Home from the Vinyl Cafe: A year of stories - Hardcover

McLean, Stuart

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 067088216X ISBN 13: 9780670882168

Publisher: Viking, 1998

Synopsis

Welcome to the world of the Vinyl CafŽ. Meet Dave, the owner of the world's smallest record store. Meet his pal, Kenny Wong, who runs Wong's Scottish Meat Pies. Meet Dave's wife and their children who, along with everyone else in town, bump and stumble through a hilarious year of mistakes, miscues, misunderstandings, and muddle.

Whether it's the mystery of sending kids to camp, the dangers of putting up Christmas lights, or the potential for mayhem at the grocery store, in the hands of humorist and master storyteller Stuart McLean the chaotic melody of daily life is underscored by the harmonious sounds of family, friends, and neighbors.

About this title

About the Author:

STUART McLEAN was a bestselling author, award-winning journalist and humorist, and host of the CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe. McLean was awarded the Canadian Authors Association Jubilee Award in 2004. He is also a three-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour. In 2014 he was awarded the CBA Lifetime Achievement Award. 
https://www.facebook.com/VinylCafe

From Publishers Weekly:

Colloquial, interlocking stories chronicle the ups and downs of a suburban Toronto couple in this warm-hearted latest by Canadian author and broadcast personality McLean (Stories from the Vinyl Café). "Holland" considers the courtship and marriage of Dave, the owner of the eponymous record store, and his wife, Morley; early differences in perspective (she thinks eating raw onions is gross; he can't stand those frou-frou chive snippets in his eggs) lead them to a spontaneous skating trip to Holland to cement their romance. "Sourdough" concerns what happens when a neighbor asks Dave to baby-sit the starter for his precious sourdough bread; the sweet, charming "Burd" charts the consequences of Dave's decision to feed an unlikely avian visitor. Dave's daughter and niece enter the picture in subsequent stories, and McLean includes funny scenes about holiday dinners and road trips as well as poignant thoughts about the inevitable failing of Dave and Morley's parents. McLean's natural flair for storytelling helps overcome the limitations of the Lake Wobegonesque conceit, and while he reaches for overly cute, contrived humor in several entries, the overall package is highly enjoyable.
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About this edition

• Publisher: Viking
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 067088216X
• ISBN 13: 9780670882168
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 256