Last night I finished The Tender Bar. Although I didn't grow up in a bar as JR did, I have spent a good share of my life either behind the bar or "belly up" to the bar. Moehringer's prologue resonated with me: "We went there for everything we needed. We went there when thirsty, of course, when hungry, and when dead tired. We went there when happy, to celebrate, and when sad, to sulk... We went there when looking for love, or sex, or trouble, or for someone who had gone missing, because sooner or later everyone turned up there. Most of all we went there when we needed to be found."
This book did not disappoint. It's an interesting book about love, unrequited love, family, lack of family, survival, being lost, education, and the uneducated; it's a book about life. The characters are real. I could reminisce and visualize at least two bars as I read about the life at Publicans. The establishment was familiar with its long wooden bar and "regulars." For some it may be "Cheers, where everyone knows your name." It's a place where most people know your face if not your name and drink of choice. Isn't it amazing how sometimes we need to be lost before we can be found?
This book did not disappoint. It's an interesting book about love, unrequited love, family, lack of family, survival, being lost, education, and the uneducated; it's a book about life. The characters are real. I could reminisce and visualize at least two bars as I read about the life at Publicans. The establishment was familiar with its long wooden bar and "regulars." For some it may be "Cheers, where everyone knows your name." It's a place where most people know your face if not your name and drink of choice. Isn't it amazing how sometimes we need to be lost before we can be found?
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