The Delectable Mountains, Or, Entertaining Strangers

This was my first Michael Malone book and I loved it. I'm not even going to get into reviewing the story, I'll just say that it was a fun book to read. I'd put it up there with all the "great coming of age novels" I've read. In fact if I had to choose between Catcher in the Rye, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, On the Road, and The Delectable Mountains.... I'd choose this book. The characters are engaging, the story is truely American and Moore keeps you entertained with all the twists and turns. Well woth reading.

Mrs. Amanda Thurston stands out as one of my all time favorite characters. Her stoic love and strength allows the reader to enjoy the craziness of the other characters as they swirl around her.This book is a kick to read with the quirkiness from the 1970's shining through, yet it is written against the background of the shootings of President and Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King and the war in VietNam. The characters in the book are searching how to make a life in the face of such violence and national upheaval. The Chapter "The Beginning of a Longer Journey" could have been written in 2003 instead of 1976. Not much progress made at all since then.

Now that Michael Malone's books are finally becoming available again, you'll want to add this one to your collection. As usual, the characters are wonderfully off-beat and no one does characterization quite like Michael Malone. Not as great as "Handling Sin" but still not to be missed.