The Memory of Running

The Memory of Running is basically a road novel, the story of one man's redemption; it's about growing up, getting older, family and friends, mental illness and the Vietnam War. Smithy, a 43 year old Purple Heart recipient of the Vietnam War, is overweight and he drinks and smokes too much. With a lousy job, no friends, no girlfriend and an apartment he hates, he has just his parents and too many unhappy memories for company. After a tragedy strikes at home, Smithy sets off on a quixotic bike ri [...]

Onvan : The Memory of Running - Nevisande : Ron McLarty - ISBN : 143036688 - ISBN13 : 9780143036685 - Dar 384 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2004

Frankly, this was a good story. Maybe a GREAT story, but I hated the main character. I didn't start to "care" about the guy until almost 300 pages in, and really, "care" may be too strong a word. Why did I hate him? I just did. Maybe it was his obsession with all things big tittied. (Yes, I'm titless and bitter) I also thought the dialogue fell flat (heh.) and okay, okay! The boobs annoyed the crap out of me.Here's how it goes:Fat, lonely, drunk (FLD) loses both of his parents due to an accident [...]

This book surprised me. I bought it for .50 cents at a thrift store and took it on a trip to Mexico. I was touched by the simplicity of the main character and the overall discussion of mental illness--how horribly tragic and devastating it can be and how those with depression or other disorders suffer and how their loved ones suffer (and ache to heal them).

I thought this book was one for the classic shelf! It was a little hard for me to get into. At first, Smithy annoyed me, but as he discovered himself, the reader got to learn who he really is and that the person he had become was simply the chrysalis before the butterfly. I loved this book and would recommend it to all my friends!

I think that you have to be in a particular mood to thoroughly enjoy this book, and you can't over-analyze what I believe is its core message: Don't judge lest you be judged (quote from the book). Also, I think that the author makes it ieasy for us to relate to the main character, who eats and drinks to hide his pain. Not to say that we all eat and drink obsessively when something goes wrong, but its easy not to confront things that bother you than to deal with them head on.

In "Flowers for Algernon" Charley goes from handicapped, low IQ guy to super genius guy and then back again. There are similar emotions created in "The Memory of Running." A 43 year old Viet Nam veteran has had a series of difficult things hit him hard including 20 bullets and a tragically flawed and beautiful, but mentally ill sister's disappearance. And so, he is has become overweight, a heavy smoker and drinker with a minimal job, kind of a slob with no real friends, no real life.I won't take [...]

Interestingly enough this book was released on audio before it ever saw print. Stephen King raved about it, and helped push Ron McLarty's writing into the spotlight. THE MEMORY OF RUNNING is a brilliant novel, and one of my all time favorites. Highly recommended.

Yes.

Recommended to me by a good friend, I began reading this work as an obligation to said friend, and while it took a while to get into it, I was soon sold and began to care about what was to happen to each character and the journey they were on. I love a good story and this is definitely a good story for those that enjoy what may appear, on the surface, to be the lighter side of life, but in truth, explores much deeper issues. Very enjoyable and best of all, an appropriate ending.

This is one of the hardest reviews for me to write. I tore through this book in two days,all the while being intrigued,fascinated, repelled, pissed off. There are parts of this book that I loved with little kernels of wisdom. And then there are parts that should have been better researched. Smithy, our main character takes off on a bike trip across the US. Shades of Forrest Gump on wheels. Having just lost both parents due to a car accident,he is truly alone. His sister, has long ago disappeared [...]

The Memory of Running is a beautiful and sad piece of fiction. A modern-day, overweight, middle-aged Odysseus begins a transformative trek across the country, during which he meets odd characters, avoids (and succumbs to) dangers, and regains his life and himself. At the same time, the story of his family is told in flashback, especially the story of his sister, who is stricken with schizophrenia in the prime of her life. The disease will rob his sister of everything - her connections to family [...]

I listened to the audio version of this book, and the flashbacks telling the story of his early life and his sister, Bethany, were very engaging. I was far less impressed with the present-day journey. I couldn't get past the whole "you have got to be kidding" syndrome. Come on. A forty-something, 300 lb. alcoholic smoker gets on his childhood bike one day and just keeps going? Okay, maybe he found inner strength to not miss the vodka, and to ignore what I am sure would have to be serious physica [...]

What an intriguing plot! I was hooked after the first two paragraphs. Within the first few pages, you know more about the main character Smithy and the catastrophic events of his life from the previous day. He is a run-down, going-nowhere guy who knows that his life is crumbling all around him. He gets through the initial stages of loss by remembering touching yet difficult memories of his sister, and sharing many of his painful secrets with a woman. A great get-off-your-ass awakening that revea [...]

"I gave the Raleigh a few steps, sat ridiculously on the seat, and began to coast on the flat tire rims of my bike, down our little hill."With this inauspicious beginning, Smithson Ide starts a journey that will take him thousands of miles, across the landscape of America and through the uncertain territory of memory."The Memory of Running" is an extraordinary novel, and I do not use that word lightly. It is well-written, in a simple, uncluttered style that I found quite refreshing. It is one of [...]

Stephen King personally insisted that I read this book (okay, he recommended it to me AND thousands of others in an Entertainment Weekly column) so here I am. His write up was so enthusiastic that I couldn’t resist. And I’m glad I didn’t.The Memory of Running is the story of Smithson Ide, your every day boy next door growing up in New England during the 60’s. The story is told in a series of flashbacks and narrated by 40-something Smithy.Smithy’s sister Bethany constantly told him to k [...]

I loved this book so much I hardly know where to begin It had a terrific premise and even better execution The main character, Smithy, in some ways reminded me of a less-socially-apt friend of mine which may sound unkind, but Smithy’s character was both noble and quite heroic in his own way. In fact, if my friend ever decides to read fiction, I will recommend this to him. Honestly, I would recommend this to anyone, really - it was that good. I still can't get over the fact that the author appe [...]

this book is awful. the writing is so contrived and predictable the author often forgets what he previously wrote resulting in a lot inconsistencies throughout the book. he is racist (the race of only black characters are noted), sexist (has a bizarre oedipal obsession with breasts) and homophobic (one character tells unfunny, highly inappropriate jokes). also, I swear, there is product placement sprinkled in there as well. fuck was this book bad. so horrible, in fact, that i would feel guilty i [...]

I almost never randomly read books I don't know anything about due to the fact I have such a long list of books I already know I want to read. This book was an exception to that rule. It was a mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the idea of the story and some of the scenes were poignant but there was also a lot that could have been cut out and some of the dialogue felt extremely tedious. In the end, I appreciate the story McLarty told and it was a quick and easy read.

A sympathetic tale about a lonely, passive blob of a man who sits around, drinks, has a dead-end job and answers most questions with "I don't know." Smithy is haunted by memories of his schizophrenic sister who disappeared long ago and for a long-time he has just been biding time. With the death of both parents in a single car crash, Smithy is jolted into action. He takes off on his childhood Raleigh with just the clothes on his back on what turns out to be a cross-country journey. He encounters [...]

WALK - DON'T RUN THROUGH THIS BOOK. The Memory of Running is a story you will want to take your time with. Let the emotions and characters wash over you slowly to absorb every drop. Smithson Ides (Smithy) is a middle-aged man whose life has been compounded with constant obstacles surrounding his sister, Bethany, who deals with severe mental issues. The toll taken and damage inflicted on Smithy and his parents was, at times, unbearable and as the story progressed I felt actual pain as Bethany str [...]

Probably one of my favorite road books. Just behind On the Road and Smashed, Squashed, Splattered, Chewed, Chunked and Spewed.

This novel eloquently describes a man's transformation following loss and a lifetime of failure. His goodness is slowly revealed as he discovers his purpose and finds love. Highly recommend.

The Memory of RunningThere's a point in this book where the principal character describes the hot dogs he has eaten. He has spent all his money on hot dogs and eaten them and while he reflects that hot dogs are not good food, they feel like they should be good food. Hot dogs are food made by someone who cooks a lot but has no real concept of nutrition. This book is a novel written by someone who knows how to write a novel but doesn't seem to have a very good concept of how people work.But maybe [...]

Stephen King said the following about the audiobook in 2003, before the written book was published. By the time I'd read about the audiobook, the written book has been published and I read it. It was wonderful, I cared about the protagonist, and I'm so glad SK took the time to promote it!From Entertainment Weekly, 9/11/2003 column titled "Listen Up: The best book you can't read. No, "The Memory of Running" isn't in print, but you can still hear it." "My gig at EW isn't writing book reviews, but [...]

i didnt really get the whole things, what the writer wanna convey in this.i didnt finish this, i made myself finish.

I was waffling back and forth on what to give this book. 4 Stars? 5 Stars? I'm still not real sure. I think I'll stick with 4 Stars though. I picked this book up almost a year ago from the Goodwill, solely on the pretty cover and the recommendation from my most favorite author ever, Stephen King. The blurb sounded interesting too, but without the King rec, I probably wouldn't have bought it since I don't read a whole lot of regular "mainstream" type fiction. I can say for certain though that I'm [...]

I read this book because I wanted to partake in the Elizabeth Bank's book club on her site. I would not have chosen it otherwise. I have no idea how it is/was a National Bestseller. The story is about a man in his 40s who is overweight, a smoker, an alcoholic, and has a dead-end job. His parents are both killed in a car accident and his older sister, who suffers from a severe mental illness, has been missing for decades. The only people left in his life now are his aunt/uncle and the crippled gi [...]

Well, I was definitely expecting a lot more from this book.The story seems promising, at first. It begins with the main character, Smithy, forced into a turning point in his life. And I really wanted him to make it through.However, the more I read, the more frustrated with this book and character I became. I can appreciate a difficult character. I rather like deeply flawed and imperfect characters. But this character's flaws weren't actually his and were instead the author's. What should have be [...]

A lovely tale of a man who sets out on a cross-country bike ride after learning that his older sister has died a Jane Doe in Los Angeles in the same week his elderly parents are killed in a car wreck. Alternating between his present journey from his home in Rhode Island and the events that led up to his mentally ill sister leaving the family home as a teenager, Smithson "Smithy" Ide sets out on a journey of self discovery and reclaims his life. An overweight, drunken slob at the beginning of thi [...]