Bicycle Days (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Fresh out of Yale, Alec Stern spends a summer working in an American computer company's Tokyo office. PW called this a "promising, if overly self-absorbed debut novel."
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Graceful ... reminiscent of Fitzgerald.... [It] leaves us holding our breath for more." ?San Francisco Chronicle

"Luminous...linger[s] after the story is finished." ?The New York Times Book Review

"Has freshness and energy...announces the debut of a bright new voice in fiction." ?The New York Times

"Schwartz subtly evokes the stirrings and upheavals of a culture, and a person, in transition." ?Detroit Free Press -- Review

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Vintage; 1st Vintage contemporaries ed edition (April 27, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037570275X
• ISBN-13: 978-0375702754
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #414,060 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice descriptions of places, but characters are stilted, July 29, 1999

By A Customer

I read the author's book "Reservation Road" and was blown away by it. This book was a big disappointment and I had to force myself to complete it. Having spent some time living in Japan, I enjoyed the descriptions of daily life, which are vivid. However, the characters seem to be pieces on a game board who are moved around artificially without motivations that ring true. Alternately the main character is thuddingly dull, or maddeningly self-involved. The characters around him are all very one-note, particularly the young women who seem to exist only for his pleasure. Read "Reservation Road," which is outstanding, and avoid this earlier effort at all costs.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good premise, ineffective rendering, January 12, 2001

By	lisatheratgirl "lisatheratgirl" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

The story of an American transplanted into Japanese society is a fascinating idea, and the author's descriptions of Tokyo and Japanese life and customs lived up to my expectations. The main character (Alec) however, seemed to be a stereotypical insensitive American, with not much feeling for anyone but himself. The other thing that got to me was the alternating of stories from Alec's childhood with the main action. It seems to be a popular technique, telling two stories in one, but it's not easy to pull off. In many of these novels, including Bicycle Days, I felt the author kept interrupting me in the middle of what I was interested in to drag me back to obscure past incidents that seemed irrelevant. As a reader I find this irritating. The only way it works is if the past story and the present one are equally interesting, or if the past contains some secret that is gradually being revealed and the author is building up the reader's suspense. Otherwise, divorced parents, loneliness at boarding school, sibling rivalry, the terrible angst of a rich WASP in New England, have been gone over so many times in so many books that this is no more than excess baggage.

3.0 out of 5 stars Unsatisfying, Yet Has Some Wonderful Characters, August 22, 2008

By	DJY51 (Westchester County, NY USA) - See all my reviews

Alec, a disconnected, detached, melancholy young adult, tries to escape his family ties by moving to Japan and starting life with a clean slate. Except he can't. His awkwardness follows him and creates similar situations halfway around the world.
Alec's lack of depth is astounding. He falls for an older Japanese woman, only to realize he lost her after she declares how difficult it is to love him. There's no urgency to his feelings, just acceptance of whatever happens. And then misgivings later. Or reliance on other people's advice.
The book ends with a choice Alec makes, and one is left with the feeling that ultimately, it wouldn't have mattered what he decided.
Schwartz' strong suit in this book is creating many endearing minor characters, particularly Grandfather.
I am not comfortable with melancholy people, and do not enjoy reading about them. They bore me to tears. So to be fair to this writer, I wish to say that there are large swaths of literature that are highly regarded for which I have no patience. I might be in the minority.