Art in America: A Novel
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

Book Cover
Average Rating
Contributors
McLarty, Ron Author
Published
Penguin Publishing Group , 2008.
Status
Available from Libby/OverDrive

Available Platforms

Libby/OverDrive
Titles may be read via Libby/OverDrive. Libby/OverDrive is a free app that allows users to borrow and read digital media from their local library, including ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines. Users can access Libby/OverDrive through the Libby/OverDrive app or online. The app is available for Android and iOS devices.
Kindle
Titles may be read using Kindle devices or with the Kindle app.

Description

"McLarty's storytelling skills shine in this ribald, riotously funny, but also poignant novel." —David BaldacciWith his first two novels, Ron McLarty won acclaim for fashioning authentic characters that hook readers from the first page. With Art in America, McLarty has invented another unforgettable protagonist in one failed writer, Steven Kearney. Hired by the Creedemore Historical Society to write and direct a play about the rural Southern Colorado town, he unwittingly stumbles into a range war over property rights, a media circus, a diabolical plan that threatens the very safety of the town-and, with the help of a little romance, newfound self-confidence. With its sprawling cast of vivid characters and spellbinding pace, Art in America confirms Ron McLarty's enormous talent.

More Details

Format
eBook, Kindle
Street Date
7/3/2008
Language
English
ISBN
9781440629938

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Published Reviews

Booklist Review

*Starred Review* This is the third novel (following The Memory of Running, 2005, and Traveler, 2006) by veteran character actor McLarty, and the third time's the charm. Unpublished author Steven Kearney loses his apartment and his girlfriend all in one dreadful week. So when he is offered a paying position to write a historical play for the town of Creedmore, Colo., it seems as though his luck is about to change. But he arrives just as a bitter land dispute breaks out, pitting old-time rancher Ticky Lettgo against newcomer Red Fields. Kearney, urged on by the leader of the local historical society, who believes that art will heal the town, wrestles mightily with his own insecurities about his talent to produce his masterwork. McLarty works the whole spectrum here, from the hilarious banter of old cowpokes to the halting romance between the playwright and a mural artist to the incredibly moving moments when the town sheriff, still grieving the death of his old partner, invokes the late cop's street wisdom. A bighearted, wildly entertaining novel from a writer who just gets better with every outing.--Wilkinson, Joanne Copyright 2008 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
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Publisher's Weekly Review

Ambitious and consistently charming, this overstuffed third novel by the author of The Memory of Running is brimming with gems of richly observed smalltown life. In Creedemore, Colo., a land-rights dispute pitches locals against one another and attracts national media attention. Into the fray arrives Steven Kearney, a prolific New York author of unpublished novels, poems and plays, who has been invited by the Creedemore Historical Society to write and direct a play dramatizing the town's history. Steven's relocation sparks a colorful fish-out-of-water story populated with cowboys, environmental activists, hordes of reporters, performance artists, ecoterrorists and bona fide outlaws. Keeping the peace is sheriff Petey Myers, whose recollections of (and occasional conversations with) his slain partner provide some of the novel's finest moments. Sparkling, at times hilarious dialogue keeps many--perhaps too many--subplots moving. The depth of characters like Steven and Petey is contrasted by some of the minor characters, who can come off as stereotypes. Still, readers will root for the residents of Creedemore as they alternately divide over a trial and come together to stage the new play. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
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Kirkus Book Review

The actor-playwright turned novelist offers a hefty slice of Americana-inflected entertainment in his latest novel (Traveler, 2007, etc.). After offering a laboriously comic itinerary of its NYC author-protagonist Steven Kearney's numerous unpublishable novels and plays, McLarty settles into a rich characterization of a hopeful loser bereft of both literary success and his angry girlfriend. Steven is thrown a lifeline when the town of Creedemore, Colo., offers him a lucrative residency in return for writing a historical play about the area's storied origins. So it's off to Creedemore, where Steven is greeted by an officious spinster and introduced to Creedemore's eccentric populace. Brisk short chapters move things along smartly, and action abounds, as a range war of sorts erupts between near-centenarian feed-store mogul and landowner Ticky Lettgo (we're not making this up) and "Mountain Man" Red Fields, an environmentalist Age-of-Aquarian planning to offer adventurous river rafting trips through waters Ticky claims are also his exclusive property. Add in juxtaposed peeks back east, where Steven's buddies Roarke (a lesbian actress-director) and Tubby (a Falstaffian construction worker) keep tabs on his western adventures, and you have a cheerfully overstuffed tale whose ungainly bulk is redeemed by energetic prose and busy comic detail. There are also loud protests, some politically inspired, others motivated by sheer cussedness; lively courtroom battles; a bomb threat or two; and an overload of macho posturing (some of it performed by female characters). Vivid characters pop up frequently, including a transplanted Eastern sheriff (a man of reason serving where unreason rules), a foulmouthed reverend and a man known as "Cowboy Poet," a tireless fount of hilarious doggerel. And there's a corker of a climax, during which we're treated to the memorable opening scenes of Steven's commissioned sagebrush masterpiece. An actor adept at entertaining and holding an audience shows himself a novelist gifted with the same skills. The book is not a masterpiece, but it's an immensely engaging and winning performance. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
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Citations

APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)

McLarty, R. (2008). Art in America: A Novel . Penguin Publishing Group.

Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

McLarty, Ron. 2008. Art in America: A Novel. Penguin Publishing Group.

Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)

McLarty, Ron. Art in America: A Novel Penguin Publishing Group, 2008.

Harvard Citation (style guide)

McLarty, R. (2008). Art in america: a novel. Penguin Publishing Group.

MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)

McLarty, Ron. Art in America: A Novel Penguin Publishing Group, 2008.

Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.

Copy Details

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Libby110

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