Art in America

Art in America: A Novel McLarty is a marvelous writer. I fell in love with Memory of Running and then happily devoured his next book, Traveler. Two great and compelling stories wonderfully crafted and in a genre/class of their own. Couldn't wait to read Art in America expecting more of the same as apparently did the other reviewers here. But this latest book is nothing like the first two which was a dissapointment for some. I, on the other hand, love this new adventure McLarty takes us on. Whereas his first two books were like fine dining with an orderly first course, second course and so on, Art in America is like a fantastic all-you-can-eat buffet with plenty of rich and hearty characters and sub-plots to feast on from crusty old rancher, Ticky Lettgo holding on to the traditions of the Old West and Steven Kearney, the stimied, prolific author of scores of never-to-be-published works who leaves the demoralizing crush of New York City to hopefully re-arouse his muse way out West in the tiny Colorado town of Creedemore to the transplanted former Boston cop turned western sheriff, Petey Myers, and the dangerous and sinister environmental terrorists he must confront. There is a lot to chew on in this book. It is laugh out loud funny, touching, suspenseful, and poignant. It was not what I expected, but it ended up being a delicious stew that I enjoyed every minute of. So what if it isn't the same as his first two books?! A great storyteller like McLarty should be allowed to serve us up whatever he concocts. I, for one, am hungry and ready for whatever his next menu item shall be.

Steven Kearney is a plump, forty-something part-time playwright who, despite having written pages and pages of material, has yet to have anything produced or published. After his girlfriend dumps him for another man, and taking construction jobs to make ends meet, he moves in with his best friend, Roarke, a lesbian theater director desperate for inspiration just like he is. Seemingly out of nowhere comes an offer to be the playwright-in-residence in the small town of Creedemore, Colorado. With this honor comes the responsibility of writing a play to memorialize the town and its history. Kearney quickly accepts the position, thinking that this could be the job that gets those creative juices flowing. Colorado, here he comes! Kearney lands in Creedemore, right in the center of a bitter land dispute that has locals pitted against one another. In an effort to take advantage of the breathtaking natural bounty around him, Mountain Man Red Fields has cleverly started his own whitewater rafting business. But old Ticky Lettgo has taken issue with the rafts floating through his land, although Mountain Man contends that no one owns the water. Ticky decides to make his point the best way he knows how --- with his shotgun --- and gets a little too close for the tourists' comfort, not to mention safety. Amiable Sheriff Petey Meyers, a transplant from the Boston Police Department, is brought in to handle matters. Meyers is trying to adapt to life in Colorado but just can't seem to put his Beantown days behind him. His constant referrals (and sometimes flat-out conversations) to his slain partner lay bare just how his heart is not really in this job. He arrests Ticky, which kicks off a firestorm of media with everyone taking a very vocal side. Soon it doesn't seem to be about a dispute over land, but more a clash of the old chaffing against the new. After his arrest and his subsequent trial, Tick's ninety-something wife, Minnie, stops speaking and takes to her bed, with only the medal of her deceased Marine son to comfort her. Meanwhile, Kearney is struggling to get a handle on the job at hand. How can you commemorate a town when it's not your own? Luckily, he meets muralist Mollie Dowse, who has been commissioned to paint a mural for the town celebration. Mollie, with her quick wit and survivor instinct (she's bravely going through a strong course of chemotherapy after suffering from breast cancer), quickly becomes Kearney's muse, and the two set out to inspire each other. Ron McLarty has been known as a very prolific character actor for years. He first came to people's attention as a gifted novelist with his debut, THE MEMORY OF RUNNING. In this, his third outing, McLarty has all the requisite charm and colorful characters, but at times, the sheer number of individuals and situations seems to take away from the main narrative. Although it lacks the clear vision of his two earlier novels, ART IN AMERICA does display McLarty's talent as an author, which mana

I stumbled upon this novel first by being attracted by the title, then by being attracted by an author who was a veteran character actor with a background in theatre, and finally by thumbing through the beginning and seeing the hilarious list of the selected unpublished and unproduced (and overwritten) novels, poems, and plays of the novel's writer hero Steven Kearney. I simply could not put this hilarious book with all the zany characters and plots down. It is fun to laugh out loud. The novel itself could have been an early Sam Shepard play done Off Off Broadway in a basement of church on skid row with an audience of nine including friends and relatives. As crazy as each of the characters are sketched, and as looney as each of the plot twists are, I came to love each and everyone of them. There is a remarkable sense of poignancy here too. And it has moments where it is downright touching. If you an theatre artist in America and have a case of the blues, this just may pull you out of it. If anyone has access to Ron McLarty, tell him we want a sequel.

Ron McLarty proves over and over that he can tell a story. I was captured from the beginning and did not want to put the book down. I hope he is writing more, because I am waiting for his next book. This is a must read.