Customer Reviews

Looking for Mo

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

 

 

A favorable review had me looking forward to this one. Unfortunately, the self absorbed narrator's fuzzy saga of a mixed-up friendship never seemed remotely real to me. Throw in plot devices to include a poorly explained antipathy from the father of the "best friend" plus an unconvincing infatuation with a new girlfriend and it all spells a novel in need of an editor or a rewrite. Luckily the late chapter climb sequence on El Cap redeems some of the early awkwardness. Still, I have to believe that Duane's next work will be more coherent and better overall.

More than Dharma Bums revisited--kind of Queequeg & Ishmael climb El Cap as written by Kerouac. After reading Duane's book, I went back and tried to re-read Dharma Bums--couldn't do it. Eastern mystical stuff too hard to wade through. The characters here are real--I know some of them (worse, I may even be one...). And, unlike a lot of Kerouac, this is fun.

As with both of Duane's other books, this is more than a good book, it's a true book.

I had high hopes after reading Duane's writing about the surfing world, but was greatly disappointed by the shallowness of this novel.

I enjoyed my first book of D.Duane's. It was "required" reading for our informal climbing club, although I'm not sure why. It was easy to relate to the narrator's search for fulfillment. The metaphors were entertaining and insightful and simple to digest. The narrator's struggle with relationships and where one fits in the bigger scheme of life fit well in the context of El Cap. However, I was left with a yearning of my own satisfaction or closure, perhaps a guide for my own quest for fulfillment. Regardless, I recommend this book and look forward to more from Duane.

Some might say this is about mountain climbing. It is not. It is about friendship, strong friendship, looking for love, and young people in their early twenties coming to grips with who they are, what matters to them and the future ahead of them. In many ways, a coming of age story.

Set in the late sixties/early seventies, it provides an interesting and provocative look back at that era...could it really have been that wild and crazy, that free and easy? The book reminds the baby boom reader of an earlier life we lived/or missed. And there could be, from the reader, a hint of longing for those days---longing for the life we led or the one we didn't live, wishing we had lived it the other way.

The story is especially moving near the end, when the issues and relationships are resolved and life moves on, especially when Ray, who grows most in this story, is saying goodbye to his lifelong friend Mo. Good stuff. Good, good stuff.

There were many great lines in the book, but this one about issues that strain relationships stands out: "There was so much to say that we said nothing..."

All in all a story of young love, friendship, and the inevitable "moving on in life."

Good read, good book, somewhat dated, but still worth the read.

This is a really good book about the protagonist's personal struggles and journey of self-discovery. Great rock climbing book, too.

Looking for Mo is a traditional tale set vertically on a big wall. You know, the wild friend everyone has and wants to be -- you hear reports about his latest adventures through the grapevine, receive cryptic emails from third world countries about how the morning light there is otherworldly. And when he returns you have to come to grips with his wildness, somehow incorporate it into your life and make it yours too, but you can't steal it from him. My version of Mo is in Chiapas, Mexico, somewhere. But I need him there. Duane gives an honest rendition of what it is to have a friend like Mo.

A great mixing of urban and wilderness perspectives.s A nuanced view of the urban and outdoor facet of all of us. Read this winner!

After reading Duane's non fiction work - on climbing and surfing - I was particularly looking forward to this one. I must admit, I delayed my attempt at this one after reading some of the negative reviews.
I shouldn't have. Duane has followed on where he left off with 'Caught Inside' - it's not your average novel. Certainly it reads with a lot of literary pretension. But it's the uncertainty of the central character - the questioning of his life ahead that grabs me. There are no answers - not even an entirely satisfying resolution - but that's life isn't it?
It just keeps on rolling along, while we keep on looking for something .. or someone ...

I thought this was a great book. It was very easy reading. It was just so honest and real to life that it was almost like reading someone's journal. I feel that it's defently geared towards the twenty something crowd. A story of mountain climber, best friends, torn beetween lies, women, work, family, friends, etc. takes us on a soul search. The book was funny, sad, adventours, and fun. It's not a deep book, but just a fun story of friendship and soul searching. So if your going on a weekend trip and looking for a fast read this is the book.