Luncheonette : A Memoir

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Summary: Luncheonette is DELICIOUS!
Review: I really enjoyed Luncheonette! It's effortlessly funny in a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction way. I prefer reading non-fiction and love to read memoirs. Luncheonette has become one of my favorites. Sorrentino is a talented writer who not only takes beautiful risks, but never loses sight of what matters most. It's hard to believe that this is his first book! Luncheonette has heart, soul and Dolores! Who could ask for anything more?

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Summary: Triumph of the spirit and a pork-roll-egg-and-cheese
Review: Luncheonette's universal appeal stems out of its focus on family. Although often scathingly honest, the book's message of perseverance and its embrace of the idea that "everything happens for a reason" illuminate the lessons and laughter that weave their way into times of hardship. "Clint's" story is a gift to all of us, and I thank Mr. Sorrentino for sharing him with us. His story reminds us that even though the events in our lives may not go as planned, sometimes our greatest triumphs come out of our darkest moments. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who has a family, and can relate to being young and feeling like the world might be passing you by...

Rating:
Summary: SNOOZE!!!
Review: Luncheonette: how embarassing, how banal. 3d rate eateries are in distant suburbs for a reason. There is nothing even remotely entertaining or amusing about the people who frequent a smoky, porkroll-filled dive in a dying resort town. Sorrentino's characters are so unbelievably bland and unexciting that one has to presume they are true. No one's imagination is that dull.

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Summary: Sorrentino serves up a moving memoir with Luncheonette.
Review: Sorrentino's first book is a funny and moving account of one man's journey through life's unexpected detours. The Luncheonette in question is filled with a memorable and hysterical cast of characters. But even more memorable is Sorrentino's journey from chorus boy to caretaker after his father suffers from a catostrophic illness.
With echos of Sedaris and Burroughs,but with a voice all its own, Luncheonette is proof that truth is often stranger (and funnier ) than fiction. It's a great remedy for the winter blahs.

Rating:
Summary: Enriching and Wonderful
Review: This book is not only hysterically funny in an off beat way, it is so much more with quirky characters, a poignant story, overwhelming personal struggle, moral messages beyond description, and a picture of small towm America, warts and all, at it's best.
I read this book, obviously a labor of love, as a tribute to a father, testimony to the real meaning of family. Further, it is the harsh reality that all of us, at some time or other must commit ourselves, face mortality, and do the right thing regardless of self. It also lets us know that when some doors are closed, painful as that may be, others seem to open leading us to avenues in our lives that otherwise never would have been traveled.
This book is about fathers and sons, about commitment to family, and of course about "keeping the faith" with a remarkable sense of humor.
I read this book slowly so that it wouldn't end to quickly.
This book is not to be missed.