Requiem for a River Rat: A Novel - Hardcover
The death of Colorado Riverman Bundy McKay in Vasey's Paradise Tavern prompts his buddies to a week of extravagant grief and to a plot to keep his estranged Mormon widow from bringing manners, decency, and religion into their private Gomorrah
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From Publishers Weekly:
At the end of a wake that opens this first novel, the dead man's son, David, and the narrator, Nicky DeMaio, make a final, irreverent homage: they filch the ashes, funnel them into a Jack Daniels bottle and drop them into the Colorado River. The dead man is Bundy McKay, one-legged whitewater boatman and legendary "King of the Colorado." As Nicky flashes back 10 years to his first trip through the Grand Canyon, we learn that Bundy is also an irascible, womanizing drunk who bullies the passengers and crew, especially his near-saintly son. On this first trip there are hair-raising rapids, a sudden death on the water and a climactic, near-fatal accident that finally draws Bundy and David together. The book has plenty of river lore and Grand Canyon descriptions, but the characters are not memorable. The biggest problem is Bundy, who seems to have no redeeming social value until he makes peace with his son. Left unexplained is why Nicky, Stanford grad student and jazz musician, spends a decade working for such a man. October 28
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal:
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.
As a river runner taking tourists on the Colorado River through the Grand Can yon, Bundy ``Mack'' Mckay was the best, the wildest, and the most sinful. His death prompts a bizarre funeral and flashback to a river run that served as a rite of passage for Nicky, the teller of this tale. Frightening encounters with rapids, extravagant behavior by Mack, assorted self-discoveries, and one death culminate in a daring attempt to save the life of David, Mack's gentle son. The descriptions of the river and the canyon are most effective and pro vide a fresh setting for a story whose cumulative effect is surprisingly touch ing. A first novel. Robert H. Dona hugh, Youngstown and Mahoning Cty. P.L., Ohio
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherUNKNO
- Publication date1985
- ISBN 10 0934878587
- ISBN 13 9780934878586
- BindingHardcover
- Edition number1
- Number of pages250
- Rating
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