Liberty Lanes

by Robin Troy

Liberty Lanes is a bowling alley in a small Montana town where a senior bowling league meets three times a week. Nelson Moore, one of the bowlers, has recently become a local hero by saving a teammate from choking on a happy hour chicken bone. Now he must deal with his newfound fame while coping with the early stages of dementia.

This is an engaging and often moving novel about a group of senior citizens bound together by old friendships and romances, and by their determination to live life to its fullest. Senescence is not for sissies, but these characters show us that it is still a time to love, dream, and explore their own potential.

192 pages, Paperback

First published September 28, 2011

About the author

Robin Troy is associate professor of English and director of the MFA Program in Creative Writing at Southern Connecticut State University. She has an MFA from the University of Montana and is the author of the novel Floating.

Reviews

[Tomi Alger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nelson Moore, one of a group of senior citizens that bowl together every week, saves another member, Fran, when she is choking on a chicken bone. Hailey interviews Nelson, who reveals some information about himself and Fran, and causes much ado within the group. The characters begin to realize that Nelson is starting to show signs of dementia. These two things influence the trajectory of the story line. Each chapter is focused on a single character, which adds to the uniqueness of the book.

[Leslie Bulion]

I loved everything about this book: its elegant, spare and beautiful prose, its frank and loving examination of longtime relationships in a small town, and how friends see their own mortality and responsibility in the face of one of their own's growing dementia. So glad to have read Liberty Lanes.

[Sharon Huether · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liberty Lanes is a work of fiction inspired by a group of bowlers.
Through these friendships they save and brighten each other's lives.
A life was saved and there is a new hero in town.
Bailey a female a local reporter was coming to Liberty Lanes to get the story.
Fran Murry was eating a happy hour chicken thigh when the bone became stuck in her throat.
Nelson a bowler squeezed her rib cage till the bone dislodged and fell to the floor.
Bailey enjoyed her visits with the bowlers, that she visited them at the bowling alley on a regular bases.

[Bookbeaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bowling. No, not for dollars or for Willard's trophies, but for Nelson's wellness of mind. What Ms. Troy captures here is an intimate look into the life of an early dementia sufferer and the lives of his close circle of friends. And, because she does such a good job of revealing the workings, or lack thereof, of such a mind, and the shared concerns of those friends, this is one scary story for anyone approaching that stage of life. This is one of those books everyone over 55 should read as nearly everyone that age knows someone battling this insipid disease. This isn't to say this isn't a heart-warming story full of the joy of life, for, indeed, it is. Plus there is the added bonus of the story taking place in western Montana. My only gripe is that while the author mentions numerous Montana locations - the Swan Valley, the Bitterroots mountains, the happy little village of Polson - she is less than specific as to the location of the main action. And that's not really much of a gripe.

[Cathy Scholtens · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet little book, didn't put it down till I finished. It really addresses the geriatric population of a small town, and puts them in a real life view. I loved it! (Although there are NO cardinals in Montana!) This story follows one older guy who is struggling with memory loss, and how his circle of old and new friends help him cope.

[Adam Gott]

I am reading this one for a book club in which I belong...

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick read. Makes me think about what is to come!