Puff

by Bob Flaherty

Meet John Gullivan, age thirteen, obsessed with the moles that dot most of his body. Meet his brother Gully, who can't stop laughing at them. Now meet the brothers ten years later, in the middle of the most ferocious blizzard anyone can remember. Set in an Irish working-class suburb of Boston in the 1960s and 1970s, Puff centers on a quest as the soon-to-be-orphaned brothers, posing as rescue personnel, attempt to steer their dilapidated van through insurmountable snow, all to score a bag of pot. Trapped in their own ruse and forced to act the part of the saviors they are pretending to be, the brothers run into an endless stream of foes and the cops, their childhood priest, a knife-wielding maniac, and the ill all stand in the way of their elusive high. A raucous caper, Puff is as hilarious as it is heartfelt and will resonate with old and young alike.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Humor, Coming Of Age

Unknown Binding

First published February 1, 2005

Reviews

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Puff takes place on the night of a severe blizzard in Boston during the 1970s. John and Gully Sullivan masquerade as Red Cross rescue personnel in order to maneuver around the city, trying to score a bag of weed before the night is through. Their misadventures, written by stand-up comic Bob Flaherty, are a riotous good time.

[Jenn Carr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never have I read a more enjoyable book about two brothers on an adventure in a blizzard to score a bag of pot. Probably because this is the first book I've ever read about two brothers on an adventure in a blizzard to score a bag of pot, but whatever. This book is funny in an off-kilter kind of way, entire pages dedicated to discussing John Gullivan's moles and how his brother Gully can't stop laughing at them. It manages to be hilarious and heartfelt at the same time. I adored the Gullivan brothers and am certain that if they existed in the flesh, we'd be great friends. Which is what the book was like.... like reading funny stories your best friends tell you.

Wonderful.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most enjoyable books I've read in a long time. The completely crazy and out there series of events the brothers manage to get themselves into is what makes the book seem so real. The outlandish adventures and hilarious dialogue reminds me of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, but without all the cynical, drug-induced seriousness. At 260 pages this book is definitely worth your time.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Light, foolish tale of bad boy brothers in 1970s Boston. The writing was not graceful and the story was littered with asides and tangents but I ended up enjoying the book. It had enough tragedy in the story to balance the goofy comedy. The brother element was handled in a way that worked for me, having grown up with brothers. Perfect book to read on vacation.

[Rob Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wild ride through New England's most memorable blizzard.

Mr. Flaherty captures the time period and your imagination with this heartwarming coming of age tale. With heartwarming wit and humor you are swept away through the eyes of a 22 year old man/boy.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Feels good to finish a book for the first time since high school

This one is hilarious and very sweet. the pacing can be a bit awkward since it repeatedly switches between the main adventure and childhood flashbacks.

[Antonya · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. Typically not my kind of book. I didn't like the fact that scenes changed right away when he talked about a memory. Overall it had a good sense of humor.

[Kristin Zwarg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny New England humor. This book made me laugh out loud, often :)

[Deborah Schuff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another book I reread. It was funny years ago, but now I was especially touched by the stories of the family.

[Juliette · Rating 1 out of 5]

dnf page 60

[Mara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this with the Boston references and the feeling of Boston years ago but otherwise just thought it was ok.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

The brothers, John and Gully aren't exactly bad guys. They’re just not the type of person that you can rely on when there is an emergency. Despite being in their early twenties, the Gullivan brothers demonstrated a remarkable amount of immaturity, lack of work ethics and a knack for always getting them into trouble. So when a massive snowstorm disabled the entire of Boston, John and Gully found themselves disguised as rescue volunteers from Red Cross. Their mission? To score a rare kind of pot from their friend in Braintree. The problem? Almost everybody in the neighborhood seemed to believe it, stalling the Gullivan brothers from their elusive high.

Written under the funny voice of John Gullivan, Puff, although at first glance poses as a raucous tale about pot and the tongue-in-cheek misadventures along with it, definitely has a lot of depth and emotion at its heart. It really took me by surprise as a reader. The author, Bob Flaherty manages to juxtapose the characters’ wit and humor with, I think, the overall theme of the book. Embedded throughout the story are flashbacks of John and Gully’s younger days while growing up in a suburban town in Boston. Though, at times it was hilarious, I think the flashbacks were a form of childhood yearning. A yearning for a life and a family that they once had and now slowly fading. Other themes such as religion, faith and family values were also subtly touched by the book. I think Flaherty’s penchant for using funny jokes throughout the novel is just his tool for giving light to a more sweet and oftentimes more serious matter.

The book has a lot of character, I assure you that. Even the dilapidated van they used on their adventure had a lot of spunk in it. Despite being a bit slow on the beginning, Puff definitely picked up its pace during the middle, where they broke into their old school to crash (my favorite part). As I finished the book, I became less and less interested if they score the bag of pot or not. For me, that was not the point of the story. It was not the point of the story to begin with. Packed with passages and dialogues that will make you crack, Puff is a beautiful, coming-of-age book that will make you laugh and sigh in the most unexpected of places. Highly recommended.

[Shelley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but not great. I had high hopes for this one because the story of two guys determined to score a bag of weed amidst a huge snow storm had to be good. Sure there were some shenanigans and here and there I laughed out loud and there were some sweeter moments. It probably didn't help that a lot of the slang was lost on me since I'm from the Midwest and have never been to Boston. The back cover has a blurb by Jonathan Tropper who is one of my favorite authors. Puff felt like Jonathan Tropper lite. The difference between Jonathan Tropper and this book is that Jonathan Tropper makes you care about the characters. The main characters in Puff didn't have much of an impact on me, but some secondary characters were fantastic. Puff is a light read that is full of guy toilet humor and colorful language with some good laughs here and there

[AJ LeBlanc · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, the plot is simple: two brothers in the 1970s are going to get some weed, but there’s been a huge blizzard and they have to pretend they’re Red Cross workers so they can drive on the closed roads.

Only the book has nothing to do with that.

This isn’t going to be one of my all time favorites, but it was a fascinating peek into the lives of boys, brothers, lies, the Catholic Church, and what happens when you just want to get that phenomenal bag of weed.

[kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

quick read. a bit far fetched but fun and quick. the jacket talks about his moles a lot but the main character doesn't obsess about them as much as the book jacket. the time frame was a little jumpy and i didn't quite get what year it was supposed to take place-early 80s? but draft concerns? and cpr and calling 911 was mainstream? really?

fun to read living in boston though.

[Jeannette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't remember how this ended up on my library holds list, but I kinda wish it didn't get that far. Not that Puff is horrible, but it was kind of a slog to get through, not as funny as all the back-cover reviews claim it to be, and the story and characters seemed weak. I didn't laugh, it didn't give me goosebumps and I just didn't care.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was charming. Instead of being some random, stupid marijuana induced adventure, it's a nice story about two deadbeat brothers dealing with life and death. These brothers start out on an impossible adventure through snow to score some weed and go through this hilarious adventure where they ditch priests in the snow and recount the memories of their childhood. It was nice.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Made me laugh out loud to read what these two pothead brothers were willing to do to score a bag (while their mother is on her deathbed). I'm sure if my mama was about to die, I would NEED to be high, too...

[William · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book had some funny episodes, but was a little long on schmaltz. Lots of Irish Catholic Boston from the 1960s. I enjoyed the bad ass teenager part of it more than the romantic sections and the extended family interactions. However each to their own.

[Kendal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a fun, easy read and I enjoyed it.
It's perfect for a quick summer trip.

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a book I paid 1.40 for at a used book warehouse, incredible. It reads a lot like a John Green novel. Very funny, smart, and heart-wrenching.

[Dawn Williamson · Rating 1 out of 5]

AWFUL. The author tried way too hard to be funny therefore ruining what could have been a hilarious plot.

[alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hysterical. Takes me back to being a bumbling student in my late teens. Laughed out loud. Need a little more time before I read it again. It'd be a great movie.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picked this up on a whim and thought it was hilarious. It's actually been a few years since I have read it, but I can still remember scenes in the storyline perfectly.

[Ben Montgomery · Rating 3 out of 5]

Humorous book. I probably would have given this four stars but some of the language was a bit much as times. I actually should of known better since the book was really about two stoner brothers.

[Lindsay]

Freakin' hi-larious!

[Lizz Matthews · Rating 3 out of 5]

seemed a juvenile. but entertaining enough!

[Renee]

boring

[Louise Kuhlman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my kind of book, but I enjoyed the familiar Boston setting. A decent contemporary memoir.