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A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

GatheringBooks, sprainedbrain, LeahBergen, Leftcoastzen, Reviewsbylola, emilyhaldi, youneverarrived, MicheleinPhilly, mklong, Suet624, merelybookish, saresmoore, batsy, vivastory, BarbaraBB, Liz_M, Theaelizabet

BarbaraBB After finishing it I lost all sympathy I had felt for Salty during the book. I somehow am afraid he will turn out to be just as can be expected, growing up with those parents. I think that is the best part of the book, that you start it thinking he will grow up being better than them and later on conclude he wasn‘t able to escape their influence on who he became. 4y

batsy My reaction to the end is mixed and I'm confused by my own reaction and not quite sure what I think. It was only towards the end that I felt something at stake for Salty; the ironic veneer cracked, there was pain there. But also the flip in his character seemed unearned to me; it was abrupt and weird. I don't know. I was thinking after I finished it that this might work better as a play, maybe? Or indeed—a movie. 4y

vivastory I think he will continue to manipulate his father until he passes away & then will control his estate & will begin talking about what a great actor & human being is in order to continue making money off of his parents' former fame. 4y

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vivastory @batsy I def had the feeling that it read as a play at times 4y

Billypar @BarbaraBB Agreed! I also thought it was unique that the narrator didn't seem to be writing from a place of greater wisdom. The last line: 'I went into the world well-armed' makes it seem like his takeaway is not to be tricked by charismatic con-artists, but he had little knowledge about what people were like outside of his particular bubble. 4y

BarbaraBB @Billypar Exactly, he had no clue about life beyond his bubble. 4y

Billypar @batsy It did seem abrupt: he really kept his emotional responses at a distance. Like before the engagement ring incident you wondered how he was so patient with putting up with his father's insanity. And he must have had an intense reaction to his mother's absence but he either leaves that part out or he never dealt with his feelings until they boiled over. 4y

batsy @Billypar Yes, yes! Exactly this. 4y

vivastory @Billypar Couldn't say it any better! Is this yet one more month proving the shortcomings of the novella as a form? 😬 @batsy 4y

sisilia @vivastory @batsy We read an excellent novella a few months ago 😁

Chess Story

vivastory @sisilia True! It was excellent. I feel like a novella might be the most demanding fictional form, even harder than a short story to pull off. 4y

Leftcoastzen I read it as an event that‘s a life changing moment.I can see Salty working on the relationship as far as getting dad to pay for his education, but engagement ring incident might be the last straw.In real life I saw that Darcy‘s mom outlived him, of course you never know how autobiographical book May be , but she must have cleaned up her act a bit. 4y

Suet624 That deal with the ring definitely was a showstopper. Parents ripping off their kids is a really big bummer. I have a feeling Salty will leave his dad in the dust. 4y

GatheringBooks I thought the ring incident was one of the many disappointments and heartaches Salty had to endure - it‘s like his parents always blindside him despite them being completely predictable. Like he continually hopes for a better outcome but ends up cleaning their messes, scraping by, or hustling them. I felt the growth was credible, seeing how his entire life seems built on quicksand. He merely flounders and flails and wryly capitalizes on his pain. 4y

Reviewsbylola Yeah I agree with @Suet624. It felt like that was Salty‘s awakening and he was fully aware of who his parents really were. Done making excuses for them. I don‘t believe we would have had a relationship with his dad moving forward. 4y

24 likes15 comments

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

BarbaraBB I don‘t even remember. I must have skimmed too much I realize now. 4y

Billypar I thought the scenes were well done, but I didn't have a strong reaction either way. From the stories I hear about Sinatra, I feel like he'd be in good company with this crowd 😬 4y

vivastory During the Sinatra cameo I had to check the copyright of the book (1977) as it seems like inclusion of celebrities in fiction is contemporary. This seemed to be more natural considering the setting of the book & who the characters are I didn't find it distracting. I didn't really get anything from the Sinatra scene, but I did find the Ford scene interesting. 4y

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vivastory @Billypar 😂 4y

sisilia @vivastory I loved it when Ford recommended a list of authors 4y

batsy Like @vivastory I perked up a bit at the Ford scene. @sisilia I enjoyed that, too! And although I just finished the book for the life of me I can't recall the Sinatra scene 😳🙈 4y

vivastory @sisilia Same! 4y

Leftcoastzen I loved the Ford scenes. I just figured celebrities come with the territory.I know something about old Pacific Coast league baseball, so I enjoyed the scenes including them early in the book. 4y

Suet624 @BarbaraBB Your comments keep making me laugh out loud. 4y

Suet624 @batsy I can't remember the Sinatra scene either! Did it have anything to do with the mafia? 4y

BarbaraBB @Suet624 I am a bit cynical regarding this book I know 🤦🏻‍♀️ 4y

GatheringBooks I thought the inclusion of celebrities was par for the course, they were after all living (or lived through what was left of) the “high life” in Hollywood, the name-dropping was inevitable. 4y

Reviewsbylola I thought it really brought to life the authentic rat pack backdrop for the book. 4y

24 likes13 comments

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

Billypar I think the quirks made them seem like spoiled, overgrown children. At first I thought his father was showing early onset dementia, but as it went, the naval commander act seemed more like an adult game of pretend that he was unconsciously using to recall a time when he felt in charge of his life. 4y

Billypar There were other less extreme examples that didn't seem far from what people still do today. Like Marshall's aspirations to make this ridiculous film about General McArthur to avoid the sad reality of his own circumstances. There were no wise characters to rely on, only people living in their own warped fantasies. 4y

sisilia @Billypar Yeah, I thought it‘s their way of diverting from the real-life problems... sometimes it‘s easier to ‘play‘ to preserve the good memories 4y

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BarbaraBB To me they were irritating but I must warn you that I found almost all about this book irritating 😉 4y

batsy I found the quirks irritating like @BarbaraBB but I think I understand what O'Brien was trying to do; depict a privileged atmosphere removed from reality & revelling in its own excess as @Billypar points out. But for me as a reader it kept me at a distance. I found it hard to find a way into the book, so to speak, and the irritation only grew. 4y

vivastory I think that the quirks & eccentricities added some humor to what would have otherwise been a very bleak novella. I couldn't help but think of the quirks of characters in Great Expectations & Life & Opinions of Tristram Shandy. 4y

Billypar @vivastory That's a good way to characterize it - my reaction was to laugh at the ridiculous behavior and quirks but feel vaguely depressed after 😅😯 4y

vivastory @Billypar I had conflicting emotions about this novella & although I ended up rating it as a pick I could easily see having panned it if I read it a different day, feeling not quite as tolerable of incredibly flawed characters 4y

Billypar @vivastory I think the lifelike characters (however flawed) and dry humor sealed it for me. Like, they were terrible and annoyed me, but at least were never boring. Usually the stark realism of some literary fiction in the 70s and 80s isn't my favorite period to read. 4y

Leftcoastzen I guess I liked it more than some of you , maybe because I craved adults behaving badly books when I was a kid.Though I can‘t personally relate, I can imagine the more money you had (though for these characters it was running out)and the more you were used to being treated like movie stars, your grip on reality, less than stellar.The realist in me make me wonder how children survive this sort of upbringing . Ice cream for breakfast , anyone? 4y

Suet624 The quirks may have been the only thing that kept me connected to the story. Speaking of characters...what about his mother? Holy cow. 4y

GatheringBooks @Suet624 i am with you, here. I found the quirks fascinating, distinct, & consistent across each character, like they were drawn from real-life portraits (which they probably are). In fact, some of the chapters can serve as stand-alone vignettes because of the eccentricities that make each one fully embodied, flawed as they may be. Yet, their humanity shone through. Not that I empathized because I also felt very much like an outsider thruout. 4y

vivastory @GatheringBooks I agree. I think that the eccentricities was a nice way to add depth & humanity to the characters in the novella format. That's a good point that certain chapters read like vignettes. 4y

Reviewsbylola It totally added to the comedic aspect of the book. I loved the Calibans and their stuffed bears, although Jerry‘s vengeful streak was a bit much. I couldn‘t believe it when he hacked up the chair. Poor Mrs Caliban and her magic fingers. 😂 4y

LeahBergen All these quirks are the reason I probably liked this novel as much as I did. The narrator‘s time at the Calibans was my favourite part of the book! @Reviewsbylola 4y

Reviewsbylola Absolutely mine too! @leahbergen 4y

22 likes16 comments

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

Be True to Your School: A Diary of 1964

Billypar I read Catcher in high school, but I remember the character of Holden Caulfield more than the voice of the narration. For Way of Life, I did think it was interesting how the narrator largely avoided mentioning the thoughts and perceptions of himself as a boy, so while we might be thinking 'what a phony!', we realize his younger self is seeing none of this. It makes his eventual disillusionment more interesting to observe. 4y

sisilia Good one @Billypar I DNF Catcher when I first picked it up 20 years ago or so. I noticed that Salty‘s not as insufferable as Holden, wiser to a certain extent, probably was clouded by the disillusionment as you pointed 4y

BarbaraBB I read The Catcher in the Rye when I was young and remember feeling connected to Holden. I didn‘t feel any connection to Salty. This might be because I am not young anymore yet I think the comparison is one a bit too much praise for A Way Of Life! 4y

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sisilia @BarbaraBB Wow, now I want to pick up Catcher again 4y

Billypar It is an interesting contrast - I feel like Salty (I can't write that name without cracking up a little 😅) was the voice of reason in an insane world but ultimately ended up cynical and self-centered as a result. Whereas Holden saw hypocrisy in more ordinary situations, but as insufferable as he was at times, he still had an earnest desire to connect with people. 4y

batsy I read Catcher so long ago, as well, so that's a great point @Billypar . I think there are similarities in tone & perspective; the self-deprecating ironic style. I am tempted to re-read Catcher now to see if I would still think that! 4y

vivastory I read Catcher both in high school & then again a couple of years ago. Having some life experience behind me during my reread, I actually appreciated it more during my reread. I def think it's one of those books that are rewarding the more distance you get from your own adolescence. For O'Brien's book I almost immediately thought of Holden, especially the way that he started telling his story with his use of voice. But that disappeared after 4y

vivastory (cont.) the first couple of chapters. Personally, as a character, I find Salty way more intolerable than Holden. 4y

Leftcoastzen I think Holden is more earnest and is in an existential crisis while Salty uses a level of detachment to survive.His humor about” see what I go through” has a certain charm, yet I feel how could he not become cynical and manipulative to survive.Or at the least he is saying I had to raise myself because these people are incapable! (edited) 4y

Suet624 @BarbaraBB I agree with everything you've said. :)
4y

Suet624 @Leftcoastzen He certainly offered a portrait that I've always held of Hollywood parents. With rare exceptions, they seem incapable of raising children who feel loved and appreciated. Salty had a lot to deal with.
4y

GatheringBooks Just like everyone I read Catcher way back during my undergraduate years - 20 odd years ago. I never understood the hype then, & read it with a measure of detachment. But I do see the parallels between Holden & Salty. Yet while I was unable to fully be sympathetic with Salty, I did feel his “baggage” - louis vuitton as it may be, there were clear instances of child abuse/endangerment he experienced that he shouldn‘t have gone through. 4y

GatheringBooks @Leftcoastzen i agree about the survival part; I thought he was street smart and knew how to fend for himself at a young age, mainly because he had very little choice in the matter. While everything seemed glam, it was also shallow and empty, the chase for beauty momentary and all-consuming and at the end of it all, plain silly. Yet it wreaks so much unacknowledged pain. 4y

Leftcoastzen @GatheringBooks great comments! 4y

Reviewsbylola I liked the matter of fact tone of the narration. I can see comparisons to Catcher. Makes sense. The one book I was thinking about as I read (one of my favorites) was

sisilia @Reviewsbylola Will check out that book 📚 4y

Reviewsbylola The tone reminded me a bit of this one, although it‘s a very different book. It‘s a diary written by a high school student in 1964. Fascinating look in to that era. 4y

LeahBergen @vivastory I‘ve somehow made it to this age without reading Catcher. 😮😮 You‘ve (re)inspired me to read it with your comment about appreciating it more as an adult. 4y

vivastory @LeahBergen I'm happy to hear that! I really do believe that it has a lot to say about the disillusionment with adolescent ideals & loss of childhood friends, but not in an overwhelmingly painful way. Salinger intended for it to be read for adults & I think both teens and adults get different meanings from it. 4y

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A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

Billypar I really enjoyed dialogue like that, both realistic and also absurd in how passionate he was about something so banal (delicious as they are). It reminded me of that 'Plastics' quote from the opening scene of The Graduate. 4y

Billypar Also, did anyone else laugh at this early enthusiasm for avocado toast? I half expected him to say, 'Mark my words, someday restaurants will charge 12.99 for one of these.' 4y

sisilia @Billypar "I've got one word for you, Benjamin: plastics.” ? I loved this avocado part; Sterling was right, now we have avocado everything ? 4y

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BarbaraBB It made me laugh too and like you @Billypar I chuckled at the mention of avocado toast back then! 4y

vivastory @Billypar @barbarabb I agree completely. I found this section very humorous. 😂 4y

vivastory As to Heaney's quote, I agree with him. Sterling's speech was one of the longer in the book & it was on of all things avocados! 4y

batsy I enjoyed the avocado bits, too. They were avocado toast millennials before it was a thing ? Love the Wodehouse comparison! I found many lines funny and witty. Mr. Liszt, who always arrived at midnight, "looking as though he had walked from Vienna", his carnation reaction ? Also "His left eye was now that of a twenty-five-year-old female with a social conscience killed on the freeway, and so fiercely did the male eye compete with the female..." 4y

saresmoore After having lived in LA and then moving back to the east coast, I became hyper aware of just how much trends originate in that glittering entertainment Mecca. It‘s fascinating to see how culture (including agriculture) is influenced by the U.S. west coast. I think that‘s what stood out to me, in addition to the humor—I get the impression that O‘Brien was commenting on something much larger than his upbringing. 4y

sisilia @batsy 🤣 I LOL-ed on those... so many funny lines, but somehow I found it difficult to connect with the story to truly enjoy it 4y

saresmoore Yes, @batsy those are great examples! I found myself snorting out loud many times. The characterizations were so tongue in cheek. It‘s that humor that balances between ridiculous and too painfully real. 4y

vivastory @saresmoore I hope everything is going well with you! 4y

Leftcoastzen Avocado toast! The book did have a Wodehouse tone at times, a bittersweet tone too. I love odd characters with an obsession. 4y

Suet624 I wish I had tagged the sections that made me chuckle. There were quite a few. That's what kept me interested in the book. Sterling and his appreciation of avocados reminded me of myself, sitting in a corner at a party and all of a sudden coming out with a longwinded explanation of a recent delightful moment. Unexpected and random. FYI: I had my first avocado toast last year and it was in Cali. So good. 4y

GatheringBooks I know i finished reading the book and enjoyed it, but couldn‘t for the life of me recall this scene. After reading everyone‘s comments, I sort of vaguely recall it, but it never made such an impact on me. I think the humour of this particular scene is lost on me. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Interesting that the scene even made it in the Introduction which should have alerted me to its importance, but it simply didn‘t register. 🤣😂 4y

Billypar I have to add one more of my favorite avocado parts. After Maggie has already chastised Sterling once about going on about avocados, she is talking about a tuna boat captain, and then there's the line: ' "If you mix..." Sterling began.' ?? 4y

vivastory @Billypar 😂 4y

Reviewsbylola I could have had more of Sterling. He and Maggie were a funny couple and I found myself more interested in the chapters that included them and the mom. Her life was just as depressing as the dad‘s but in a comedic way. 4y

sisilia @Reviewsbylola The mother‘s life is definitely more interesting than the father‘s 😀 but i‘m not a fan of hers. Such a selfish person (edited) 4y

LeahBergen Dang! I forgot to join the discussion this weekend! 4y

LeahBergen @Billypar Yes!! 😆😆 I was like “avocado toast??” 4y

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Lord of the Flies: New Educational Edition

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

#NYRBBookClub Looking forward to the discussion! 😘

BarbaraBB How did you get this picture - which is wider than that of the book?! 4y

sisilia @BarbaraBB I googled “The Good Life”, Slim Aarons 😬 He has a series of artworks 4y

BarbaraBB So cool!! 4y

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BarbaraBB Thanks for organizing @sisilia and @vivastory 💚 4y

vivastory @BarbaraBB Thanks for joining! 4y

Liz_M @sisilia your questions look fantastic. Sorry I wasn't able to read this one and join the discussion. Too many books this month! 4y

sisilia No worries @Liz_M 😃 4y

Reviewsbylola Joining in now. I didn‘t get to this one until yesterday. Luckily it was a quick read! 😅 4y

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batsy

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

so-so

This book might have been a bail or even a pan, but O'Brien's writing is what saves it for me. The "comic spirit" that Seamus Heaney refers to in his intro (wrt to James Joyce's comments on Flann O'Brien ?) is evident. Otherwise I found it a book that was hard to get into, & whenever I picked it up I just went "Hmm". The strongest reaction I can muster up is a shrug; it was probably only in the last quarter where I felt something. #nyrbbookclub

batsy @sisilia @vivastory 4y

sisilia I felt exactly the same about this one 😆 4y

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Leftcoastzen

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

pick

#NYRBBookclub I was a kid raised by responsible, appropriate, & loving parents.Honesty , I always wondered if I could have survived narcissistic, selfish & inappropriate parents.I laughed & cringed through this months pick.I was always looking for books like this when I was much too young to read them, hiding them under the bed & reading them under the blanket with a flashlight.Looking forward to our discussion!🍸

sisilia, vivastory

vivastory Great review! Definitely laughed myself a few times. Reminded more than once of After Claude with the use of humor. I was telling a friend last night about the stuffed bears 😂 4y

MicheleinPhilly Great review. When I was a kid I used to fantasize about being raised by rich, selfish assholes like this - working class, strict, Catholic parents had me thinking the grass was greener...God, I was dumb. 😂 4y

Leftcoastzen @vivastory I seem to attract bears . Irving‘s extremely dysfunctional family meet Susie the bear (person in a bear suit)in

The Hotel New Hampshire

Leftcoastzen @MicheleinPhilly Mine were similar to yours . I didn‘t appreciate it then but probably ended up a better person for having the parents I had.I did know a family w/ 3 boys & a girl , not supervised. At first, I thought it was cool , but it was more like

MicheleinPhilly Exactly. I‘m so grateful now that they raised us the way they did because now I see what type of people the people who were raised with no boundaries have become. 😒 4y

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A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

pick

The narrator of this novella is fully realized in the final third. And it's not pleasant. The reader witnesses the quick dissolution, this is a novella after all, of the marriage of narrator's unpleasant & co-dependent famous parents (actors) & his adolescent years. Every character in this is flawed to varying degrees. Looking for the others to *fix* them, emotionally or financially, their illusions are as tenuous as those of the silver screen.👇

vivastory I didn't love this one. It was a pick, for sure for O'Brien's handling of the material at the end. I'm honestly reeling a bit from the ending. I think the last NYRB ending that effected me as strongly was perhaps Iza's Ballad. I definitely liked IB more, but the more I think about it the more I think this is a solid novella and I'm not sure what O'Brien should have changed. #NYRBBooks 4y

vivastory @sisilia 4y

Billypar I actually thought of Iza's Ballad after I finished. On the surface they have nothing in common, but both had a slow to develop plot with highly realistic (and somewhat unlikable) characters and unexpected dramatic shifts towards the end. 4y

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vivastory @Billypar I feel like at the end of IB at least Ettie had some sense of where she went wrong (although it was too late) in this one it was of course greed on the narrator's part. 4y

LeahBergen I felt much the same. I gave it a “pick” and 4 stars on Goodreads but... I didn‘t love it. I‘m still trying to decide what my feelings are exactly. 😆😆 4y

vivastory @LeahBergen I feel like this will be a good one to discuss! 4y

Billypar Yes, Ettie certainly ended up in a different place! 4y

Suet624 Great review. Your thoughts are helpful in me seeing it in a bit different light. 4y

BarbaraBB Agreeing with @suet624. As usually you bring something extra to the book! 4y

vivastory @Suet624 Thanks, Sue. It was another great discussion today! 4y

vivastory @BarbaraBB Thanks, friend! I really enjoyed all of the perspectives in our discussion today! 4y

Liz_M https://twitter.com/nyrbclassics/status/1352330984415518721?s=09 Because nyrb isn't done with the Bernie meme yet. 3y

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Billypar

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

pick

One of those books that can look two different ways depending on the angle. The humor is biting and revels in the absurdity of the characters in this boy's orbit but the story is ultimately sad. His parents and their friends are pretty terrible people but they're also supremely oblivious to the state of their lives and pathetic as a result. I liked the subtle way the boy becomes wise to his parents' delusions but also blind to his own moral decay.

britt_brooke Nice review! 4y

Billypar #nyrbbookclub @vivastory @sisilia 4y

BarbaraBB Well thought review. I‘m looking forward to the weekend / discussion! 4y

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vivastory Well said! O'Brien definitely excelled at creating human characters, flaws and all. Turns out that the worst is probably the narrator! 4y

Billypar @britt_brooke Thanks! 🙂 4y

Billypar @BarbaraBB Thanks - I'm looking forward to it also! Each nyrb pick is so different- there is always new territory to delve into. 4y

Billypar @vivastory Yeah - I wasn't expecting that change in the character dynamics: it was interesting to see how the final chapters unfolded. 4y

LeahBergen Ah, exactly... his own moral decay! Nicely put. 4y

batsy This wasn't working for me and I was thinking of bailing. But your intriguing review has pulled me back in 😆 4y

Billypar @LeahBergen Yeah, it was interesting to see in what is supposed to be an autobiographical novel- looking forward to discussing further! 4y

Billypar @batsy I'm selfishly hoping you finish it so I can hear your thoughts! 😅 4y

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Suet624

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

so-so

Two famous actors have a child. This is the son‘s story. Following the first chapter the actors lose roles and lose their way and the son is left to grow up on his own. (Apparently this is somewhat autobiographical? That was unclear to me.) There were some clever lines but overall the book was underwhelming.

#NYRBbookclub

sisilia, vivastory

BarbaraBB I felt so too. I read somewhere it was the greatest coming of age story ever, but I can‘t find anymore who said so. They were wrong in any case. 4y

LeahBergen Happy Birthday, my friend! I hope you have a lovely day. 😘📚😘📚 4y

batsy I'm struggling so much too, @BarbaraBB and like I mentioned to @sisilia I'm tempted to bail! I'm not interested in picking it back up again and a day has passed... *cue ominous music* 😂 4y

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Suet624 @batsy I was usually not interested in picking it up either. 😂😂 4y

Suet624 @BarbaraBB definitely wrong about the greatest coming of age. Although it was written in 1977. Does that make a difference? Maybe whoever said that was a friend of O‘Brien? 4y

Suet624 @LeahBergen thank you so much, Leah! Greatly appreciated. Never ever thought I‘d grow up to be 65! So many misadventures along the way. 😂😂 4y

BarbaraBB 65? Wow! Congratulations 🎈 4y

BarbaraBB @batsy I understand. It doesn‘t add much to what I already know or read, I feel. 4y

Suet624 @BarbaraBB Haha. Yup. And thanks. 💕 4y

vivastory Happy Birthday 🎂🎉 👏📚 4y

50 likes10 comments

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

so-so

3⭐️ Hmmmm... I was left cold with this one. A typical coming-of-age story in a dysfunctional family, I found nothing appealing about it #nyrbbookclub

vivastory Ah, that's a shame. I really thought I was going to end up rating it a so-so too until the end. Should be an interesting discussion though! 4y

sisilia @vivastory Indeed! Looking forward to the discussion 😍 4y

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Suet624

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

The only cool spot available in this 90 degree heat. Chipmunks and baby birds are distracting me from this book.

Aims42 That looks like an awesome reading spot 😍 4y

kspenmoll Looks lovely with all the green trees. It‘s been in the 90s here too. 4y

Reviewsbylola I hope you‘re enjoying it! I‘ll be starting soon. 4y

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Suet624 @Aims42 It is! Especially early in the morning when the neighborhood is quiet. :)
4y

Suet624 @kspenmoll This feels like August weather, not June weather. 4y

Suet624 @Reviewsbylola I like parts of it. Unfortunately I don't find myself rushing to get to it. 4y

BarbaraBB I know what you mean ⬆️ 4y

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OriginalCyn620, Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

Join my co-host @sisilia & I Sat 6/27 (10 PM SST/9 AM CST) as we discuss O'Brien's book. Reviews are mixed so far. Should make for another lively discussion. As always chime in when you can & I hope you are well. #NYRBBookClub
@BarbaraBB @emilyhaldi @sprainedbrain @mklong @youneverarrived @LeahBergen @Leftcoastzen @Liz_M @merelybookish @MicheleinPhilly @GatheringBooks @saresmoore @Reviewsbylola @batsy @Suet624 @Theaelizabet @Billypar

Reviewsbylola I‘ll be starting this one ASAP! 4y

vivastory @Reviewsbylola I'm starting this weekend 👍 4y

LeahBergen Weird... I wasn‘t notified that I was tagged here. 🤔 4y

vivastory @LeahBergen I didn't receive any of my notifications yesterday 😬 4y

64 likes4 comments

BarbaraBB

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

#BookReport 25/20

An interesting reading week it has been. I loved Apartment and was disappointed by both America for Beginners and the tagged one - despite its great cover. Looking forward though to the #NYRBBookClub discussion about it!

Cinfhen

TrishB Hope it‘s a good discussion 👍🏻 4y

keithmalek Great cover! 4y

squirrelbrain Urgh 2 disappointments out of 3 is a bit ‘meh‘! 😕 4y

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Cinfhen Sorry you had a few meh reads.... those NYRB appear to aren‘t all be winners😉 4y

BarbaraBB @Cinfhen Apartment made up for the other two! 4y

Suet624 I read the advance copy of America and liked it. Makes me wonder where we differ in our thoughts about it. I read it so long ago I‘d never be able to remember what I liked about it. 😀 4y

BarbaraBB @Suet624 I liked it too but I think it‘s a forgettable story - as you are proving 😉. To me it felt like a book I‘ve read before if I express myself correctly. 4y

Suet624 Yes, I can understand that. 😊💕 4y

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BarbaraBB

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

so-so

Among a bunch of asshole parents surrounded by asshole friends a kid grows up to turn into an asshole himself too. But hey, this is Hollywood and it‘s all about making, taking, braking and faking.
I got the point but wasn‘t blown away.

#NYRBBookClub #SummerFun #ComingOfAge

sisilia, vivastory, StayCurious, alisiakae

vivastory Yikes! I'm starting this one this weekend. Was the intro interesting? One of the best readings I've been to was a conversation Seamus Heany had with his interviewer when I lived in Minneapolis. 4y

alisiakae Well your review gave me a good chuckle! 😄 4y

cathysaid 😂👏😂👏 4y

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BarbaraBB @vivastory The intro was good. So was the book I think. Just me I guess! 4y

LeahBergen 😂😂 Great review! 4y

BarbaraBB @LeahBergen Have you finished it yet? What did you think? 4y

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LeahBergen

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

And it‘s time to start our next #NYRBBookClub pick. 👏🏻👏🏻

Leftcoastzen I gotta start!🤦‍♀️ 4y

Cinfhen It‘s such a GREAT cover!!! And it makes for a lovely photograph ❤️ 4y

LeahBergen @Leftcoastzen It‘s a short one. 👍🏻 4y

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LeahBergen @Cinfhen It IS a great cover, isn‘t it? 😄 4y

batsy @Leftcoastzen Same! (I seem to say this every month 🙈) 4y

Leftcoastzen @batsy we can do it !as @LeahBergen said , it‘s a short one! 4y

vivastory I always love the NYRB cover art, but I find this one especially inspiring 4y

Reviewsbylola I enjoyed this one so much! 4y

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GatheringBooks

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

#BoundTogetherJune Day 13: We did #relax our quarantine mode a little bit for our 22nd wedding anniversary last Monday. Chili‘s was especially worth it.

Eggs How fun 👏🏻🤗🥳 4y

Cathythoughts Fab ✨ 4y

OriginalCyn620 Yum! 😋 4y

PaperbackPirate Happy Anniversary! 4y

Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks Awesome 💗💗💗 4y

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GatheringBooks

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

#JamminJune Day 13: I think our #NYRBBookClub pick for June fits the #PinkAndBlueCovers - there is the infinite blue here and the fuschia/pink-coloured fonts for the title. How yummy is the molten chocolate cake right? We braved the 50 degree temp in the car and the 43 degrees weather outdoors for our anniversary dinner.

Eggs

Helen19 @GatheringBooks possibly the first time that the books haven‘t been the first thing to catch my eye in a picture. Food looks amazing! 4y

Reviewsbylola Such a gorgeous cover. I‘m excited about adding this one to my collection! 4y

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GatheringBooks

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

#JamminJune Day 7: I am ready for our #NYRBBookClub pick for June complete with #CakeAndTea - the beverage not included in the photo, but yea, the coffee cake is trez yum.

Eggs

Leftcoastzen That‘s beautiful! 4y

umbrellagirl Is it a chocolate biscuit cake? Whatever it is, it looks delicious. Enjoy! 4y

Eggs Looks amazing 😉 4y

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Thndrstd That looks yummy 4y

JaclynW Delicious! 4y

BarbaraBB I‘m looking forward to the book! Enjoy! 4y

Suet624 Wow. That looks so good! 4y

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saresmoore

A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

pick

Well, this was excellent. I‘m a bit blown away by the pitch-perfect prose, the subtle and painful wit, the purely uncensored descriptions. It‘s crisp and pithy on the surface, but the lyrical style belies depth of understanding, achingly poised between opposing forces. I loved it and was grateful for the short vignettes so I could digest it, bite by bite, and savor the nuances in flavor—even the bitterness. #NYRBBookClub

sisilia, vivastory

Suet624 Ooh, I‘m excited to read it! 4y

CarolynM Great review. I want to read it right now! Stacked🙂 4y

vivastory I'm even more than excited to read it now! Did you read the Heaney intro? I'm waiting for my copy to arrive in a few days... 4y

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batsy Lovely review! 4y

saresmoore @vivastory I just read the Heaney intro and it was wonderful. Then went and grabbed some Joyce for my Kindle and tumbled headfirst down the rabbit hole. 😅 4y

LeahBergen Oh, good! Now I‘m really excited to start this one. 👏🏻👏🏻 4y

saresmoore @LeahBergen You‘re going to love it. I think @shawnmooney would, too. 4y

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A Way of Life, Like Any Other | Darcy O'Brien

Thanks, as always, to everyone who dropped by to discuss the May selection last weekend. Join me & my co-host @sisilia this month as we read and discuss O'Brien's novel. I'm looking forward to your nominations @Reviewsbylola
@BarbaraBB @emilyhaldi @sprainedbrain @mklong @youneverarrived @LeahBergen @Leftcoastzen @Liz_M @merelybookish @MicheleinPhilly @GatheringBooks @saresmoore @batsy @Suet624 @Theaelizabet #NYRBBookClub

mklong Looking forward to it! I picked up a used copy from my local indie for only $5 4y

saresmoore This one is great, so far! I love the short chapters and it keeps catching me off guard. 4y

Reviewsbylola Sorry I‘m totally behind. I‘ll post my nominations this afternoon. 😬 4y

BarbaraBB Looking forward to this one! 4y

LeahBergen 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 4y

60 likes5 comments