Jonathan K (Max Outlier)’s Reviews > The Tender Bar: A Memoir > Status Update

A remarkable memoir in all respects and written as if literary fiction. While I enjoyed the movie prior to reading this I have serious second thoughts about the screenplay due the over zealous creative liberties taken. Painting a picture of the perfect life of a guy and his mother is far from reality as is his success as a NYT journalist

Top notch writing! For those who haven't seen the film, I urge you to add this to your list. While based on facts it reads like a novel. In many ways it's better than In Cold Blood by Capote

This memoir is as much a tribute to books as it is to the home JR equates with the bar. In many ways the movie is a tiny glimpse into his life and bears little resemblance to the book. It's unfortunate how much creative liberties were taken with the script since the author is a truly gifted artist

Storytelling at its best, though this is is factual which makes it better!

For those who may have seen the Ben Affleck movie, I urge you to read the book since the script has little to do with the facts, save the main character, JR. In fact the film is so different you'll wonder why the author didn't destroy it

The good news is it's so engaging. The bad news is the script took more creative liberties than just about any I've seen! So much so that it's like they forgot about the book and used a few characters and not much else

As with most adaptations, extensive amounts of details are left out of the script in order to accommodate running time and target market and for this reason it's important to read the book. This is a true work of art!

So happy I decided to read this. Similar to Pay it Forward, there are vast numbers of elements missing from the script that when digested, provide insights into the reality of the story, his name among them

Easy to see how he got a Pulitzer and like all adaptations, serious creative liberties are taken and the one that stands out the most, is the lack of Steve, who owns the bar!

Wonderful.. Had no idea he was a Pulitzer winning journalist though it's not surprising given his skill with words.. One of my favorite movies due to its warmth and evocative nature