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The Memory of Running

A Novel

By Ron McLarty

(13)

| Hardcover | 9780670033638

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Book Description

Once in a great while, a story comes along that has everything: plot, setting, and, most important of all, the kind of characters that sweep readers up and take them on a thrilling, unforgettable ride. Well, get ready for Ron McLarty’s The Memory of Running because, as Stephen King wrContinue

Once in a great while, a story comes along that has everything: plot, setting, and, most important of all, the kind of characters that sweep readers up and take them on a thrilling, unforgettable ride. Well, get ready for Ron McLarty’s The Memory of Running because, as Stephen King wrote in Entertainment Weekly (Stephen King’s "The Pop of King" column for Entertainment Weekly), "Smithy is an American original, worthy of a place on the shelf just below your Hucks, your Holdens, your Yossarians."

Meet Smithson "Smithy" Ide, an overweight, friendless, chain-smoking, forty-three-year-old drunk who works as a quality control inspector at a toy action-figure factory in Rhode Island. By all accounts, including Smithy’s own, he’s a loser. But when Smithy’s life of quiet desperation is brutally interrupted by tragedy, he stumbles across his old Raleigh bicycle and impulsively sets off on an epic journey that might give him one last chance to become the person he always wanted to be. As he pedals across America—with stops in New York City, St. Louis, Denver, and Phoenix, to name a few—he encounters humanity at its best and worst and adventures that are by turns hilarious, luminous, and extraordinary. Along the way, Smithy falls in love and back into life.

McLarty’s novel has already received significant attention for its unusual genesis as an audiobook. Now, in a major publishing event, Viking heralds the arrival of a major new voice in American fiction with his stunning debut, The Memory of Running.

Critics

  • The Memory of Running By Ron McLarty

    Veteran actor finds unlikely success in publishingShould Stephen King ever need a place to crash in Manhattan, the welcome sign is permanently affixed to Ron McLarty's door. It was, after all, King's out-of-the-blue September 2003 Entertainment Weekl ... (read full critics)

    bookpage published on Mon, 13 Sep 2010

  • The Memory of Running

    The Memory of Running Ron McLarty Penguin Paperback 384 pages December 2005 Ron McLarty breathes life and vibrancy into the truly unique character of Smithy Ide. Smithy spends his adult life going through the motions of a mundane job, stuffing his bo ... (read full critics)

    curledup published on Tue, 7 Sep 2010

1 Review

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  • I picked up this book after my mom recommended it and I really enjoyed it. I felt like the main character in the book was someone I actually knew! This book was great, and I would recommend anyone give it a try!

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    Angela Dutton Vranish said on Oct 14, 2009 | Add your feedback

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9780670033638 Hardcover $24.95 -- The Book Depository
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