Product Description

The eagerly anticipated follow-up to Ron McLarty’s poignant and deep-souled debut, The Memory of Running

When Ron McLarty’s debut novel, The Memory of Running, appeared, the publishing world sat up and took notice. Now, McLarty is back with another reason to cheer the arrival of his distinctive new voice. Jono Riley is an aging part-time actor and bartender trying to make ends meet in Manhattan when he receives a letter from a childhood friend telling him that Marie, the first girl Jono ever loved, had just died in her sleep. As Jono makes the trip back home to the working-class neighborhood of East Providence, Rhode Island, McLarty deftly travels between Jono’s adolescence in the early 1960s and the present story of his return. Woven throughout are Jono’s endearing and funny memories of his coming of age with his three best friends—including a series of mysterious shootings that occurred back then, one of which lodged a bullet in Marie’s back when she was twelve.

When Jono’s girlfriend, a gritty New York City firefighter named Renee, joins him in East Providence, they find themselves drawn into an attempt to find the person responsible for the shootings so long ago. As the surprising truth unravels, Jono is forced to come to terms with a past that is not quite what he remembers, even as he makes new resolutions in the present. Traveler is a fine-tuned and riveting novel that will further affirm McLarty’s place in American fiction.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #746729 in Books
• Published on: 2007-01-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Amazon.com Review
When Ron McLarty's debut novel, The Memory of Running, appeared, it became clear that this man is a triple threat: actor (movies, stage, and TV), playwright and author. Now, with the publication of Traveler, he has beaten sophomore slump with another arresting story of real people, one that will keep you reading until the last page is finished, and then will leave you wondering what's next for everyone in the novel. Jono Riley is a middle-aged bartender and sometime actor just getting by in Manhattan. When he receives a note from a childhood friend telling him that Marie, his first love, has died, he travels back to East Providence, a working class neighborhood of Irish, Italians, and "Portagees" to pay his respects. His trip turns out to be a journey of discovery, told with a writing style that won't let go of the reader, conversational and revelatory without giving the game away. --Valerie Ryan

From Publishers Weekly
Struggling actor Jono Riley, the narrator of McLarty's second novel (after The Memory of Running), is getting older—he's been tending bar for nearly 30 years—but his roles aren't getting any better. After he receives a letter from his childhood friend, Cubby, informing him that Cubby's sister, Marie, (the first girl Jono loved) has died, Jono takes temporary leave of the bar where he works and Renée Levesque, his girlfriend and an 18-year veteran of the New York City fire department. He goes home to East Providence, R.I., where he learns the cause of Marie's death: a bullet that was lodged in her shoulder after a freak, unsolved shooting during her childhood "traveled" and pinched an artery. Jono, with the help of retired cop Kenny Snowden, who was a young police officer when Marie was shot and has never forgotten the case, begins looking into the long-ago shooting. Friends and enemies from Jono's childhood still linger around East Providence, and the petty rivalries and deep bonds of the past take on new significance as the investigation grows in scope and points to an unlikely suspect. Frequent flashbacks add color to Jono's adult insecurities, and McLarty's prose remains convincing without crossing into treacly turf. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School—Jono Riley, a bartender and sometime actor, looks back on a series of childhood events that have mystified him over the years. As a means of self-preservation, he has scrupulously avoided introspection most of his adult life. However, he has just received a letter from a close childhood friend, Cubby D'Agostino, letting him know that Cubby's sister, Marie, has passed away unexpectedly. Forty years earlier, 12-year-old Marie was 11-year-old Jono's first love. She was also the central figure of a mystery that has subliminally haunted him ever since. Now, Cubby's letter triggers memories that Jono can no longer ignore. As the story marches toward its inevitable conclusion, readers begin to see why Jono has buried many of his childhood recollections. McLarty skillfully uses alternating chapters to flash back and then propel the story forward as he builds suspense and gradually unravels the mystery that Jono wants very much to forget. The protagonist is a very human character who must deal with issues of loyalty, friendship, and ambiguity.—Catherine Gilbride, Farifax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Perfection
Having read, "Memory of Running" by Ron McLarty, I was hopeful for "Traveler." I worried that it couldn't live up to "Smithy" Ide's treck across the country via bicyle. "Smithy" is an engrained character in my psyche. How could this author create another character that I could embrace with the same affection and respect? Ron McLarthy proved that brilliant authors can weave more than one tale, and "Travler" is as poignant, humorous, and flowing as "Memory of Running. The pages draw you in like a winding river, floating you along with no resistance on your part. Rocky white waters, dangerous undercurrents, and unexpected ebbs do not deter .....you most willing ride this raft until you reach conclusion.

In "Traveler" I once again explored a man's mechanisms for survial inside the mind of Jono, part-time actor, full time bartender, who journeys back to his working class hometown in Rhode Island hoping to reconnect with buddies that intricately formed his childhood. A mystery is introduced, but not as a means to an end; not contrived to keep you turning pages; you turn them anyway, because the story spins so addictively. Mr. Mclarty prose is eloquent, but never pretentious. The characters are flushed out, but not to excess; the plot is well organized, switching from past to present to keep you meshed with the protaganist's motivation. So seldom is a reader allowed to enjoy every moment of a book that I appreciate the effort of this fine author to make it all seem effortless when I know the opposite is true.

Ron McLarty made reading "Travler" a "magical" experience for me.(read the book to see the reference I am alluding to.) I was loathe to have "Travler" end, but McLarty has earned my trust and my deep respect. No more trepidation about expectations; the man is a storyteller and I look forward to his next offering.

A heartwarming and thoughtful novel in which real characters confront real-life problems
All of us are familiar with the time-worn adage "Don't quit your day job." After reading Ron McLarty's second novel, TRAVELER, one is tempted to turn that advice on its head and suggest in the strongest possible terms that McLarty consider quitting his day job and devote himself completely to writing novels. He is that good.

While the name may not ring many bells, a glance at McLarty's photo on the dust jacket of his novel is all that readers will require to recognize an actor they have seen in numerous dramatic endeavors. In addition to "Sex and the City," "Spenser for Hire" and "The Practice," McLarty has appeared frequently on "Law and Order," portraying the belligerent Judge William Wright, the bete noire to prosecutor Sam Waterston. The arrogance of this character stands in stark contrast to the novelist of TRAVELER, who has written a heartwarming and thoughtful story that is equal parts coming-of-age and mystery. While TRAVELER is in many respects a much different work from McLarty's first novel, THE MEMORY OF RUNNING, it is equally beguiling and enjoyable.

TRAVELER is the story of Jono Riley, part-time actor and full-time bartender living in Manhattan and currently dividing his time between working behind the bar at Lambs and performing in a wildly unsuccessful one-character play far off Broadway. The novel opens with Riley receiving a letter from a boyhood friend in Rhode Island informing him that his childhood girlfriend, Marie D'Agostino, has passed away. The news of Marie's death stirs various memories for Riley. Foremost of those recollections is the evening when Marie was wounded by a seemingly wild gunshot discharged in the old neighborhood by an unknown shooter.

Marie's passing is the catalyst for a return visit to the old neighborhood and the friends of Riley's youth. TRAVELER commences an intriguing journey that mixes remembrances of his younger days with the unsolved mystery surrounding what was believed to be a random act of violence, but now appears to be a serial shooting. Through a series of flashbacks expertly woven into the narrative, Riley's youth is recreated for the reader. The journey between youth and middle age introduces readers to many deep and intricate characters. In addition, they probably will experience the delight that a great novel can often produce --- the reawakening of a memory from their own personal earlier life, be it one of sadness or glee.

There is obviously a little of Ron McLarty in Jono Riley. Rhode Island is McLarty's home, and acting is his profession. TRAVELER offers a view of acting and actors that is hopeful and uplifting, and is shared by its author. THE MEMORY OF RUNNING gathered dust in a desk drawer until it was discovered by none other than Stephen King. While TRAVELER may be his second published novel, McLarty has several previously rejected, unpublished works that are now being considered by publishers. In addition, he is working on the screenplay for THE MEMORY OF RUNNING.

TRAVELER is reminiscent of the works of the late author George Higgins. Real characters confront real-life problems in a straightforward and honest style that readers will identify with. Jono Riley is the kind of fellow you would like to join for a beer and burger; McLarty also seems to be that type of man. Perhaps one day this opportunity will arise. If it does, we will have two great novels and countless incredible characters to discuss over our brews.

--- Reviewed by Stuart Shiffman.

Brilliant, Genuine, Captivating
I picked this novel up in the airport a few days ago and devoured it in 3 or 4 hours. I had no expectations. I'd never heard of Mr. McLarty.

The first person narrative is so compelling, it feels like private journal entry. The prose can be moving, wry and downright funny in the space of a few paragraphs. You will find yourself invested in Jono and his journey almost immediately.

Traveler is filled with interesting, well-drawn characters. Not one, two or three, but nearly a dozen. Rarely does a novelist define so many characters so well and make them as important to the book's landscape. It's McLarty's greatest strength, in my opinion, a cast of characters that feel so familiar and comfortable, even the ones you come to loath.

I must admit I saw the resolution coming about 50 pages early, but it didn't bother me in the slightest, the trip with Jono was still a thrill.

Traveler is probably the best novel I've read since Kite Runner.