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The man who rode his 10-speed bicycle to the moon
R. Marek, 1979. Hard Cover. First Edition.
Hardcover
Published January 1, 1979
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
June 12, 2018
I was really looking forward to this , completely judging the book by it's awesome cover and the blue page edging but was left feeling a bit underwhelmed.
A short story of a man having a mid life crisis, leaves his wife, stops bothering with work, sleeps with a younger woman. But instead of buying a Porsche, he starts riding a 10-speed bicycle.
It's during these trips that he discovers that he can make his bike fly and he takes a trip to the moon. He cycles around space for a bit, with his dead dog, then decided to come back to Earth and is a changed man.
This wasn't really the story I thought it would be. I suppose it's worth a read but not something I would pick up again.
A short story of a man having a mid life crisis, leaves his wife, stops bothering with work, sleeps with a younger woman. But instead of buying a Porsche, he starts riding a 10-speed bicycle.
It's during these trips that he discovers that he can make his bike fly and he takes a trip to the moon. He cycles around space for a bit, with his dead dog, then decided to come back to Earth and is a changed man.
This wasn't really the story I thought it would be. I suppose it's worth a read but not something I would pick up again.
October 29, 2018
Originally read 1991
I read this book in the fifth grade. Can't remember much about it other than it being pretty surreal, but I still remember being able to completely escape into it.
Re-read August 2008
So, I just got this book from the library today, and read it this afternoon. Having just rekindled a love affair with my bicycle, this book has a superficial appeal for me. It is also just as mysterious to me now as it was when I was eleven years old.
It seems to be about a hollow, dead-inside kind of fella, a fella who doesn't really show or feel much emotion when he leaves his wife and then when his dog dies, and a fella who fears he is invisible.
He does, though, have a 10 speed bicycle which he got for his birthday. One day, almost a year later, on a whim, he takes it out for a spin, and his life is promptly changed.
He is amazed by the freedom and mobility provided by the bike, and through it he begins to rediscover his love of himself and his love for life.
At the climax of the book, he is reunited with his dead dog on the moon, to which he rode on his bicycle. I kind of expected the climax to involve his being reunited with his estranged wife, but it is his dog that is his salvation.
He's on the moon, with his bicycle and his dog. This book is all about being alone, it seems. And in fact, the story ends with our hero being alone, but he is no longer saddened by that.
The bike is, at various points in the story, a metaphor for isolation and belonging, confinement and freedom, worry and liberation, and, at one point, sex.
I'm going to read this one two or three more times before I send it back, and I will continue to wonder why this book was in an elementary school library when I was a kid.
I read this book in the fifth grade. Can't remember much about it other than it being pretty surreal, but I still remember being able to completely escape into it.
Re-read August 2008
So, I just got this book from the library today, and read it this afternoon. Having just rekindled a love affair with my bicycle, this book has a superficial appeal for me. It is also just as mysterious to me now as it was when I was eleven years old.
It seems to be about a hollow, dead-inside kind of fella, a fella who doesn't really show or feel much emotion when he leaves his wife and then when his dog dies, and a fella who fears he is invisible.
He does, though, have a 10 speed bicycle which he got for his birthday. One day, almost a year later, on a whim, he takes it out for a spin, and his life is promptly changed.
He is amazed by the freedom and mobility provided by the bike, and through it he begins to rediscover his love of himself and his love for life.
At the climax of the book, he is reunited with his dead dog on the moon, to which he rode on his bicycle. I kind of expected the climax to involve his being reunited with his estranged wife, but it is his dog that is his salvation.
He's on the moon, with his bicycle and his dog. This book is all about being alone, it seems. And in fact, the story ends with our hero being alone, but he is no longer saddened by that.
The bike is, at various points in the story, a metaphor for isolation and belonging, confinement and freedom, worry and liberation, and, at one point, sex.
I'm going to read this one two or three more times before I send it back, and I will continue to wonder why this book was in an elementary school library when I was a kid.
July 21, 2019
I didn't really get this book - not the story and not who the intended audience were. It was written almost like a children's story but I wouldn't say it is for kids.
Stephen is having a mid life crisis and leaves his wife (which the book completely skims over like that is an acceptable thing) and ends up having strange delusions about cycling to the moon.
That is basically it. Not really worth the read I am afraid.
Stephen is having a mid life crisis and leaves his wife (which the book completely skims over like that is an acceptable thing) and ends up having strange delusions about cycling to the moon.
That is basically it. Not really worth the read I am afraid.
June 9, 2010
This book was a recent gift from my father. The story intrigued him in the past, and it was such a timely and thoughtful gift, as we have been riding our bikes together quite a bit lately. He attributes his feeling of “flying” on a bicycle to this story, and used this analogy while teaching me to ride my first bicycle.
I believe this book will mean different things to different people. There is symbolism in the story line that can be taken a myriad of ways. I don’t want to spoil the plot by referring to anything specific here. I will say that I was touched by the story in a way that is very rare and special. Perhaps this has something to do with the thoughtfulness of the gift.
It is under 100 pages and a very quick read, with easy, sometimes poetic prose that is surreal and beautiful. I would recommend this book to everyone.
I believe this book will mean different things to different people. There is symbolism in the story line that can be taken a myriad of ways. I don’t want to spoil the plot by referring to anything specific here. I will say that I was touched by the story in a way that is very rare and special. Perhaps this has something to do with the thoughtfulness of the gift.
It is under 100 pages and a very quick read, with easy, sometimes poetic prose that is surreal and beautiful. I would recommend this book to everyone.
February 6, 2011
THE. WORST. BOOK. EVER.
I picked it up in a charity store in London for 50 pence, read it in an afternoon, and still to this day (23 years later) have not read anything to compare with it. Childish, self-absorbed, simplistic, totally effing stupid - it reads like it was written by some accountant having a mid-life crisis, who got a 10-speed bicycle for his birthday. It should be required reading in every creative writing program as an example of "This is how NOT to write a story". If I could give it negative stars I would.
A complete stool sample.
I picked it up in a charity store in London for 50 pence, read it in an afternoon, and still to this day (23 years later) have not read anything to compare with it. Childish, self-absorbed, simplistic, totally effing stupid - it reads like it was written by some accountant having a mid-life crisis, who got a 10-speed bicycle for his birthday. It should be required reading in every creative writing program as an example of "This is how NOT to write a story". If I could give it negative stars I would.
A complete stool sample.
October 3, 2008
I thought this was a beautiful book, particularly for city dwellers, New Yorkers, dog lovers, bike enthusiasts, and anyone else who is examining their lives in some kind of new light, and is re-considering all kinds of choices they once made.
April 1, 2023
I picked this book up from an antique book store that was going out of business (5$/ box) not expecting much, lured in by the beautiful blue lining and art. I read it today at the spa, not knowing much about it to start but needing something to pass the time and relax.
I think I found this book by fate, it was exactly what I needed when I needed it. As someone who has recently felt a lot of loneliness, a lot of grief, a lot of want to escape; it was incredible. It's very short, just a snippet of an entire life, but you feel you really know the main character by the end. You've grown with him, you've seen him evolve, and maybe learnt a little about yourself along the way.
Definitely worth a read, I truly think it changed me.
I think I found this book by fate, it was exactly what I needed when I needed it. As someone who has recently felt a lot of loneliness, a lot of grief, a lot of want to escape; it was incredible. It's very short, just a snippet of an entire life, but you feel you really know the main character by the end. You've grown with him, you've seen him evolve, and maybe learnt a little about yourself along the way.
Definitely worth a read, I truly think it changed me.
October 18, 2008
This was a quick, fanciful read. I could relate to the colorful narrative about bike riding and being at a crossroads in life. The ending felt a bit predictable and trite, but perhaps just because I wanted/needed more. Not from a book per se, but for me in general.
May 28, 2013
Started it. Seemed pretty cardboard.
I got maybe halfway into this very slim book, but I'm not going to finish it off.
I got maybe halfway into this very slim book, but I'm not going to finish it off.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews