Customer Reviews

Meet Me on the Paisley Roof

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Meet Me On The Paisley Roof is just the type of book you need to get your minds off of your troubles of the day and settle in for just a great read. Author Murray Tllman used his background as a teacher to give us a story that is told in simple, enjoyable language that makes you remember why you fell in love with words at a young age. My hat goes off for a book that is playful yet should be considered as a serious contendere for some of the best fiction I've read this year.

I received this book in a giveaway. I love all stories taking place in the South, being from Georgia myself. I would compare this as a mixture of My Dog Skip and Catcher in the Rye. I giggled at a bunch of the one-liners. When it was done, I wanted to keep reading about the characters. I wish there was a part two, I would love to keep following along with Trussel's life.

This would be a 5-star, but sometimes I had a hard time believing a 16 year old could be so immature. Some of the situations are a bit outlandish, but at the same time, it is what makes the book fun and interesting.

I was given a copy of this book for my birthday and found it utterly delightful. The book is beautifully and wittily written, and the narrative and story elements fit together well. I was surprised to discover that this is a first novel since the underlying craftsmanship is so assured. The dialogue is fast-paced, funny and true. Most importantly, the reader truly gets to know, understand and relate to the characters - the sign of exceptional storytelling.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The main characters were teenage boys and many of the things they did made me recall some of the crazy things I did when I was a teenager. It made me laugh out loud while I was reading. I would feel comfortable letting my daughter read this, and she is 10. The only thing I did not like about this book is the description on the back cover. After reading the description I expected Trussell and his friends to play some crazy pranks on his step-mother. I saw her as obsessed with Queen Victoria but did not see how she thought she was spiritually connected. I felt this book was realistic and I enjoyed the ending. I have not read other books like this, so I cannot compare it to other ones. After reading this book, I will buy more books written by Murray Tillman.

First impressions can be deceiving. The first chapter of Murray Tillman's "Meet Me on the Paisley Roof" is the ultimate turn-off. Six solid pages of a manure fight between three teenage boys isn't exactly an appealing introduction to 1956 Georgia. However, Tillman's nostalgic look at small town life is redeemed through the likable trio of Trussell Jones and brothers Cassidy and Ronnie Childs. Thankfully, Tillman doesn't dabble in sentimentality. Instead, he paints a realistic picture of adolescence where, more often than not, adults fail to live up to their assigned roles.

When Trussell's father dies, he is left in the care of his stepmother, Loretta. Saying the two don't see eye-to-eye is putting it mildly. Loretta feels Trussell is an ungrateful lout whose sole purpose in life is to cause her grief. While Trussell feels adrift with no one to turn to, when Loretta, for all intents and purposes, gives up on him. All she provides are the bare essentials of food, clothing and shelter, and an occasional note on the kitchen table. Things get so bad that Loretta even brings a gun into the house to "protect" herself from a boy who means her no bodily harm.

The Childs brothers on the other hand are witnessing firsthand the deterioration of their parents' marriage. With their alcoholic father spending the greater part of the week on the road, they come to realize that the stability in their lives no longer exists. As the eldest, Cassidy is contemplating moving with their father to another town, while Ronnie seeks a way to cope with his feeling of abandonment.

While dealing with serious subject matter in an era that bespeaks Ozzie and Harriet perfection, Tillman infuses the book with an abundance of humor to keep the tone from becoming dark and introspective. They are, still after all, boys and a series of hijinks and pranks ensue from hot-wiring Loretta's car to "borrowing" a gang member's motorcycle. They even manage to unknowingly kidnap an intoxicated solider, trample to death a panic-stricken monkey and dress in drag to sneak into the hospital.

But being hot-blooded American males, the opposite sex is a frequent topic of discussion. Trussell, after harboring a lifelong crush on Ellen Harmond, finally acts on his feelings when teased into submission by Cassidy and Ronnie. Hilarity ensues. While late for church, Trussell ends up getting dressed in the backseat of an older girl's convertible while flying through the streets of downtown Columbus. A sight Ellen just happens to take in from the backseat of her parents' car. Another wardrobe malfunction occurs when Trussell is forced to wear a spangled cowboy shirt for his piano playing debut on a local television station. An ensemble that, through a twist of fate, Ellen gets to witness in person. Another time while on a picnic lunch in a secluded spot, Trussell is just about to make a move when Cassidy appears out of nowhere spoiling the moment. When the two finally start to make an emotional connection, Ellen comes across a nude picture of herself in Trussell's garage that Ronnie drew for his friend's birthday. Nothing in Trussell's courtship of Ellen comes without mishap, but to Ellen's credit she refuses to give up on him.

The heart and soul of Tillman's writing comes through, when he shows his young characters actively making decisions that will affect the outcome of their lives. They are not passive players in a world controlled by adults. Instead, they are forced to deal with mature issues at a tender age. With Loretta's beauty parlor in dire financial straits, Trussell must choose whether or not to leave his embattled stepmother and live with his Aunt Cora in Birmingham. With her mother battling cancer, Ellen must decide whether or not she wants to find strength and support in her relationship with Trussell, whose own mother succumbed to the disease. While Ronnie feeling unwanted in his own home, acts out in a dramatic way in an attempt to bring his family back together.

Through their trials and tribulations, what they come to understand is that regardless of the adults in their lives, they at least have one another. A touching moment occurs between Ronnie and Trussell.

"Trussell?"
"Yeah."
"Do you love me?"
"What?"
"Do you love me?"
"Sure I do, Ronnie. You're just like a brother. You know that."
"Yeah, well, same here, buddy. Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"What?"
"That you love me."
"Oh shoot, that's just something you ought to know."
"Well, I didn't."
"Well you should."

Another scene between Trussell and Ellen confirms the sense of family the boys have created for themselves.

"Trussell, you did witness a miracle."
"Yes, sure [Cassidy and Ronnie] went to lots of trouble, but where's the miracle?"
"Their gift to you, Trussell, was love. You laughed with them. Your gift to them was love. There's the miracle. I don't have any friends who could or would do anything like that for me."

Overall, it's well worth the climb to meet the boys up on the Paisley roof.

Meet Me on the Paisley Roof is a cute, playful book that took me pleasantly by surprise. the story is a wild ride of odd and entertaining events, but there are also some more serious tones relating to friendship, death and divorce that will ring true to many teens.

Trussell is your not-so-average piano playing teenage boy growing up in Georgia in the 1950's. he is the only living member of his family and is stuck living with his deranged step-mother, who thinks she is spiritually connected to Queen Victoria. he is also hopelessly in love with a girl named Ellen who, rightly enough, thinks that he is a little odd.

from the first to the last page, we find Trussell and his two friends wreaking havoc on their small neighborhood with manure flinging, late night sneaking around, monkey chases and motorcycle gangs. the events are undeniably over the top sometimes, but they are also laugh out loud funny and a great reminder of that unbridled energy and freedom that we felt as kids. also, personally, i was a kid who played piano for many many hours each week, so i found and enjoyed the many parallels to that lifestyle. on one particularly pleasant night, Trussell chooses a song in his mind that represents his mood and through the music, we can gain a deeper appreciation for his mood.

"I closed my eyes and put a record on my mental jukebox, selecting a Beethoven piano sonata for such a wonderful night. The music began just as surely as if the piano were sitting in front of me on the porch."

written in a style that is clean and simple, Trussell's quirky attitude and often joking inner voice bring us a story that is vivid and alive. he is definitely the kind of kid that i'd have liked when i was that age! in between all of the hilarity are some really nice moments, particularly those when Trussell and Ellen are talking. they are both very honest, with themselves and each other, and it's easy to see them together. and although i enjoyed all of the fun moments, i particularly liked the sadness. when Trussell talks about what it is like to live without his family, or when Ronnie talks about his parents getting a divorce, this book shines and has some really beautiful moments.

"Life is a sad song. Clowns know it best."

through unbreakable friendships, new found love and respect and some hilarious twists and turns, this is a book that i would recommend to any teens.
this book was received from Bascom Hill for review.

I'm a public librarian who reads a lot of teen and young adult fiction in order to be able to make knowledgeable suggestions to patrons. This book is one of the best coming of age stories I've read in several years. The characters are quirky, but very believable and Trussell is the sort of kid you wished was your best friend when you were growing up. I wouldn't hesitate to suggest this book to any of my young adult patrons.

As a native of Columbus, Georgia growing up one decade later than Mr. Tillman's protaganist (and presumably Mr. Tillman himself- since this novel seems to be semi-autobiographical) it was particularly meaningful to me to recall all the real places (Jordan and Columbus High Schools, the Goo-Goo Restaurant, Buck's Ice and Coal, among others) that are mentioned in Paisley Roof. Most of these places still exist today.
I have read novels that were inspired by and/or obviously refer to Columbus--most noticeably Carson McCullers' The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter and The Member Of The Wedding--but Ms. McCullers'
used fictitious city names and places in her references. Paisley Roof is the only novel I've ever read that names Columbus and the aforementioned real places as it's geographical and manmade environment. In my view, that should make it especially meaningful to anyone who is from here or who wants to learn about Columbus in the 1950s and even now.
But no matter where one comes from, Meet Me On The Paisley Roof is a fun, easy to read novel that is hilarious but has an underlying serious theme I can also relate to. Trussell has lost all his immediate blood relatives--both parents and his older brother are dead--and is being raised by his crazy aunt who neither likes nor trusts Trussell. Her name is Loretta. To say Loretta puts the "p"
in paranoia might be a little strong, but only a little. Trussell desperately wants to escape from his home environment and pursue Classical music, his interest in his new girlfriend, and the peace of mind that comes from not living in the house of a nut who owns a loaded gun and thinks Trussell is out to get her. I relate to this because from my teen-age years onward, more than anything I also wanted to escape from my own nutty home environment.
Trussell also uses humor both in constructive and unhelpful ways--the former, as a survival mechanism of dealing with the pain of loss of family and family ties, as well as LOONEY TOONEY LORETTA--the latter, to hide the seriousness of his sadness and pursuit of something meaningful in his life from someone he can trust and should let down his guard to, like his girlfriend. In my youth, I used humor both to survive and to hide behind, as well.
Each of us has his or her own story to tell. I'm glad Murray Tillman told his through this wonderful novel, Meet Me On The Paisley Roof.

The pursuit of love will take one far and wide through life. "Meet Me on the Paisley Roof" is tale of Trussell Jones, a boy in love with no way to declare it. Oppressed under a nutty stepmother, Trussell's pursuit of Ellen is a truly unique tale with no shortage of zany and offbeat happenings. Original, fresh, and highly entertaining, "Meet Me on the Paisley Roof" is a choice addition to fiction collections.

I felt this was a well written book about life. I enjoyed it very much and was disappointed when I finished. I would like a continuation.