Sierra Court Blues-A Novel

by Lawrence Parlier

Sierra Court Blues transports the reader on a mind-bending adventure with the main character Bo Kineally, a young father and husband with dreams of becoming a nationally known star from the backwoods of Bethel, Ohio. Can Bo strike a balance between his responsibilities and desires as both sides vie for his attention? Sierra Court Blues leaves nothing to the imagination with gripping characters, dysfunctional band members, roller-coaster drama, heart wrenching relationships, betrayal, and intricate family dynamics. The novel is sure to be a page turner for metal music enthusiasts everywhere.

ebook

First published July 1, 2013

About the author

Lawrence "Ace" Parlier is an author/poet/musician from Cincinnati, OH
Aside from his written works, Parlier, a lifelong musician and songwriter has played with The Cosmic Zombies, Chaos Ritual and now his first solo project, Flux Corporation.
His latest novel, Voided, is the first in a trilogy chronicling the exploits of legendary pilot, Nena Videt, as she fights to save civilization and, ultimately, the galaxy itself.

Reviews

[Anne Parrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sierra Court Blues by Lawrence Parlier is a stunning novel. We’re pulled in to a wild, chaotic world of young men and women, their music, their manias, their passion and their pain.

The majority of the action takes place in a trailer owned by Jon, band member and long-time friend of the narrator, a very endearing soul named Bo Kinnealy. Their relationship is an endless series of ups and downs, punctuated with angry outbursts and a few thrown punches. Bo believes in taking responsibility, Jon is challenged in this particular area, to say the least.

Bo has more than enough on his plate. His musical ambitions take center stage. Then there’s his wife, who’s not exactly happy about his wanting to make his band into something people will remember and follow. They have a little boy, Kirby. His wife announces that she’s pregnant, and there’s even more pressure put on Bo. Oh, and he works full-time, too.

Caught up in web of increasingly competing demands, tempers flare and Bo’s wife shows him the door. Then she practices the age-old art of emotional blackmail. She won’t let him see their son unless he coughs up the money she wants and is convinced she deserves.

After Bo moves in with Jon, and Jon’s romantic mishaps continue to make a peaceful existence impossible, Bo's commitment to his music intensifies. So does the pressure put on him by his wife. Even as two new women become romantic possibilities for Bo, Jon’s escapades make any sort of peaceful home life impossible. The band gets an invitation to play at a Fourth of July party with a large, enthusiastic audience. After they wrap up, a fight breaks out between the main woman in Jon’s life and one he was seeing on the side.

Bo puts his foot down and insists that Jon clean up his act, knowing the odds of his doing so are very slim. The summer winds down, another gig is lined up for the band, and Bo demands discipline and good behavior from Jon. Their performance is an epic success which is quickly overshadowed by a catastrophic display of violence.

While Bo struggles to make sense of the events that have changed his life, he examines the role he’s played in the lives of those closest to him. His reflections are both heart-rending and productive, and he sees how his drive to succeed in his musical career has been hard for others to take. The future won’t necessarily be smooth, but it will be far better informed.

Reading Sierra Court Blues is like experiencing rock music at its best. It’s loud, strained, soulful, interspersed with moments of tenderness and longing. It both assaults and soothes. And most importantly, it reminds us that being young can be both glorious and terrifying.

Highly recommended.

[Shelleyrae at Book'd Out · Rating 4 out of 5]

I decided to accept an offer of to read Lawrence Parlier's debut novel, Sierra Court Blues, primarily because I have read little contemporary fiction featuring a male protagonist.

At nineteen, Bo Kineally is a husband and father working hard as a welder to support his young family, but as the lead singer and guitarist of a struggling heavy metal band, he dreams of musical stardom. Just as the band gets its first big break, his wife announces she is pregnant again and demands Bo quit, but he refuses and enraged, she kicks him out. Unwilling to return to his parent's place to live, Bo moves in with best friend and band mate, living in a trailer park called Sierra Court, but his mate is a magnet for drama, and Jon's hedonistic lifestyle threatens to destroy everything Bo has dreamed of.

Bo is a surprisingly likeable character, and I think Parlier portrays him both sympathetically and realistically. Bo genuinely loves and cares for his toddler son, Kirby and his failing marriage weighs heavily on him, but he is young and still dreams of more than what Bethel, Ohio can offer. This conflict between his responsibilities and his ideals tears him apart and is what drives this novel as Bo struggles to navigate the maelstrom of passion, ego and tragedy.

His friends, mostly his band mates and hangers on, revel in the drama of dysfunctional relationships, drug fueled parties and outbursts of violence, against the background of heavy metal music. Bo gets caught up in the swirling spectacle of high emotion and rolling crises, as the plot reveals the heartbreaking consequences of betrayal, misdeeds and mistakes.

Fierce and moving, Sierra Court Blues is a gritty, contemporary novel about letting go, moving on and growing up.

[Heather Lecus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an emotional roller coaster. Once you get into it you can't put it down. His marriage is falling apart, his best friend brings drama into his life. He is so stressed that he gets sick. He loves his son and wants to be with him. This book has you turning pages because you can't put it down. I wasn't entirely sure i would like the book as much as I did because it isn't the type of book I would normally read, I was surprised when I loved it. It takes time to get into it but once you do you keep reading. You forget about the fact that these are 19 year old kids. There is drinking and drug use in this book so I would advise those who don't enjoy reading about it to not pick this book up. I do recommend this book for people who like drama and emotional books. Though do not read this book on a day that you are after something light hearted, you won't get that with this book. You will get a book that keeps you reading past the time you want to put it down.

[Rachel Krogen · Rating 5 out of 5]

i got this for a honest review

Can I just say wow. His marriage is failing he has a dream to make it big! his wife becomes pregnant with baby two and wants him to quit the music and grow up but his band might have just got the "break" they where looking for. He does try to be a good father bit will it be enough? it was a great read I recommend!

[Green Butterfly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sierra Court Blues was an awesome read. It was very different from the books I normally read, yet I had a very hard time putting it down. It is about a group of 4 young guys trying to make their dreams come true by making something of themselves in the music business, and their trials and triumphs along the way. The main Character is Bo. You feel things for Bo throughout this book that makes you forget he is only 19. Married, with a child and a dream he just can't give up on. He works hard to provide for his family, loves his little boy and still is put down by his wife for it constantly. They were both to young to be in the position they were in, and not only do you read that, but Parlier makes you 'feel' it. So the inevitable happens-divorce. This does not fix Bo's problems. His friend and band mate Jon is wild and a bit out of control at times, hurting the band more than helping it, I felt. However, he is the one with most of the connections, so he has his place there. His home is always filled of obnoxious, druggie, drunks, but friends none the less. He is in an abusive relationship-- where the abuse goes both ways. Which I felt typical for the age group, as I myself was stuck in a relationship like this at that age. I think for Bo, the things he had to deal with within the band and outside of it, holds him back form his dreams. Don't get me wrong, Bo was right in there with the mix, but I felt he had the level head among the group, and dealt with the stress of his life to point of actually being hospitalized. I think Sierra Court Blues is a well developed story and the characters are well developed. The sub characters are also so developed they could have their own book. Bo had a hard life and in this book I watched him grow from a kid to a man. There were parts that had me laughing and then there were parts that had me crying. I felt extremely connected to the characters. Sometimes, an author comes along that can write characters in a way that you wonder about the characters later on. What they are doing now and where they are. Did any of them ever make it? Did any of them stay friends? I feel when an author can write such rich and deep characters it is a testimony to the author's writing talent. That is what happens in this book. It is like watching Stand By Me, but not getting the dialogue at the end that tells you where everyone is and what become of them later. This book does have a massive amount of cussing, pot smoking and drinking in it, as I would expect from any book with young men in a hard rock metal band. So, if this would bother you, this book is not for you. If you can look past that and really read the story it is a 5 star gritty, emotional novel that you can't put down. I felt their pain and I felt their triumphs. I laughed with them, and hell I even partied with them. And in the end, I cried with them. No spoilers, but the ending was metaphorically what Bo needed in his life to grow up. Well done, Parlier, and I can't wait for the next book you reward us with!