Barstools Full and Empty

by Howard Englander

Raymond Cole is dead. Born to privilege, blessed with charm, magnetism and wit, Raymond defied doctor's warnings and dared one last run through Central Park. His heart quit on a perfect spring morning.

Many grieved his death, but no one more than Ben Gold. A watcher. A listener. A kid from modest roots, he’d never anticipated friendship with the likes of Raymond Cole. But in 1965, in a Berkeley lecture hall with hundreds of seats, Raymond drops into the seat next to Ben and a twenty-year brotherhood begins. Ben is drawn into a magnetic new world of wealth and swagger—and toward Rosanna Harwick, the woman on Raymond's arm.

Ben becomes the one person Raymond never has to perform for—the keeper of his honest self. It is a pact of truth between two men who share nothing not money, not faith, not luck. For years the bond survives distance, jealousy, ambition, love affairs and grief. Until one day, Ben finally asks the question that has burned within him for years. Raymond refuses to answer. Something cracks between them—something even Ben's fierce loyalty cannot fully mend.

This is a novel for readers who want to live inside a story. The prose is rich and unhurried, in the tradition of the great twentieth century storytellers. It captures the pathos of loyalty tested, love deferred and those fleeting moments that can change everything. By the final page, you'll forgive, grieve and rejoice with these characters and you will carry them with you.

New! Discussion guide for book groups included!

“A sprawling family saga…” —Kirkus Reviews

778 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 21, 2025

Reviews

[C · Rating 4 out of 5]

On a recent West Coast trip, I discovered this thick paperback in the local authors display at Laguna Beach Books. The blurb on the back cover promised it would be “beautiful, heartbreaking, and relentlessly compelling from beginning to end.” So I busted through American Airlines’ checked bag weight limits to bring it home with me to New Jersey. It took me a few weeks to read all 767 pages, with points off for flowery/overwritten prose throughout (no one in LA has ever been purloined, Ben, they were robbed!), but the story did not disappoint. Howard Englander keeps us turning pages across two decades, multiple locations (drawing upon his memories of Berkeley, Los Angeles, New York City and Maine), and intricate relationships among an interesting cast of characters. As an aspiring memoir/autofiction writer, I’m impressed with the 93-year-old author’s perseverance over the 16 years it took him to write, edit and self-publish his first novel. I only regret that I didn’t get an autographed copy.

[Susan Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a poetic story that crosses into recent history

Englander captures a time of loss from Kennedy, King and Kennedy. He touches on Vietnam , civil rights and all the suffering we felt.
He somehow captured the tender relationships built in spite or because of the intense world.
Each person ,place and time artistically rendered. A long story that I wish would not end.
I hope he changes his mind and writes again.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A saga of chosen and unchosen families over two decades, from the tumultuous '60s through the materialistic '80s, California to New York City to Maine. Decent story and characters but unnecessarily long (767 pages) because of the pretentiously "literary" writing and belaboring every point as if mansplaining his own book. It also seems not to have been copyedited, with irritating errors like "chez lounge," taut consistently misspelled taunt, and people traveling "uptown" from the UN to Times Square.

[Ann Schulte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this … all 700+ pages.