≫ Libro Downtown Owl A Novel Chuck Klosterman 9781416544197 Books

Downtown Owl A Novel Chuck Klosterman 9781416544197 Books

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Downtown Owl A Novel Chuck Klosterman 9781416544197 Books

My adult son was a big fan of Chuck Klosterman's Fargo: Rock City, so I thought I'd give his novel, DOWNTOWN OWL, a try. And it was a most enjoyable read. It's what I have to assume is a pretty accurate look at high school life in the early 80s (twenty-plus years after my time in those grungy halls). As far as Klosterman's take on small town life and how stultifying and soul-killing it can be, he nailed that hands down, with his portrayals of the old-timers' coffee klatsch in the local diner and the desperate drinking of younger adults in the several seedy downtown saloons. Not to mention the exaggerated importance of high school sports and the football coach with a weakness for sixteen year-old girls.

And all the high school English classes are studying Orwell's 1984 as that year is rung in by the citizens of Owl, which gives the story some minor literary undertones, something the author weaves in well.

The popular music of the era can almost be heard blasting in the backdrop of this narrative of tiny Owl, North Dakota, and the surprising and catastrophic conclusion could probably only ring true in that flat and desolate setting.

Klosterman's dialogue and inner musings by his characters - teens and adults alike - range from moving to very dark to downright hilarious. Not a book for the squeamish, certainly. Highly recommended for the forty-something former headbanger crowd.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER


Tags : Downtown Owl: A Novel [Chuck Klosterman] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. New York Times bestselling author and “oneofAmerica’stop cultural critics” (Entertainment Weekly) Chuck Klosterman’s debut novel brilliantly captures the charm and dread of small town life—now available in trade paperback. Somewhere in rural North Dakota,Chuck Klosterman,Downtown Owl: A Novel,Scribner,1416544194,Blizzards,Blizzards;Fiction.,Fiction,North Dakota,North Dakota;Fiction.,AMERICAN CONTEMPORARY FICTION,American Contemporary Fiction - Individual Authors +,FICTION General,FICTION Humorous General,FICTION Literary,Fiction - General,Fiction-Literary,FictionHumorous - General,GENERAL,General Adult,Humorous - General,Literary,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945),United States

Downtown Owl A Novel Chuck Klosterman 9781416544197 Books Reviews

I love Klosterman's criticism of rock and roll, the culture, American society, humanity, ... but there are too many times that the snarky authorial voice intrudes on, and even overrides the characters. I was bummed out, until the ending redeemed the book to some extent. Also, lots of things may be known by lots of people in small towns, but not everyone knows everything. That's just Klosterman's claustrophobic memory of his time there.
Owl is the name of a (fictional) small (pop. 800) town in North Dakota. Being from a small town (pop. 600; not fictional), Harrisville, Michigan this book seemed like a natural fit. With the exception of occasional reminiscing the whole play takes place in and around this isolated community. The upper European influence is of course everywhere. One might think of this story as Lake Wobegon-esque in the Bizarro World sense. Chuck Klosterman is the author of Fargo Rock City, Eating the Dinosaur, Sex Drugs and Cocoa Puffs, and most recently The Visible Man. In addition he is a prolific producer of E books.

Klosterman is a pop culture fanatic but this one is different. Owl is "more" mainstream, reminiscent of Plain Song (Haruf) and The Shipping News (Proulx). Considering its diminutive size (288 pages) the story and characters will stick with you long after you put it down. The sobering and abrupt conclusion might leave you feeling the way you do when you find someone has died and no one told you they were sick. If you are from the parts of this mortal coil where Alberta Clippers are something vague like a hockey team you might want to look it up first. North Dakota is home to some of the most severe weather in the lower 48. As the author notes many diesel engines are left running for weeks at a time to keep the fuel from turning to something with the consistency of lava but without the heat..

It is time for school to begin in 1983. A new young teacher has been hired. Julia came from a more metropolitan background but knows she needs experience. Mitch is a high school student whose English teacher and football coach has nicknamed him Vanna (searching for a letter). He is far more intelligent and curious than many of his classmates. Unlike so many congenital "small town forever" types he has the moral and brilliance internal compass that tells him where the edge is and how to keep from crossing it. Horace is an aging widower who both openly and subliminally mourns the early passing of the love of his life and who has settled into the concrete habits so familiar to those of a certain age. Habits so predictable you could virtually set the proverbial watch by. He and his partners in crime live out their existence like stones in a rock garden with their repeated stories and petty belief systems.

Klosterman has managed with these three individuals to penetrate the society that is Owl. The school, the bars, the general environs, the secondary players will be familiar to you long before you begin to sense that things don't always work out the way you hoped. In small towns seemingly mundane events take on lives of their own and form the mythological road down which all locals will march. The lives of our heroes here will be no exception. As one reviewer said this ain't Kennedy on Albany, but how could it be? I predict you'll agree this one is a keeper. 2.75* GIBO
I will start by saying that I am a fan of Chuck Klosterman's work. I have read "Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs" several times and given it as a gift to at least 4 people. His examinations of popular culture are some of the most important thinking to come out of the last decade. I have found every one of his nonfiction works to be compelling and interesting.

"Downtown Owl" is no different. The story itself is both compelling and interesting. Through the eyes of a 17 year old quarterback, a 20-something teacher who just moved to town, and a 73 year old widower, Klosterman paints a selective portrait of the fictional town of Owl, North Dakota in 1983.

It is hard to talk about the plot without giving too much away, but it's mostly a character study. The problem comes, however, with the ending. I was on board until the event that brings all of the characters together in the end. As I closed the book, all I could think was, "Klosterman doesn't know how to end a story." It's worth reading as a virgin effort, especially as a fan of the author, but for my part, I'm disappointed.
My adult son was a big fan of Chuck Klosterman's Fargo Rock City, so I thought I'd give his novel, DOWNTOWN OWL, a try. And it was a most enjoyable read. It's what I have to assume is a pretty accurate look at high school life in the early 80s (twenty-plus years after my time in those grungy halls). As far as Klosterman's take on small town life and how stultifying and soul-killing it can be, he nailed that hands down, with his portrayals of the old-timers' coffee klatsch in the local diner and the desperate drinking of younger adults in the several seedy downtown saloons. Not to mention the exaggerated importance of high school sports and the football coach with a weakness for sixteen year-old girls.

And all the high school English classes are studying Orwell's 1984 as that year is rung in by the citizens of Owl, which gives the story some minor literary undertones, something the author weaves in well.

The popular music of the era can almost be heard blasting in the backdrop of this narrative of tiny Owl, North Dakota, and the surprising and catastrophic conclusion could probably only ring true in that flat and desolate setting.

Klosterman's dialogue and inner musings by his characters - teens and adults alike - range from moving to very dark to downright hilarious. Not a book for the squeamish, certainly. Highly recommended for the forty-something former headbanger crowd.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER