≫ Libro Last Night at the Lobster Stewart O'Nan 9780670018277 Books

Last Night at the Lobster Stewart O'Nan 9780670018277 Books

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Last Night at the Lobster Stewart O'Nan 9780670018277 Books

After reading Last Night at the Lobster I felt like I should find the time clock and punch out, hang up my apron and take off my name tag. What a great, short book. I love short books, when you read a story in one sitting it delivers quite a wallop, all the themes and characters are fresh in your mind and you can get easily lost in there. O'Nan's hero becomes real to you, you care about him and his problems even though you may have nothing in common. You start reading and you think 'small theme, short novel; the author's not swinging for the fences.' When you get to the last page, you can't find the ball, it's in the parking lot.


Tags : Last Night at the Lobster [Stewart O'Nan] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Managing a failed seafood restaurant in a run-down New England mall just before Christmas, Manny DeLeon coordinates a challenging final shift of mutinous staff members,Stewart O'Nan,Last Night at the Lobster,Viking Adult,0670018279,Literary,Connecticut;Fiction.,Restaurants;Employees;Fiction.,Restaurateurs;Fiction.,Employees,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction Literary,General,Restaurants,Restaurateurs

Last Night at the Lobster Stewart O'Nan 9780670018277 Books Reviews

The last night running a Red Lobster, with a blizzard, and staff that are truculent, or bemusedly loyal... This is not a large palette for an author, but this book is very good, mesmerizing in the way quotidian details and the ethic of the lead character pull the reader along.. until you cannot put this short book down.

It helps to have worked with a team of people, and it helps to appreciate what work is, the dignifying nature of doing the job right. The human condition is illuminated by finding better understanding of a chubby manager and his troubles with women, employees, and customers.

Yet on another level, the author creates a spare and wonderful style that is really enjoyable to read.

Any work of fiction that captures what a real person is like, is in itself wonderful. So many characters and stories are blown up, vaporous and turgid accounts of unbelievable characters and their made up life situations. This book finds art in the telling, and is an excellent read.
Finely crafted working class lament. Last night before the restaurant closes for good, manger tries to make the most of it with the employees that remain. Sad tale of people stuck in downstream jobs with little hope of improvement.
"Last Night at the Lobster" is a remarkable novel. There's not much plot, yet it's nearly impossible to put this book down. Manny, the main character, is the hard-working manager of a failing Red Lobster, and Stewart O'Nan's novel tells the story of the restaurant's final day in operation before being shut down forever. Manny is a reformed screw-up, a man who's trying to do his best, yet unsure how successful he'll be. His attempt to "go out in style" with a high-earning final shift is challenged by a steady stream of problems... an all-day blizzard, rebellious employees, and a major distraction the presence of his true love, a waitress who (like himself) is seriously involved with someone else.

A short novel, at around 150 pages, "Last Night at the Lobster" takes the reader through a long workday, starting with the opening and ending with the closing of the restaurant, and the reader gets a very detailed look at the many tasks involved in running a restaurant. For those thinking about purchasing this book, be advised that there is a LOT of this detail (Manny spends much time going through his checklist of chores, and the work done in the kitchen, at the bar, and even the mopping of every spill are documented thoroughly). This may be off-putting to those whose tastes run toward faster-moving, action-packed tales. However, I found it to be very interesting (having never worked at a restaurant, it was informative), and it helped add to the novel's vivid realism.

"Last Night at the Lobster" has moments of drama, involving conflicts between the staff, and between the staff and some difficult customers, and it even leaves the Red Lobster behind for awhile to follow Manny as he does some last-minute holiday shopping at a nearby mall during a break. At its essence, however, this novel is a character study of Manny. Struggling to do the "right thing" with temptations swirling around him, trying to set a good example and stay on the right course, even when doing so seems difficult and unrewarding, Manny comes across as a flawed, beleaguered, yet completely believable (and respectable) human being.

So spend a night at the Lobster. Just like Manny and his restaurant, you'll be sad to close this book for the final time!
There are deeply felt comedic/tragic stories being played out in every workplace, no matter how mundane the atmosphere. Anywhere human lives collide and personalities interact, relationships develop, power is abused, alliances are formed, conflicts are created, and sometimes people fall in love and get their hearts broken. Anyone who has ever worked with the public as a "team member" for some corporate retailer or restaurant will relate to and enjoy this story even more. The author has such compassion for these characters, no matter how flawed they are, that you root for all of them to succeed, even if it's in some small way.
Short book (less than 150 pages). It is more of a novella or a character sketch, but the writing is deft. Realistically depicts the last night of a Red Lobster Restaurant in Connecticut and the closing's effect on the staff. Anyone who has ever worked in a restaurant will easily be able to relate to this book.
After reading Last Night at the Lobster I felt like I should find the time clock and punch out, hang up my apron and take off my name tag. What a great, short book. I love short books, when you read a story in one sitting it delivers quite a wallop, all the themes and characters are fresh in your mind and you can get easily lost in there. O'Nan's hero becomes real to you, you care about him and his problems even though you may have nothing in common. You start reading and you think 'small theme, short novel; the author's not swinging for the fences.' When you get to the last page, you can't find the ball, it's in the parking lot.