what you need from life in some unsuspected places and building a family even though some are not related by blood. I love stories with happy endings and this definitely had one. The protagonists seem to be running from everything in their life until they finally recognize what they truly need. This book also included some of my favorite themes, family, animals, and why racism is just plain wrong.
I really loved this book - it was a very quick read for me. I instantly became caught up in the lives of the crazy and quirky characters that inhabit the town of Sequoyah in Oklahoma and either work at or frequent the Honk and Holler. Letts does a fabulous job with the dialogue and the characters ring true. No great themes or layers of deep symbolism here, but definitely lots of
good laughs and cries for the shenanigans of those that mingle regularly at the diner.
good laughs and cries for the shenanigans of those that mingle regularly at the diner.
I read this book for book club. It was an easy read with a plot that hummed along, but the whole setting was a bit folksy. Most scenes revolved around a country truckstop with the book's titular funny sign. Characters overcome prejudices, fears and unravel mysteries. Some plot lines end neatly while others play out with more heartbreaking realism. Overall, The Honk and Holler Opening Soon was well written, but was not a book I would read of my own choice.
I've read 4 of Bille Letts' 5 books now, and they are all fabulous. They are consistently about the middle or lower class Americans who are just doing their best. The stories are rich in character, and rich in lessons. They make you grateful for the advantages that you have in your life. "The Honk and Holler Opening Soon" is my favorite. It's a witty story about life in a small town... mainly life in a small restaurant! Great characters, and great lessons!
This was a very enjoyable book with characters that add so much dimension to the story. The story takes place in an out-of-the-way diner in a small town in eastern Oklahoma. Caney, a disabled Vietnam veteran, has made the diner his business and home since leaving a veteran's hospital twelve years before and literally has not left the building since. Enter three very interesting characters of other cultures and you have a very unique mix for a heart-warming holiday story.
This is the third book I ahve read by Billie Letts and once again I am not disappointed.
Letts has a way of taking characters who have odds stacked against them and making them out to be a success thru working thru their inner demons. All of her characters have some sort of issue that they have to learn to rely on other people and their own inner strength to pull thru and make their lives better.
I really enjoy Billie's books. Great read!
Letts has a way of taking characters who have odds stacked against them and making them out to be a success thru working thru their inner demons. All of her characters have some sort of issue that they have to learn to rely on other people and their own inner strength to pull thru and make their lives better.
I really enjoy Billie's books. Great read!
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I taught this novel in an adult literacy class...I think their great enjoyment of it helped me to enjoy it. The story moved along quickly, and there are many sympathetic characters. It's not exactly a big surprise when things turn out the way they do, but the book is reasonably well plotted and paced, and the characters are pretty endearing. You end up really rooting for them. Not great literature but definitely entertaining.
Caney Paxton wanted his cafe to have the biggest and brightest sign in East Oklahoma - the 'opening soon' was suppose to be removable. A fateful misunderstanding gave Vietnam vet Caney the flashiest joke in the entire state. 12 yrs. later, the once-busy highway is dead, the joke is old, the sign is as worn as Caney, who hasn't ventured outside the diner since it opened.
I wasn't drawn to any one particular character.
I wasn't drawn to any one particular character.
It took me a while to read this so that's usually the signal that it wasn't something I liked a whole lot. I did like it well enough though, enough so that I finished it.
Based on the title I thought for some reason that this would be in the vein of a Fannie Flagg novel. No such luck. Just a nice story about some interesting folks living in a small town. A touch of danger, a sweet innocent, a troubled soul that comes to learn that home is where the heart is. That sort of thing.
This story was fine...more
Based on the title I thought for some reason that this would be in the vein of a Fannie Flagg novel. No such luck. Just a nice story about some interesting folks living in a small town. A touch of danger, a sweet innocent, a troubled soul that comes to learn that home is where the heart is. That sort of thing.
This story was fine...more
I adored this book and all its characters. Bui Khan was a special favorite of mine, and I truly appreciate the way the author can create such lively characters from so many different walks of life. This was as much a heart-warmer for me as "Where the Heart Is", with the only disappointment being that one of the character's stories didn't really get an ending. I'd have liked to know how that one turned out.
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Billie Letts (born in Tulsa, Oklahoma) is an American author. Earlier she worked as a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University. She is married to earlier professor now actor Dennis Letts, and is the mother of playwright and actor Tracy Letts and jazz musician and composer Shawn Letts.
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updated Feb 10, 2008 09:01am
Cheers!
Feb 10, 2008 11:58am