Rating:  Summary: Save your money. Review: ... this absolutely the worst book I've ever read. My writer's group picked it up, ...and have been overwhelmingly in support of picking a new book. I'm actually the only one who finished this book (due to a long plane flight); one person refused to read past page 15. It's not that Jarrett isn't a funny guy. There are portions of this book where he does display a pretty keen sense of humor, however it's not the kind that readily translates to print. The majority of this book is dedicated to bashing those around him and detailing his sexual exploits. This in itself doesn't make it bad, it's just that he jumps around so fast that each of these experiences become meaningless. There is very little linking the book together. At times, there is barely anything linking the content within each chapter together. For someone who is now an editor, the writing in this book is atrocious. Absolutely nothing is developed. Characters, plot, nothing. By the time you get to the end of the book, you will definitely feel as though you've wasted your time. I'm sure Mr. Jarrett is a great guy...and is probably the life of the party with his old "glory day" stories, but it fails to translate into novel format. Please don't encourage any sequel to this book,...
Rating:  Summary: Exceptional Review: An incredibly honest and sometimes heartrending account of a lecherous young musician's journey to adulthood, More Towels is a thoroughly enjoyable combination of all the elements that make us human. And Jarrett is a fine writer with exceptional insight into what it is that makes us all tick. All the elements are here, love, hate, sex, violence, grief, and an ample supply of hilarity. And if you read between the lines you're doubly rewarded for the effort. It just works.
Rating:  Summary: hilarious and touching Review: Before he became a writer, Grant Jarrett spent years of his life as a musician. Not just any musician, but specifically as the much less heralded younger brother of a famous and respected jazz pianist. For any jazz fans out there, you can easily figure out who big brother is. Two striking things about this book are apparent once you're finished with it though. One: Grant admirably doesn't trade on his brother's name here. This book really isn't about being a younger sibling to someone in the spotlight. His brother is merely incidental, because this memoir is much more about a young man struggling to find his niche. Two: It's because of sheer talent as a writer and his acerbic wit that Jarrett is able to pull off this sometimes unflattering peek inside his life.
Jarrett begins the memoir as a teenage drummer when he leaves home on his first big gig. What follows is an often hilarious and sometimes wrenching journey as he travels across the country wearing cringe- worthy ruffled shirts, boozing, and playing more women than music. As he bounces from band to band and woman to woman, one of the things that helps elevate this book above barroom, glory-days chatter is Jarrett's uncanny ability to be brutally honest with the reader (and himself); not just about his poor sartorial choices and sometimes lacking musical skills, but also about his personal choices and actions. He has a sharp wit, and he turns that weapon as mercilessly upon himself as anyone else in the memoir. He's sometimes too hard on himself, so that when he's berating himself for his unsavory behavior, the reader still feels a sympathetic pull for him. This works because he's not only charming and funny, but he's never really bad so much as just plain lost.
He was growing up and moving on in these years. He was often struggling and flailing about, unable to hit the peaks of musicianship he hoped for while clearly searching for someone to accept him for what he was. But with the publication of this memoir, Grant decisively proves that the talent in the Jarrett family flows in more than one direction, and that even though music wasn't his calling, it provided hysterical and touching fodder for unleashing his gifts.
Rating:  Summary: Uproarious! Poignant ! - Make Room Henry Miller Review: Couldn't put this book down! I love this guy! We all know how whacky navigating life's curves through our 20's can be. Jarrett never misses a beat banging his/our funny bone as he romps through his musical career from one bed/bandstand to another with the lust and whimsy of a modern day drumming Tom Jones (not the singer, silly.) Grant has in his wit, humor, and headlong lust for laughs/loins what his Famous Brother has for improvising melody - vibrant genius. BUY THIS BOOK!
Rating:  Summary: More laughs! More sympathy. More please! Review: Grant Jarrett indulged in sex, lived a helter-skelter life as a struggling musician, and constantly searched for the missing pieces in his life. He had a pessimistic view of himself, of his relationships with women, and of most people that he met. Having read another frank memoir, Locked Passion of a Free Spirit, of a woman's sexual encounters, soul-searching, and despair, I could not help but wonder what would have become of this 'victim' (as Jarrett refers to his lovers in a joking way) had Jarrett and her paths crossed during that time. Even though Jarrett was quite the lover-boy, I did not despise him. In fact, I found myself laughing aloud at his humorous, cynical remarks and candid revelations, but I also felt empathy for his embattled emotions. Definitely read this book--male and female!
Rating:  Summary: Kudos to Grant Jarrett Review: I guess most of what I have to say has been said by other reviewers, but I'd like to add my voice to the choir. Jarrett is hilarious and his book is truly unique. I was most impressed by his ability to express his despair without whining or blaming. In fact he never stops making you laugh, and yet his unhappiness is always there, a silent undercurrent throughout the twenty years he chronicles. According to Mr. jarrett he was never a great musician, but his writing skills are outstanding and his wit is keen.
Rating:  Summary: Ouch! Review: I laughed so hard think I pulled a muscle in my groin. Grant Jarrett is a very funny guy, but what i think is special about this book is the odd mix of humor and pathos and the fact that he succeeded in making me care about a pretty unlikable guy - sort of a Sam Malone with a brain and a bad attitude. Great book.
Rating:  Summary: He's Baaaaaaack... Review: I was a regular reader (and enjoyer) of Mr. Jarrett's monthly column in FOW, an international Financial Industries publication (I'm not sure he knew a thing about finance). When he suddenly disappeared I feared I'd never laugh so hard again. But after a bit of googling I found this jewel of a book. Initially I was concerned that like other humor columnists he might not succeed in a book-length work. But this book is hilarious and Jarrett is in fine form. A very talented writer with a natural wit. More Towels is a treat.
Rating:  Summary: Delightful! Review: In spite of my initial skepticism, I bought this book because of a recommendation on another title I purchased. The other book, a top 100 title I will not name here, was a terrible disappointment, but I was delighted to find that "More Towels" more than made up for my disappointment. Jarrett is an accomplished writer with a keen wit. His self-deprecating honesty is occasionally shocking but always engaging. I'm not sure I'd share the stories he tells, but reading about his episodes of lechery, depression and something pretty close to insanity was a riveting. And if you're among the living "More Towels" is virtually guaranteed to make you laugh.
Rating:  Summary: Hilarious, engaging, and deftly written Review: More Towels was a very pleasant surprise. Mr. Jarrett is a skilled writer and his sense of humor is remarkable. Highly recommended.
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