Vinyl Cafe Diaries

i'm giving this book only 4 stars because i can't give it 4 3/4 stars, and though it isn't "OH MY GOD READ THIS" material, it is a great solid book, worth your time, with nothing i can say negetive about it. i would reccommend it to anyone who enjoys good stories told well. i saw this book in the airport and bought it. i know nothing of the vinyl cafe show (i do now, after reading on the internet about it) so it is all new to me. the writing is flawless. quick, to the point, not pretentious, humorous. the stories are interesting and the perfect lenght. they don't drag on and they are not too brief. i like the way the book is divided, four main chapters, one for each member of the family, and in each chapter four or so stories about that person. again, the writing is direct and interesting, it flows. it is entertaining for anyone, regardless of your interests of sense of humor. a very good book.

When I first began to read Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe series a number of years ago, I was struck at the comfort of his writing style. Part of that comes from his training as an on-air story teller. He has a Sunday morning radio show on CBC where he tells his stories to a live audience in small venues as he travells around Canada. That experience with instant audience reaction has trained him in his writing style. His stories remind me of a freshly turned garden. They smell natural, the people are of the earth. The stories are simple, but when planted, grow on you, like a flower, into something beautiful. Don't rush through the book. This is one best read one story at a time, with time in between to reflect on similar experiences you may have had during your lifetime.