I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive
Doc Ebersole lives with the ghost of Hank Williams--not just in the figurative sense, not just because he was one of the last people to see him alive, and not just because he is rumored to have given Hank the final morphine dose that killed him.
In 1963, ten years after Hank's death, Doc himself is wracked by addiction. Since he lost his license to practice medicine, his morphine habit isn't as easy to support, so Doc lives in a rented room in the red-light district on the south side of San Antonio, performing abortions and patching up the odd knife or gunshot wound. But when Graciela, a young Mexican immigrant, appears in the neighborhood in search of his services, miraculous things begin to happen. Graciela sustains a wound on her wrist that never heals, yet she heals others with the touch of her hand. Everyone she meets is transformed for the better, except perhaps for Hank's angry ghost--who isn't at all pleased to see Doc doing well.
A brilliant excavation of an obscure piece of music history, Steve Earle's I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive is also a marvelous novel in its own right, a ballad of regret and redemption and of the ways in which we remake ourselves and our world through the smallest of miracles.
In 1963, ten years after Hank's death, Doc himself is wracked by addiction. Since he lost his license to practice medicine, his morphine habit isn't as easy to support, so Doc lives in a rented room in the red-light district on the south side of San Antonio, performing abortions and patching up the odd knife or gunshot wound. But when Graciela, a young Mexican immigrant, appears in the neighborhood in search of his services, miraculous things begin to happen. Graciela sustains a wound on her wrist that never heals, yet she heals others with the touch of her hand. Everyone she meets is transformed for the better, except perhaps for Hank's angry ghost--who isn't at all pleased to see Doc doing well.
A brilliant excavation of an obscure piece of music history, Steve Earle's I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive is also a marvelous novel in its own right, a ballad of regret and redemption and of the ways in which we remake ourselves and our world through the smallest of miracles.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Review:
Amazon Best Books of the Month, May 2011: Steve Earle's heartbreaking debut novel features a morphine addict who performs illegal abortions, a young Mexican girl with mysterious healing powers, the ghost of Hank Williams, and a host of other more or less charismatic misfits. Set in San Antonio around the time of JFK’s assassination, and told with an equal mix of sympathy and violent detail, the story maintains a delicate balance of many such would-be opposing forces: Catholicism and "hoodoo," addiction and redemption, brutal reality and magical realism. A first novel this compelling from any author would be cause for celebration, but Earle is also a musician (the GRAMMY®-winning albums Washington Square Serenade and Townes), actor (The Wire), and activist, and in this context the book is even more of a watershed accomplishment. I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive is decidedly not for the faint of art, but adventuresome fiction readers will find much to love in its shocking, tender depths. --Jason Kirk
Book Description:
HMH Hardcover 2011ISBN 978-0-618-82096-2
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherBlackstone Audio, Inc.
- Publication date2011
- ISBN 10 1441793399
- ISBN 13 9781441793393
- BindingAudio CD
- Number of pages6
- Rating
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
I'll Never Get out of This World Alive
Published by
Blackstone Audio, UNITED STATES
(2011)
ISBN 10: 1441793399
ISBN 13: 9781441793393
Used
Quantity: 4
Seller:
Rating
Book Description AUDIO CD. Condition: Good. 6 Worthwhile and individually polished Audio CDs from the library collection. Some library marking to the box and the CDs. You will receive a reliable set. Enjoy this Audio CD performance. Seller Inventory # 100190605141029
Buy Used
US$ 6.95
Convert currency
Stock Image
I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive
Published by
Blackstone Audio, Inc., UNITED STATES
(2011)
ISBN 10: 1441793399
ISBN 13: 9781441793393
Used
Quantity: 6
Seller:
Rating
Book Description AUDIO CD. Condition: Very Good. 6 BRAND NEW AUDIO CDs. NEW CDS SEALED in the shrink wrap. Just a bit of shelf wear. Enjoy this NEW AUDIO CD performance GIFT QUALITY for your home and library. Seller Inventory # 09201814011165
Buy Used
US$ 10.77
Convert currency
Stock Image
I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive
Published by
Blackstone Audio, Inc.
(2011)
ISBN 10: 1441793399
ISBN 13: 9781441793393
Used
Quantity: 1
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Condition: Good. SHIPS FROM USA. Used books have different signs of use and do not include supplemental materials such as CDs, Dvds, Access Codes, charts or any other extra material. All used books might have various degrees of writing, highliting and wear and tear and possibly be an ex-library with the usual stickers and stamps. Dust Jackets are not guaranteed and when still present, they will have various degrees of tear and damage. All images are Stock Photos, not of the actual item. book. Seller Inventory # 32-1441793399-G
Buy Used
US$ 22.35
Convert currency