The Vinyl Cafe unplugged [Hardcover]

Stuart McLean (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 2000

This work offers more hilarious tales set in and around the Vinyl Cafe, from master-storyteller Stuart McLean. Dave and Morley would tell you that life is what you make it. Unfortunately for them, that means a compilation tape of mistakes, miscues, misunderstandings, and muddle. That's not to say there's anything particularly unusual about them. Like the rest of us, they're just doing their best to respond to the challenges of modern life. After all, who hasn't started a small DIY job that, and only hours later found half their house demolished. Who hasn't worried about their son becoming addicted to knitting. Who hasn't tried to toilet-train the cat? Lost an elderly relative on a day out? Or caused mayhem at a school concert? Luckily for Dave and Morley the chaotic melody of life is underscored by the harmonious sounds of family, friends, and neighbours.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This latest installment to Canadian radio host McLean's Vinyl Cafe series continues the agreeable story of record shop owner Dave; his wife, Morley; their dog, Arthur; and their kids Sam and Stephanie. The lovable Canadian clan wobbles its way through family life and life at the record store, ranging from a gentle yarn of homemade Christmas gifts to the near hysteria of a school play gone wrong; even a false fire alarm can't douse the warm fuzzies. A host of wacky characters orbits Dave's family, including a British aunt who harangues them into making a suitable cup of tea and later disappears when she climbs into a boat on the back of a trailer and is driven off, and Morley's ramrod-straight former roommate, who watches, horrified, as Morley's wild children influence her own. McLean has a talent for describing the little details that reveal our neuroses and folly, but also our generosity and love. These quirky vignettes are as sweet as they are funny, a well-timed holiday treat from a Canadian Garrison Keillor. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"* 'The Canadians have every reason to be proud of Stuart McLean' Evening Herald * 'Thank you! We were thrilled with Stuart's show. People came out buzzing and convinced they'd discovered the most wonderful new superstar. We'd have him back like a shot.' Peter Florence, Guardian Hay Festival Director - 2005 * 'An extraordinarily gifted writer' Times Herald" --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 255 pages
• Publisher: Viking (2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0670896535
• ISBN-13: 978-0670896530
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,297,055 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clever enough to be funny, honest enough to be touching, October 29, 2002

By 

Vance (Nova Scotia, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vinyl Cafe unplugged (Hardcover)

I picked this book up on a whim, having no idea what it was about or who Stuart McLean was. I'm glad I made such a foolish purchase.

This book (which is a collection of short stories) is the third in the Vinyl Cafe series, following the lives of a "simple" family from Toronto; husband Dave, wife Morley, and kids Stephanie and Sam. Dave owns a used record store (the Vinyl Cafe, who's motto is "We may not be big, but we're small"). Morley works in theatre. They have a dog, they have a cat, they have quirky neighbours; they have a normal life.

The book, however, is anything but normal. Instead of simply plodding along, the book gives us strong comedic stories about universal things that uncondescendingly give a message or moral.

"Love Never Ends" is a touching story about a letter Dave receives from the widow of a man who knew growing up. It sounds like weak material, but you'll either be smiling or crying when you finish. "The Fly" sees Dave swallow one after throwing a chain letter away... and doing whatever he can to get it out of him. "Christmas Presents" follows the family through the Christmas season, as they try to make gifts for each other... with varying results.

The best may be "Harrison Ford's Toes", in where Morley finds an old Tamagotchi she was supposed to give Sam for Christmas a few years before. She decides to hide it from Dave when he comes in the room, too ashamed to admit she'd lost it and forgot about it. She pretends to be reading a magazine with Harrison Ford on the cover and makes a silly comment about how perfect Harrison Ford's Toes are. Let's just say that over the next few days, Dave tries his best to get his toes to look better than Mr. Ford's, and that when Morley begins to spend a bit too much time with the Tamagotchi.

I recomend this book to literally anyone who likes to read. It's the kind of book for all of us who've ever tried to toilet train our cat, or has ever had the sprinklers go off during a Christmas pageant, or has ever worried about their son's knitting habit. Go buy it. Enjoy.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some real down home humour!, June 16, 2009

By 

Paul Weiss (Dundas, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vinyl Cafe Unplugged (Paperback)

If Pierre Berton is lauded as the premier Canadian historian then we have to give the laurel leaves to Stuart McLean as the quintessential Canadian storyteller!

"Vinyl Cafe Unplugged", the third in a series, is a series of short tales about a generic but lovable Canadian family - Dave and his wife, Morley, plus their kids, Stephanie and Sam. More a hobby than a real business, Dave puts on a game face and likes to pretend that he's gainfully occupied with his used record business, the Vinyl Cafe.

The stories are anything but deep and complex. In fact, they positively reek of politeness, simplicity, candid joy, love and the plain old down home niceness that typifies the Canadian that is unabashedly stereotyped the world round. The humour is wry, sardonic, ironic and subdued - only rarely of the out loud belly laugh variety. But McLean's tales in this witty collection never fail to amuse while they're providing the odd underlying moral text that never even sniffs in the direction of preaching.

Perhaps a comparison to Garrison Keillor's "Lake Wobegon Days" would provide a potential American reader with a better idea of the flavour of Stuart McLean's impressive repertoire of stories.

Highly recommended.

Paul Weiss

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very, very funny, August 11, 2002

By 

Doris W. DeLucas (Mt. Crawford, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Vinyl Cafe unplugged (Hardcover)

Funniest book I've read since "A Walk in the Woods". Characters are real, situations are believeable and it's just plain fun.