Customer Reviews

Art in America: A Novel

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Steven Kearney is a plump, forty-something part-time playwright who, despite having written pages and pages of material, has yet to have anything produced or published. After his girlfriend dumps him for another man, and taking construction jobs to make ends meet, he moves in with his best friend, Roarke, a lesbian theater director desperate for inspiration just like he is. Seemingly out of nowhere comes an offer to be the playwright-in-residence in the small town of Creedemore, Colorado. With this honor comes the responsibility of writing a play to memorialize the town and its history. Kearney quickly accepts the position, thinking that this could be the job that gets those creative juices flowing. Colorado, here he comes!

Kearney lands in Creedemore, right in the center of a bitter land dispute that has locals pitted against one another. In an effort to take advantage of the breathtaking natural bounty around him, Mountain Man Red Fields has cleverly started his own whitewater rafting business. But old Ticky Lettgo has taken issue with the rafts floating through his land, although Mountain Man contends that no one owns the water. Ticky decides to make his point the best way he knows how --- with his shotgun --- and gets a little too close for the tourists' comfort, not to mention safety.

Amiable Sheriff Petey Meyers, a transplant from the Boston Police Department, is brought in to handle matters. Meyers is trying to adapt to life in Colorado but just can't seem to put his Beantown days behind him. His constant referrals (and sometimes flat-out conversations) to his slain partner lay bare just how his heart is not really in this job. He arrests Ticky, which kicks off a firestorm of media with everyone taking a very vocal side. Soon it doesn't seem to be about a dispute over land, but more a clash of the old chaffing against the new. After his arrest and his subsequent trial, Tick's ninety-something wife, Minnie, stops speaking and takes to her bed, with only the medal of her deceased Marine son to comfort her.

Meanwhile, Kearney is struggling to get a handle on the job at hand. How can you commemorate a town when it's not your own? Luckily, he meets muralist Mollie Dowse, who has been commissioned to paint a mural for the town celebration. Mollie, with her quick wit and survivor instinct (she's bravely going through a strong course of chemotherapy after suffering from breast cancer), quickly becomes Kearney's muse, and the two set out to inspire each other.

Ron McLarty has been known as a very prolific character actor for years. He first came to people's attention as a gifted novelist with his debut, THE MEMORY OF RUNNING. In this, his third outing, McLarty has all the requisite charm and colorful characters, but at times, the sheer number of individuals and situations seems to take away from the main narrative. Although it lacks the clear vision of his two earlier novels, ART IN AMERICA does display McLarty's talent as an author, which manages to shine clearly through the haze, as readers get caught up in the story unfolding before them.

--- Reviewed by Bronwyn Miller

I stumbled upon this novel first by being attracted by the title, then by being attracted by an author who was a veteran character actor with a background in theatre, and finally by thumbing through the beginning and seeing the hilarious list of the selected unpublished and unproduced (and overwritten) novels, poems, and plays of the novel's writer hero Steven Kearney. I simply could not put this hilarious book with all the zany characters and plots down. It is fun to laugh out loud. The novel itself could have been an early Sam Shepard play done Off Off Broadway in a basement of church on skid row with an audience of nine including friends and relatives. As crazy as each of the characters are sketched, and as looney as each of the plot twists are, I came to love each and everyone of them. There is a remarkable sense of poignancy here too. And it has moments where it is downright touching. If you an theatre artist in America and have a case of the blues, this just may pull you out of it. If anyone has access to Ron McLarty, tell him we want a sequel.

Luckily for me and unlike the other reviewers I have not read anything else by Ron McLarty. Obviously, this puts me in the unique position of not having to compare, Art in America, with his other books. From this standpoint I have to say that this is one of the most enjoyable and heartfelt books I have read recently.

The premise for the story is interesting, entertaining, meaningful, and personally inspiring. I appreciate deeply the main character's (Steven Kearney) unfailing drive to follow, against all odds, what he believes to be his calling in life. The saying, "follow your passion and the money will come," seems like a great concept but the execution is often messy and painful. Steven Kearney exemplifies perseverance and he is a kind soul even though his life has been pretty discouraging.

The other main theme in the book, the idea that art can bring people together and help them understand each other, was another reason I loved reading this book. How nice to read about proactive and creative problem-solving.

And, this book is funny, eccentric and has characters that you are proud get to know. I laughed out loud many times.

My greatest piece of evidence for recommending this book comes from the fact that my boyfriend, a very, very picky reader is reading this book and loves it. In fact, I came to Amazon today to buy a copy of it for his Mom for her birthday.

I am disappointed that the reviews for this uplifting book were so tepid. Thankfully, I can look forward to reading Ron McLarty's other books and I can only imagine how great they are going to be!

I loved "Traveler" and "The Memory of Running", so I was very eager to read "Art in America". Although it started out well enough, I don't think it follows through as well as his previous novels. In fact, around the half-way point, I was starting to lose interest. Just poor editing? I think so. However, it did pick up a little, and finished "ok". Not great. Just ok. A little disappointed, but not enough to not be eager to read his next novel. I'm still a fan, Ron, but I can only give you 3 stars.

The Memory of Running and Traveller were two books I embraced and even bought for others to read. I thought that McClarty's fine characterizations and easy going style of prose made for wonderful reading. But I am sorry to say this book was a chaotic mess, filled with too many sub-plots, half developed characters and a terf war going on that I found just too hard to follow. I dould not keep the characters straight, and quite honestly after reading 174 pages had so little interest in the plot, that the effort it took to follow was not worth it.

This book is surely written well, and the premise could make for an interesting read, but it just never seemed to settle. The book was all style and had no heart, something that McLarty's other books possessed.

I would have found a book about Steven's literary efforts, his insane ex-wife and his Manhattan friends would have been much more fullfilling, but McClarty chose this whole Colorado land war issue to develop and the book just fell flat. It was just plain boring, tedious to get through.

I know McClarty has another Memory of Running in him, but forget this one. It just does not work at all.

I loved, loved, loved THE MEMORY OF RUNNING(audio book). I have listened to it multiple times and enjoyed every minute. But ART IN AMERICA was another story. After the third CD and after many times having to rewind saying "now, what was that all about?" I did something I have rarely done - I gave up. Time is just too precious.

I will try the next book by Mr. McLarty in hopes of recapturing some of Smithy Ide.

I so much enjoyed Mr. McLarty's first two novels that I looked forward to this one even though the synopsis I had read did not hold the magic I saw in the first two. As much as I like "Memory of Running" and "Traveler," I disliked "Art in America." The story wanders aimlessly and, from my perspective, without purpose. I have read and even enjoyed other stories that I considered 'aimless wanderers,' but not this one. Probably because I did not like the protagonist, Steve Kearney. Throughout McLarty's first two novels, I grew to really like his characters, Smithson Ide and Jono Riley, but Kearney? There was nothing about this person I could appreciate or identify with in the slightest. McLarty's first two novels can be considered "coming of age" stories. This one isn't. Sorry, Ron, as much as I liked the first two, I did not enjoy this one. Still, I'm looking forward to the next one.

Art in America: A Novel

McLarty is a marvelous writer. I fell in love with Memory of Running and then happily devoured his next book, Traveler. Two great and compelling stories wonderfully crafted and in a genre/class of their own. Couldn't wait to read Art in America expecting more of the same as apparently did the other reviewers here. But this latest book is nothing like the first two which was a dissapointment for some. I, on the other hand, love this new adventure McLarty takes us on. Whereas his first two books were like fine dining with an orderly first course, second course and so on, Art in America is like a fantastic all-you-can-eat buffet with plenty of rich and hearty characters and sub-plots to feast on from crusty old rancher, Ticky Lettgo holding on to the traditions of the Old West and Steven Kearney, the stimied, prolific author of scores of never-to-be-published works who leaves the demoralizing crush of New York City to hopefully re-arouse his muse way out West in the tiny Colorado town of Creedemore to the transplanted former Boston cop turned western sheriff, Petey Myers, and the dangerous and sinister environmental terrorists he must confront. There is a lot to chew on in this book. It is laugh out loud funny, touching, suspenseful, and poignant. It was not what I expected, but it ended up being a delicious stew that I enjoyed every minute of. So what if it isn't the same as his first two books?! A great storyteller like McLarty should be allowed to serve us up whatever he concocts. I, for one, am hungry and ready for whatever his next menu item shall be.

One of my fondest memories of McLarty's excellent novel Traveler was Riley's work in New York as a bartender and actor. The description of Riley acting in obscure plays before audiences that usually numbered in the low single digits in a theater that seated 12-15 people was a real delight. Being a patron of the arts, a performer of the arts, and an artist took on a whole new meaning. You wonder--does this subculture really exist in New York? Is McLarty exaggerating for dramatic (you'll pardon the pun) effect? So after the first dozen or so pages of Art in America I thought that McLarty would be expanding on that memorable part of Traveler.

Steven Kearney is a writer--novels, plays, musicals--but not a successful one. The prologue lists "selected works"(all unpublished): 10 works that run to well over 17000 pages, for an average length of 1700+ pages, and if you omit the two "short" works of only 822 and 231 pages, the remaining 8 works average over 2000 pages. Typical of these is "The Barrelli Retrospective Works", 1930 pages: "A failed Rhode Island artist looks back over his long career as oil painter/short-order cook at Manny's Big Eats in Cranston". It's a great prologue! After reading it I sent (through Amazon) 4 copies to friends and family--perhaps prematurely. Kearney soon leaves New York for Creede (called Creedmore for some reason in the novel) Colorado, where he's been commissioned to write a play. So the rest of the novel mostly takes place in the greater Creede area.

Creede should certainly be a culture shock for a New Yorker. McLarty introduces a lot of characters, almost all of whom seem rather, well, eccentric. There's Sheriff Petey Myers, a New England transplant, who talks a lot to his deceased partner, the very rich Ticky Lettgo, entrepreneur Red Fields, and these seem quite normal compared to many others. There is a lot going on--almost too much going on--and it gets a bit confusing at times. Traveler was a much tighter novel--focussed, carefully-drawn. You were pulled into the mysteries and the decades-old questions and uncertainties. Art in America has a wonderful core to it, and some pruning of distractions might have been beneficial: leaving out the radicals, the bomb-throwers, and the like and concentrating on how Kearney adjusts would have worked well. Creede is a fascinating place--narrow streets, towering canyon walls, precariously-situated mine entrances, and the memories of Soapy Smith who went on to notoriety and death in Skagway and the town's motto "It's day all day in the daytime and there is no night in Creede". Art in America captures some of this flavor, but there are too many other things happening. Traveler took a part-time actor back to his roots in Rhode Island--a rediscovery. Kearney's roots are not in Creede, but the voyage and the effect on his character in many ways match those in Traveler.

I really hoped to like this novel, because I like McLarty's previous work, but this was a total trainwreck. At once, the novel tries to be a satire, love story, political thriller, and comment on the relevance of art...in America. But none of these parts add up to a suitable whole. The book careens back and forth between McLarty's overload of caricatures, cliches, plotlines and downright sillinesses. And by the end, you're so glad it's over, you don't even stop to think critically about what the point of any of it was. If you read and enjoyed "The Memory of Running" as I did, let that be your memory of McLarty's art...in America. Avoid this one!