Customer Reviews

Sermons and Soda-Water

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Sermons and Soda Water consists of 3 novellas which involve the same person -- James Malloy. Malloy is thought to be the alter ego of O'Hara. The first story "The Girl on the Baggage Truck" is a story of the younger Malloy barely avoiding being pulled down by involvement with an aspiring actress. The second, my favorite, "Imagine Kissing Pete" is the story of a bad marriage which goes good. I'm surprised no one ever made a movie of this one. The final one is a story of Malloy's senior years. He meets up with an old friend he has gradually moved away from, mainly due to the friend's marriage to a woman no one likes. Malloy is surprised to discover that his friend genuinely loved his wife. These stories remain popular because, like Appointment in Samarra, they highlight O'Hara's ability with dialogue and the description.

O'Hara does a great job with dialogue and setting scenes. In these three novellas, we see three stories focusing around one man's trip throughout his life. We see the many instances in which this individual is forced to make choices about how he wishes to live. The first choice's impact is reflect in the following novella, and the same with the second in the third. This makes for great reading because we see how difficult this individual finds it to travel through his life without being forced to confront past mistakes. Anyway, this is a great book that should receive more attention then it has to this point. Get it and enjoy.