Synopsis
Lyman, a thirty-year-old night patrolman on a Fort Worth highway, convinced that his pet, a parrot with a complicated history, holds a vital message for him, sits in the library researching its past--and romancing the librarian.
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Reviews
The protagonist of Coomer's deliciously quirky and perceptive fourth novel (after A Flatland Fable ) is Lyman, 30, a lovable loner (he has never known his parents) who works nights for the Texas highway department, driving around the Loop that circles Fort Worth. In this dark, endless orbit--a subtly shifting metaphor for Lyman's own life--he aids stranded motorists, collects debris for his trophy collection and buries animals killed by cars. When an aging but spry parrot with a beakful of cryptic sayings barges through the screen door of Lyman's trailer and upsets his routine, Lyman's deeper humanity is oddly stirred. He decides that finding "the owner behind the bird . . . would be akin to finding the message behind the universe." To this end he enlists the aid of Fiona, a sexy librarian at the college where he has enrolled in a potpourri of courses from French to furniture repair. Together, they research parrots and try to track the sources of the bird's perplexingly hieratic utterances. The quest turns up surprises, not always the answers Lyman thinks he seeks. Increasingly when he returns to the nocturnal exitless Loop, he sees his beloved highway in a new light as a place of "aridity" and estrangement. Despite a jarringly abrupt switch to Fiona's viewpoint late in the narrative, the denouement both heartens and satisfies.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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The Loop
Published by
Faber & Faber (edition First Edition), 1992
ISBN 10: 0571129498
ISBN 13: 9780571129492
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: BooksRun, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.
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Hardcover. Condition: Fair. First Edition. With dust jacket. The item might be beaten up but readable. May contain markings or highlighting, as well as stains, bent corners, or any other major defect, but the text is not obscured in any way. Seller Inventory # 0571129498-7-1-13_29
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The Loop
Published by
Faber & Faber, Incorporated, 1992
ISBN 10: 0571129498
ISBN 13: 9780571129492
Used
Hardcover
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. aFirst Edition First Printing. Former library copy. Pages intact with minimal writing/highlighting. The binding may be loose and creased. Dust jackets/supplements are not included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good. Seller Inventory # 4224688-6
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The Loop
Seller: HPB-Ruby, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
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hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! Seller Inventory # S_461712158
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The Loop
Seller: MERS Goodwill-Kansas City, Blue Springs, MO, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: good. The book has been read but is in good condition. It has very minimal damage to the cover, including scuff marks, but no holes or tears. The dust jacket for hard covers may not be included. The binding has minimal wear. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing or tearing, minimal pencil underlining of text, no highlighting of text, and no writing in the margins. There are no missing pages. See the seller's listing for full details and a description of any imperfections. Seller Inventory # WMEKV.0571129498.G
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The Loop
Published by
Faber & Faber, 1992
ISBN 10: 0571129498
ISBN 13: 9780571129492
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Steve Thorson, Bookseller, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. AS NEW Unread book, tight crisp page block, square corners, first edition as "Published in." stated and no additional printings noted. Dustjacket (priced at $21.95), no flaws, in removable mylar archival protector. Additional photos available upon request. Book shipped well packed in a box and USPS tracking number supplied upon shipment. Book is in my possession and usually ships next day. Seller Inventory # 003137
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The Loop
Published by
Faber & Faber, Boston, 1993
ISBN 10: 0571129498
ISBN 13: 9780571129492
Used
Hardcover
Signed
Seller: The Bookworm, Oroville, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardbound. Condition: Fine. Description: This copy is Signed by the author. Dust jacket design by Lorna Stovall; ;jacket art by Christine Haberstock. ''Joe Coomer's eccentric fourth novel features two unlikely loners. First is thirty year old Lyman, who works the night shift as a courtesy patrolman on the highway that circles Forth Worth, Texas. Lyman's off-duty existence is no less of a loop. Hardened from a childhood as an orphan and convinced that the world is an arbitrary place, he limits his daytime routine to an unending series of such practical college courses as plumbing, aeronautics and sign language. If life makes no sense, he can at least be prepared for all its eventualities. But nothing could have prepared him for the dramatic entrance to his life of the second loner -- a ninety year old parrot.'' BINDING/CONDITION: blue binding with cloth at the spine; a Fine book, with a Fine dust jacket; publisher's price on the jacket flap is intact. 8vo (8.5 inches tall). 201 pages. Seller Inventory # 069775
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The Loop
Published by
Faber & Faber, 1992
ISBN 10: 0571129498
ISBN 13: 9780571129492
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Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Bob's Books, Tacoma, WA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Fine. 1st Edition. Seller Inventory # ABE-1668018075098
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The Loop
Published by
Faber & Faber, 1992
ISBN 10: 0571129498
ISBN 13: 9780571129492
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Wonder Book, Frederick, MD, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Signed Copy First edition copy. . Like New dust jacket. Signed by author on front endpage. Short gifter's inscription on front pastedown. In protective mylar cover. Seller Inventory # L16OS-00476
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The Loop
Published by
Faber & Faber, Incorporated, New York, 1992
ISBN 10: 0571129498
ISBN 13: 9780571129492
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Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: B-Line Books, Amherst, NS, Canada
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Near Fine. First Edition. New book, unread with lightly rubbed dj. Seller Inventory # 3534
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