Customer Reviews

Lean on Pete: A Novel (P.S.)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Fifteen year old Charlie Thompson lives with his unreliable single father who is unable to stay any place for long. Charlie has no friends as he moves around so frequently, and when they move to Portland, Oregon, before the start of the year at his new school he often finds himself on his own for days at a times, having to fend for himself. He manages to get a job working with horses at Delta Park, that's where he meets Lean on Pete, a four year old racehorse to whom he becomes particularity attached, and who will become the cause of his sudden departure from Portland and the beginning of an unenviable mission to find a place for himself in the world, somewhere he can call home.

Lean on Pete is a touching tale of a young boy who wants nothing more than to be able to finish school, join the school football team, and have a secure family home. Charlie tells his own tale in his own no-nonsense fashion as he tries to find just that. The result is an appealing and heart warming read, filled with a cast of mist-fits, the good natured, and the not to be trusted. I thoroughly enjoyed Lean on Pete.

It took me a few pages to get used to Vlautin's writing style, but once I did, I was hooked. Although it is not always easy to read about the things that Charley encounters on his journey, there is still this amazing spark of hope throughout the book. This kid is a survivor and his resilience inspired me greatly. Although this is fiction, I know that there are a lot of real children that could be Charley.

This is my first book by Vlautin, but I plan to check out his others now.

At first, I didn't know what to think of Lean On Pete by Willy Vlautin. I was reading through the eyes of fifteen-year-old Charley Thompson and it felt like a fifteen year-old was writing it. But when the story started rolling and we get to see what Charlie is going through as he become lost in the world he is living with his father, then alone and trying to find his aunt. All he wants is to be loved and cared for. He wants a family and a chance to play football. He struggles helplessly as he travels through various states to locate his aunt, hungry and alone. This story, although depressing, is heart wrenching and enjoyable.

What a great book! So many racing stories get it all wrong, but this is dead on. A very sad story, but captivating as well. I enjoyed it thoroughly!

. . . it wasn't so much the language that wowed me about lean on pete, so much as it was the plain fact that the novel feels so authentic . . . in fact, its valutin's unadorned, straightforward prose that allowed me as a reader to feel as though i owned the narrative, which is exactly what i'm looking for in a novel . . .

Lean on Pete by Willy Vlautin is the first Vlautin novel I have read, but left me wanting to read more. The author creates a great protagonist, a scared, matter of fact fifteen year old boy forced to grow up way too fast by narcissistic parents; he hangs onto lumpenproletariat characters who inhabit a great Northwestern demimonde of drug users, bums, and riff-raff. I couldn't stop reading it, and needed a handkerchief by the end.

I loved this book! you will read it in a weekend and enjoy every word.
maybe the best part is it takes place from the point of view of a teen,ager, so you really feel it, you really feel yourself back in middle school. "i'm always hungery". the book deals with a youngster dealing with very real emotional and logistical problems, bringing an aging horse along, you will enjoy the ride. i want to tell you more but can't bare to spoil it. A++++

I'm a huge fan of Willy Vlautin's songs and stories and Lean on Pete is no exception. Vlautin's sparse matter-of-fact prose suits his stories of down-and-outers, misfits and losers (or "loosers" if you happen to be new to writing reviews or ranting on craigslist). His characters are so vividly drawn, mostly through their actions and words. Believe me, Willy gives great dialogue. Yes, there were times when the redundancy of Charley's life told in minute detail made me antsy. I didn't want to dilly-dally; I was anxious to see what would happen next. Contrary to what a previous reviewer wrote - and I thought he had some valid points and wrote a great review - I did root for Charley and I did care about him. Just as Charley pushed past his physical pain in the hope of making the football team, so did he push past his emotional pain in order to survive. Should he give into his grief, the kid'd be a gonner.

As I read Lean on Pete, I couldn't help but make some comparisons to Annie Proulx's "Postcards." I remember reading that book years ago and with each page thinking gosh, I hope something good finally happens. It never did. Charley does meet some kind people along his journey which gave me hope that Vlautin's book would have a happy ending - or at least an ending with some hope of happiness. You'll have to read it yourself to find out. In the meantime, enjoy the read and the ride.

When it comes to taking us into the worlds of so many down-and-out Americans - worlds that too many Americans never visit and too often,judge and fear - Willie Vlautin is the master. I work part-time in a center that serves homeless and low-income people. I spent a year on the street in my twenties. Charlie Johnson is a beautifully written and resolved boy - not a character, a boy. Every detail of this book is rendered with accuracy, profound compassion and not one sliver of sentimentality.

I read a novel every two or three nights. No t.v. I'm a writer, so no social life or money. Lean on Pete is the best novel I've read in over two years. I finished it last night. I found myself having to remember to breath aa I moved toward the ending - holding my breath for Charlie. If you love the work of Raymond Carver, John Steinbeck (without the sentimentality) or any good contemporary Irish novelist, you'll be mesmerized by Lean on Pete.

Thanks, Willie, for reminding us of what's important.

When his dad decides to start over for the zillionth time, fifteen year old Charley Thompson relocates with him from Spokane, Washington. However, shortly after moving to Portland, Oregon, Charley's irresponsible father deserts him to move in with a married woman. Soon afterward the woman's husband kills Charley's dad.

Charley obtains a job working for Del Montgomery at Delta Park racetrack. However, watching what Del does to the thoroughbreds upsets Charley more than his dad's death especially when he learns his employer plans to sell his only friend Pete to people who will kill the horse. Deciding nothing is there to keep him in Portland, Charley steals Pete to keep him safe. Together they flee the Pacific Northwest.

Although Charley seems to have incredible luck on his trek with people helping him and Pete providing money, food and shelter without asking questions of why a young teen was .on his own; when no one is there shelter still is easily available. Putting aside the realism probability (Vegas would take Charley and Pete off the board), fans will enjoy his plight and flight as readers will cheer the lad on while knowing all he wants is to be part of a loving family.

Harriet Klausner