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Als das Cello vom Himmel fiel
Ich überlegte, mir einen Stadtplan von Calgary zu besorgen und nachzusehen, wo Allyson wohnte. Es hinter mich zu bringen. Der Gedanke, sie zu sehen, lag mir um den Hals wie ein bleierner Schal. Was sollte ich sagen?
Ich rief sie von einem öffentlichen Telefon vor einem Herrenfriseur an. Der Anruf wurde sofort angenommen. Ein Anrufbeantworter schaltete sich ein. Die Stimmen von beiden erklangen, im Tandem: »Hallo, dies ist der Anschluss von Kathleen und Ally …« Ich drückte auf die Nummerntaste, damit ich nicht auch noch den Rest der Ansage hörte, nämlich was sie taten, statt ans Telefon zu gehen und was ich nach dem Piepton hinterlassen konnte.
»Hi … ähm … Hier ist Joey. Ich bin für ein paar Tage in Calgary, und ich habe deine restlichen Sachen im Wagen. Du kannst mich im Capri Motor Court erreichen, Zimmer 119, und mir eine Nachricht hinterlassen, wann du vorbeikommst. Ich schätze, das ist alles.«
Ich hängte den Hörer heftig ein und wünschte, ich klänge auf dem Anrufbeantworter nicht immer wie der letzte Idiot. Aus irgendeinem Grund ließen Anrufbeantworter mein Herz immer schneller klopfen. Hatte damit zu tun, dass meine Worte von einem technischen Gerät aufgezeichnet wurden, eine dauerhafte Dokumentation meiner Unsicherheit …
Ich rief sie von einem öffentlichen Telefon vor einem Herrenfriseur an. Der Anruf wurde sofort angenommen. Ein Anrufbeantworter schaltete sich ein. Die Stimmen von beiden erklangen, im Tandem: »Hallo, dies ist der Anschluss von Kathleen und Ally …« Ich drückte auf die Nummerntaste, damit ich nicht auch noch den Rest der Ansage hörte, nämlich was sie taten, statt ans Telefon zu gehen und was ich nach dem Piepton hinterlassen konnte.
»Hi … ähm … Hier ist Joey. Ich bin für ein paar Tage in Calgary, und ich habe deine restlichen Sachen im Wagen. Du kannst mich im Capri Motor Court erreichen, Zimmer 119, und mir eine Nachricht hinterlassen, wann du vorbeikommst. Ich schätze, das ist alles.«
Ich hängte den Hörer heftig ein und wünschte, ich klänge auf dem Anrufbeantworter nicht immer wie der letzte Idiot. Aus irgendeinem Grund ließen Anrufbeantworter mein Herz immer schneller klopfen. Hatte damit zu tun, dass meine Worte von einem technischen Gerät aufgezeichnet wurden, eine dauerhafte Dokumentation meiner Unsicherheit …
221 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2006
15 people are currently reading
760 people want to read
About the author
Ivan E. Coyote
14 books720 followersIvan Coyote was born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. An award-winning author of six collections of short stories, one novel, three CD’s, four short films and a renowned performer, Ivan’s first love is live storytelling, and over the last thirteen years they have become an audience favourite at music, poetry, spoken word and writer’s festivals from Anchorage to Amsterdam.
Ivan E. Coyote, die k.d. lang der kanadischen Literatur, stammt aus Whitehorse, Yukon, im äußersten Nordwesten Kanadas. Sie liebt Trucks, kleine Hunde, guten Kaffee, gescheite Frauen, Lederarbeiten, Tischlern, Geschichten erzählen, Angeln, Hockey, Knoten knüpfen, Kochen, auf Bäume klettern und ihren Mittagsschlaf. Heute lebt sie mit ihrer Partnerin in Vancouver. Ivan E. Coyote hat bereits fünf Erzählbände veröffentlicht und mit Als das Cello vom Himmel fiel ihren ersten Roman vorgelegt. Sie liebt es, Geschichten zu erzählen, und hat sich neben ihrem Schreiben auch als »Spoken Word«-Performerin einen Namen gemacht.
Ivan E. Coyote, die k.d. lang der kanadischen Literatur, stammt aus Whitehorse, Yukon, im äußersten Nordwesten Kanadas. Sie liebt Trucks, kleine Hunde, guten Kaffee, gescheite Frauen, Lederarbeiten, Tischlern, Geschichten erzählen, Angeln, Hockey, Knoten knüpfen, Kochen, auf Bäume klettern und ihren Mittagsschlaf. Heute lebt sie mit ihrer Partnerin in Vancouver. Ivan E. Coyote hat bereits fünf Erzählbände veröffentlicht und mit Als das Cello vom Himmel fiel ihren ersten Roman vorgelegt. Sie liebt es, Geschichten zu erzählen, und hat sich neben ihrem Schreiben auch als »Spoken Word«-Performerin einen Namen gemacht.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
June 16, 2015
Posted at Shelf Inflicted
Joey Cooper is a 40-something mechanic from a small town in Alberta, Canada who must pick up the pieces of his shattered life after his wife, Allyson, moved to the big city with another woman. Joey’s journey to self-discovery and fulfillment begins with some time away from work to return his ex-wife’s possessions, solve the mysterious disappearance of the stranger who bought a used car from Joey’s shop, and learn to play the exquisite hand-made cello he received from the stranger in exchange for the car.
I loved this spare, engaging, and elegantly written story with its cast of quirky and colorful characters that help Joey discover life can be full of joy and wonder. The characters were so well drawn and interesting that I felt like I was leaving old friends behind when I closed the book. I also loved the vivid descriptions of small-town Alberta.
My only gripe is the story was a little short, and everyone was so nice. I would have liked a lengthier story with more drama and conflict.
While there were a few sad and touching moments, reading this story made me happy and gave me a slight warm and fuzzy feeling toward humanity.
This is the author's first novel. I’m looking forward to Ivan's short story collections.
Joey Cooper is a 40-something mechanic from a small town in Alberta, Canada who must pick up the pieces of his shattered life after his wife, Allyson, moved to the big city with another woman. Joey’s journey to self-discovery and fulfillment begins with some time away from work to return his ex-wife’s possessions, solve the mysterious disappearance of the stranger who bought a used car from Joey’s shop, and learn to play the exquisite hand-made cello he received from the stranger in exchange for the car.
I loved this spare, engaging, and elegantly written story with its cast of quirky and colorful characters that help Joey discover life can be full of joy and wonder. The characters were so well drawn and interesting that I felt like I was leaving old friends behind when I closed the book. I also loved the vivid descriptions of small-town Alberta.
My only gripe is the story was a little short, and everyone was so nice. I would have liked a lengthier story with more drama and conflict.
While there were a few sad and touching moments, reading this story made me happy and gave me a slight warm and fuzzy feeling toward humanity.
This is the author's first novel. I’m looking forward to Ivan's short story collections.
September 24, 2013
Bow Grip is a heartwarming and captivating novel that I read in a couple of sittings, and not because I was under pressure to finish it for a fast approaching book club meeting.
It is the story of Joey, a mechanic residing in Drumheller, Alberta, who finds himself drifting aimlessly after his wife leaves him and moves to Calgary with another woman. His mother and sister are troubled by his state and encourage him to take up a hobby before he ends up on Prozac. Coincidentally he ends up trading an old beat up Volvo for a beautiful handmade cello. With a new hobby and a desire for change in his life, Joey embarks on a getaway to Calgary where he intends to drop off the last of his wife's possessions, search out a cello teacher and perhaps learn more about the new Volvo owner. Joey checks into a rundown motel and upon realizing that he is momentarily free from the rumour mill of small community living, opens up to a couple of characters about his life, his wife leaving him for another woman, his sperm count and other matters that he considers private and best kept to himself.
I found the main character likeable and growing up in Alberta, recognized the backdrop and landscape descriptions. I was also able to appreciate the author's interesting observation of Calgary; a city where there are more artistically painted cows than pay phones.
I highly recommend this book.
It is the story of Joey, a mechanic residing in Drumheller, Alberta, who finds himself drifting aimlessly after his wife leaves him and moves to Calgary with another woman. His mother and sister are troubled by his state and encourage him to take up a hobby before he ends up on Prozac. Coincidentally he ends up trading an old beat up Volvo for a beautiful handmade cello. With a new hobby and a desire for change in his life, Joey embarks on a getaway to Calgary where he intends to drop off the last of his wife's possessions, search out a cello teacher and perhaps learn more about the new Volvo owner. Joey checks into a rundown motel and upon realizing that he is momentarily free from the rumour mill of small community living, opens up to a couple of characters about his life, his wife leaving him for another woman, his sperm count and other matters that he considers private and best kept to himself.
I found the main character likeable and growing up in Alberta, recognized the backdrop and landscape descriptions. I was also able to appreciate the author's interesting observation of Calgary; a city where there are more artistically painted cows than pay phones.
I highly recommend this book.
November 23, 2018
What shook me most about this novel was Ivan's portrayal of a gentle, loving and anti-oppressive masculinity. Living in rural Alberta, working in a small town car garage, being surrounded by misogyny, and having you wife leave you for another woman is more than enough to leave the protagonist, Joey, acting like your typical racist, sexist dude. Ivan breaks down many stereotypes with such elegance, it left me breathless. Bow Grip is a spectacular read, showcasing Ivan's gift for storytelling.
March 26, 2025
butches are the only ones who can write enjoyable male main characters i said what i said!
January 11, 2023
This was a surprise, chosen because of the rainbow sticker attached to the spine by the librarian. This tells the story of a series of unexpectedly warm friendships, new opportunities, and a beautiful - and rare - glimpse into what masculinity can be.
November 28, 2016
I guess it was Okay, but listen, if ever it should come to your attention that I've tried to kill myself and then skipped town, and if you then take it upon yourself to go looking for my family to give them the heads-up, if it turns out that you're the kind of person who'll spend several days in my family's town just such as eating crepes and taking cello lessons and babysitting for strangers and even having sex with my family before you ever even think about telling anybody what's happened to me... maybe delegate that job, man.
Maybe.
Maybe.
July 21, 2025
A very beautiful and hopeful little book! Thanks to Sam for the recco 💜
March 8, 2019
This book was so delightfully bittersweet, and by the end, just sweet. I grabbed my heartstrings from the get-go in all the right ways.
Bow Grip is the story of a 40-year-old mechanic from rural Alberta whose wife has left him for another woman, and who's been in a slump for about a year since she left, but then a stranger trades him a cello for a volvo he's fixed up, and that starts him on a small and quiet but life-changing adventure. This is the first of Coyote's books I've read and their writing reminds me a little of Farzana Doctor, permeated with a feeling of hope, and focusing around chosen-family in unexpected places. It was also really refreshing to read a straight working class male character who was socially progressive, and queer-friendly, even if he doesn't always know the words to express his acceptance.
There were parts of the plot that I didn't quite buy - like someone with a minor mental health problem being able to get in to see a psychologist within 24 hours - even in Alberta where the health care system is speedier than in other provinces. A few of the relationships felt a little rushed and contrived, with too many backstories shoved into too little space. But ultimately, the story still gets five stars from me because it has so much heart.
Bow Grip is the story of a 40-year-old mechanic from rural Alberta whose wife has left him for another woman, and who's been in a slump for about a year since she left, but then a stranger trades him a cello for a volvo he's fixed up, and that starts him on a small and quiet but life-changing adventure. This is the first of Coyote's books I've read and their writing reminds me a little of Farzana Doctor, permeated with a feeling of hope, and focusing around chosen-family in unexpected places. It was also really refreshing to read a straight working class male character who was socially progressive, and queer-friendly, even if he doesn't always know the words to express his acceptance.
There were parts of the plot that I didn't quite buy - like someone with a minor mental health problem being able to get in to see a psychologist within 24 hours - even in Alberta where the health care system is speedier than in other provinces. A few of the relationships felt a little rushed and contrived, with too many backstories shoved into too little space. But ultimately, the story still gets five stars from me because it has so much heart.
March 31, 2014
rating: 5/5
What I absolutely loved about this novel was the wonderful character exploration. They seemed real, like people that I actually could have known. They were vividly drawn, complete down to every virtue and fault, and Joe had an amazing inner dialogue.
It is so easy to sympathize with Joe Cooper, a man who a year after his wife left him for a woman is still trying to put his life together. His mom and sister are pushing for him to get a hobby. Into his mechanic shop walks in the town hermit who offers to trade a cello for a car. Joe decides he needs a hobby anyway so what the hell. This spur of the moment trade sets off a series of events that will lead him to self-rediscovery and finding his balance again.
There isn't much plot, it is also slow to progress at times, but the characters completely take over this novel with their personalities. There is also some drama and a few touching, feel good moments leaving us on a positive note. I guess the down side is that its just too short! Coyote needs to write more novels, I love her short stories and life observations but this was so much better!
What I absolutely loved about this novel was the wonderful character exploration. They seemed real, like people that I actually could have known. They were vividly drawn, complete down to every virtue and fault, and Joe had an amazing inner dialogue.
It is so easy to sympathize with Joe Cooper, a man who a year after his wife left him for a woman is still trying to put his life together. His mom and sister are pushing for him to get a hobby. Into his mechanic shop walks in the town hermit who offers to trade a cello for a car. Joe decides he needs a hobby anyway so what the hell. This spur of the moment trade sets off a series of events that will lead him to self-rediscovery and finding his balance again.
There isn't much plot, it is also slow to progress at times, but the characters completely take over this novel with their personalities. There is also some drama and a few touching, feel good moments leaving us on a positive note. I guess the down side is that its just too short! Coyote needs to write more novels, I love her short stories and life observations but this was so much better!
June 1, 2015
A sweet story of a super-nice guy who finds his way back from the loss of his idyllic small-town life by venturing briefly into the big city. It isn't totally believable (at least for a cynical American guy) but it's a quick, fun read for those who want a contemporary fairy tale.
December 1, 2022
This had been on my to-read list for ages and I had no memory of what it was about or why I wanted to read it. And in the middle I was worried about a possible path that I really didn't want it to go down so I put it aside for ages (it didn't go there). But wow, what a great book that left me feeling drained but joyful.
February 17, 2023
This felt like a story written by one of my peers during my creative writing degree but it was actually good
February 29, 2020
I really loved this book. All of the characters are likable and it was nice - and somewhat rare - to read something that had no dark edge.
January 11, 2014
Apart from the fact most of them smoke, nearly all the on-stage characters in this book are nice. In fact Joey, the narrator-protagonist, meets several of them in the course of sharing tobacco fumes. He is a car mechanic living in Drumheller, much less of a redneck than he might be. Currently aged forty or so, he is recovering from the fact that his wife, the love of his life, has left him to live in Calgary with the wife of one of his hockey-playing acquaintances.
The plot is triggered when James Carson, another acquaintance, talks Joey into trading him an old Volvo Joey has not be able to move off his lot; he needs to leave almost immediately he tells Joey, and all he he can offer in exchange is a hand-made cello. Joey can barely play the electric guitar but he has been feeling internal and external pressures to change his life, and impulsively agrees to the deal.
The next development comes when Carson calls to say the engine has died and he really needs to be on his way. Joey goes out to look at the vehicle, finds some tubing in the trunk and realises the man probably used the car in a suicide attempt. Unsure what to do, he tows the car back to his garage, ostensibly to get parts for it.
A few days later Carson has vanished, apparently on foot, and Joey's only clue to his destination is an unsent postcard to apparent relatives at a Calgary address. Calgary is where Ally, Joe's ex-wife, lives; she has left much of her stuff behind, and in going through it now Joey discovers that somehow in their apparently ideal marriage she completed a Master's degree without ever mentioning the fact. So a trip to Calgary feels called-for: track down Carson's relatives, return Ally's belongings and ask some overdue questions. And while he's there perhaps he can find a cello teacher.
Fifty pages in, so far so good. Brisk, taut, nicely visualised, quirky and intriguing.
Joey finds a motel in Calgary where, partly because of the no-smoking-in-rooms policy, he meets the first of a series of well-drawn but rather generic nice characters. The book changes from a psychologically driven exploration to a set of character sketches. These scenes form the bulk of the novel and what we learn about Joey in them is that he is amiable, empathic, conscientious, a bit unsure of himself, observant and probably a good mechanic, but secretly open to new possibilities—things we were mostly aware of already. The prose is smooth enough, with some good images, the settings are nicely visualised; the cello becomes a real physical and sonic presence. But what is actually happening?
While Joey does little more than stand and wait, opportunities open up at his feet and problems evaporate, as if the author had invoked a magic wand. (For example: Joey meets "one of the most beautiful women" he had "ever laid [his] eyes upon in real life" and they quickly fall for each other—and almost immediately the young single-mother who had seemed to be making a play for him tells him she wasn't really doing that.) Questions are quietly kicked under the carpet. (Joey never does ask Ally about her secret Master's degree and why she left the certificate behind, or what became of her violent aversion to stainless-steel kitchen appliances; and we never find out why the Volvo's engine died before it could complete its role in Carson's suicide.)
To me the book feels like a (bloated) denoument to something much darker, in which Joey had really struggled to earn his fortune—or perhaps the (bloated) prologue to an off-beat and interesting work about cellos, car repairs, three-parent families and personal transformation in the land of fossils. As it is, after that bright start, we're left with a long amiable descent into anti-climax that stops just short of outright bathos. Two and a half stars.
The plot is triggered when James Carson, another acquaintance, talks Joey into trading him an old Volvo Joey has not be able to move off his lot; he needs to leave almost immediately he tells Joey, and all he he can offer in exchange is a hand-made cello. Joey can barely play the electric guitar but he has been feeling internal and external pressures to change his life, and impulsively agrees to the deal.
The next development comes when Carson calls to say the engine has died and he really needs to be on his way. Joey goes out to look at the vehicle, finds some tubing in the trunk and realises the man probably used the car in a suicide attempt. Unsure what to do, he tows the car back to his garage, ostensibly to get parts for it.
A few days later Carson has vanished, apparently on foot, and Joey's only clue to his destination is an unsent postcard to apparent relatives at a Calgary address. Calgary is where Ally, Joe's ex-wife, lives; she has left much of her stuff behind, and in going through it now Joey discovers that somehow in their apparently ideal marriage she completed a Master's degree without ever mentioning the fact. So a trip to Calgary feels called-for: track down Carson's relatives, return Ally's belongings and ask some overdue questions. And while he's there perhaps he can find a cello teacher.
Fifty pages in, so far so good. Brisk, taut, nicely visualised, quirky and intriguing.
Joey finds a motel in Calgary where, partly because of the no-smoking-in-rooms policy, he meets the first of a series of well-drawn but rather generic nice characters. The book changes from a psychologically driven exploration to a set of character sketches. These scenes form the bulk of the novel and what we learn about Joey in them is that he is amiable, empathic, conscientious, a bit unsure of himself, observant and probably a good mechanic, but secretly open to new possibilities—things we were mostly aware of already. The prose is smooth enough, with some good images, the settings are nicely visualised; the cello becomes a real physical and sonic presence. But what is actually happening?
While Joey does little more than stand and wait, opportunities open up at his feet and problems evaporate, as if the author had invoked a magic wand. (For example: Joey meets "one of the most beautiful women" he had "ever laid [his] eyes upon in real life" and they quickly fall for each other—and almost immediately the young single-mother who had seemed to be making a play for him tells him she wasn't really doing that.) Questions are quietly kicked under the carpet. (Joey never does ask Ally about her secret Master's degree and why she left the certificate behind, or what became of her violent aversion to stainless-steel kitchen appliances; and we never find out why the Volvo's engine died before it could complete its role in Carson's suicide.)
To me the book feels like a (bloated) denoument to something much darker, in which Joey had really struggled to earn his fortune—or perhaps the (bloated) prologue to an off-beat and interesting work about cellos, car repairs, three-parent families and personal transformation in the land of fossils. As it is, after that bright start, we're left with a long amiable descent into anti-climax that stops just short of outright bathos. Two and a half stars.
November 5, 2012
I didn’t want to read Bow Grip. It had a tough spine, and I hate books with a tough spine. But it was a Christmas gift from my brother, and I like to read books that are given to me so I can thank the person and mean it. So I read it. And I owe my brother. Owe him something awesome, because Ivan E. Coyote hooked me from page one and held me the whole way through, and has me still I think.
Bow River, Coyote’s first novel, introduces the reader to Joey a year after his wife has left him for another woman. He is forced to take a vacation because his mother is threatening him with Prozac and he has a car that belongs to another man and he needs to return it. The novel covers a week in Joey’s life, and a week is not - not nearly - enough. He is a character so endearing and so honest that I’ve spent the last few days wondering whether by moving to a small town in Alberta I might find my own Joey. And it’s not just him! The characters that surround him are delightful and so perfectly drawn that I could imagine both exactly who they are and somehow still think of a dozen people they remind me of.
Let me now say something about short stories. I don’t read short stories. Not unless I have to. But I put down Bow River and immediately picked up Coyote’s 2000 collection, Close to Spider Man. My problem with short stories is that you just get a snippet. Just a little tease of a character or a plot, and then you’re cut off. I fall in love in that I really and truly care about well written characters, but with short stories I’m constantly being separated from the characters I have been introduced to. Happily, Coyote’s collection follows one woman and uses one (more or less) consistent narrative voice. I have every intention of going to the library tomorrow to check out the remaining three collections. Those I suppose I’d be wise to ration them, as there’s a good chance I’ll be sulky and sad when my available Coyote stock disappears. Or maybe I’ll take a break, read something else, and just let these two stunning works roll around in my head for awhile. In any event, let’s hope my string of excellent reads continues.
Bow River, Coyote’s first novel, introduces the reader to Joey a year after his wife has left him for another woman. He is forced to take a vacation because his mother is threatening him with Prozac and he has a car that belongs to another man and he needs to return it. The novel covers a week in Joey’s life, and a week is not - not nearly - enough. He is a character so endearing and so honest that I’ve spent the last few days wondering whether by moving to a small town in Alberta I might find my own Joey. And it’s not just him! The characters that surround him are delightful and so perfectly drawn that I could imagine both exactly who they are and somehow still think of a dozen people they remind me of.
Let me now say something about short stories. I don’t read short stories. Not unless I have to. But I put down Bow River and immediately picked up Coyote’s 2000 collection, Close to Spider Man. My problem with short stories is that you just get a snippet. Just a little tease of a character or a plot, and then you’re cut off. I fall in love in that I really and truly care about well written characters, but with short stories I’m constantly being separated from the characters I have been introduced to. Happily, Coyote’s collection follows one woman and uses one (more or less) consistent narrative voice. I have every intention of going to the library tomorrow to check out the remaining three collections. Those I suppose I’d be wise to ration them, as there’s a good chance I’ll be sulky and sad when my available Coyote stock disappears. Or maybe I’ll take a break, read something else, and just let these two stunning works roll around in my head for awhile. In any event, let’s hope my string of excellent reads continues.
March 22, 2012
Ivan Coyote is a true and legitimate "storyteller." She has the unique ability to capture ordinary characters lives and make them compelling for their simple human truths. This is an honest, down to earth story, about the journey on the long road between love and loneliness.
When his wife unexpectedly leaves him for another woman, Joey Cooper, a lonely middle aged mechanic begins to question his life and existence. Following his desire for changes in his condition, he trades an old car for a fine cello and travels to Calgary where he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and personal redemption. Along the way, he meets the prerequisite odd characters. This supporting cast feels as real as the bleak background landscape of Alberta, and adds to the authenticity of Coyotes story.
This is a true gem of a first novel by an author best known for her short stories and spoken word performance. Her follow up is eagerly anticipated and long overdue.
When his wife unexpectedly leaves him for another woman, Joey Cooper, a lonely middle aged mechanic begins to question his life and existence. Following his desire for changes in his condition, he trades an old car for a fine cello and travels to Calgary where he embarks on a journey of self-discovery and personal redemption. Along the way, he meets the prerequisite odd characters. This supporting cast feels as real as the bleak background landscape of Alberta, and adds to the authenticity of Coyotes story.
This is a true gem of a first novel by an author best known for her short stories and spoken word performance. Her follow up is eagerly anticipated and long overdue.
October 31, 2010
Bow Grip takes place in present tense, in around Drumheller and Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Joseph is a 40-something divorced auto mechanic, trying to move on with his life. His wife Allyson left him for his hockey buddy's wife, Kathleen and moved from Drumheller to Calgary.
The story opens with Joseph trying to sell his car for cash but James Carson doesn't have any money. He does however have a cello and talks Joseph into a trade. Joseph figure that he can sell the cello but from the moment he opens the case he wants to learn how to play it. Besides, his mom has been after him to get some kind of hobbies to take his mind off his problems.
James calls him back a couple of days later and said that the car wouldn't start and that he needs to go out of town. Joseph goes to take a look and finds more than he bargains for...Read the rest of my review here
The story opens with Joseph trying to sell his car for cash but James Carson doesn't have any money. He does however have a cello and talks Joseph into a trade. Joseph figure that he can sell the cello but from the moment he opens the case he wants to learn how to play it. Besides, his mom has been after him to get some kind of hobbies to take his mind off his problems.
James calls him back a couple of days later and said that the car wouldn't start and that he needs to go out of town. Joseph goes to take a look and finds more than he bargains for...Read the rest of my review here
November 25, 2011
I loved watching Ivan E Coyote's open mics on youtube, and reading her novel was no exception. I enjoyed the plot and I liked how she wrote the characters. It made me super nostalgic about Alberta, and I think she did an excellent job of capturing the Alberta vibes. -le sigh- I also liked how she handled the main character's attitude of his ex leaving him for a woman, it was handled in a way that showed his pain but with no homophobic slurs. My one little nit-pick was that it felt like he got better too soon in the end of the novel. I think a more ambiguous ending would have fitted better.
August 26, 2008
It seems to me that this could have been a much better story than what it was. The characters all seem half-evolved to me. I got about fifty pages away from the end and felt like this would be the beginning of a good long novel. I was surprised and disappointed that it ended so early, before any of the characters had a chance to really grow on me.
June 2, 2025
Ich habe nicht damit gerechnet, aber dieses Buch war genau, was ich gebraucht habe. Wundervoll erzählt. Charakteren, nicht nur Joey, die man sofort ins Herz schliesst und die trotz der geringen Seitenzahl sehr facettenreich gezeichnet werden. Queer auf eine unaufgeregte Weise, die mir Hoffnung macht.
August 29, 2012
this book is really lovely, and sweet. a gentle read, mostly centered around a pretty gentle man; a story of transformation and change.
November 4, 2016
Great writer
August 14, 2017
Met her last year at the Writers’Festival and loved her presentation so thought the novel should have a read. The same engaging character comes through in the writing, and although the criticism is that it is too idealized and predictable, it does make an enjoyable read. Joey has lost his father to a heart attack, his wife to a lesbian lover, his dreams of fatherhood to a less than adequate sperm count and is doing nothing. He trades a used Volvo for a cello to a very quiet man who attempts to commit suicide by blocking the exhaust but the car quits. Joey takes back the car and discovers what was going on. When he takes his wife’s things to her in Calgary he finds out the cello is worth a huge amount of money and that he loves to play it, that the man who bought the car has committed himself for treatment, that the sister of the suicidal man is a very hungry (for him) lover, that his former wife and new partner are having a surrogate child and want him to be the “father,” and meets several other interesting characters in the motel with whom he strikes up relationships. Add in a overly involved mother and sister and a pain-in-the-neck co-worker and you have the cast of a sit-com. Still, I like her, although this is the second novel in a short while that “lost” men are rescued by very horny attractive women from out of nowhere. Both were written by women.
February 7, 2021
J’ai tellement aimé ce livre! Je ne sais même pas comment en parler. C’est une surprise, un hasard, un coup de chance.
On suit un gars qui s’est fait laissé par sa femme car elle se rend compte qu’elle est homosexuelle et se met un couple avec la femme d’un autre gars qu’il ne supporte pas. Il est propriétaire d’un garage, et sa vie se met à changer complètement suite à un transaction très particulier qu’il fait avec un autre gars de son village. Il accepte la proposition de celui-ci d’échanger une voiture qu’il vend contre…un violoncelle!
Ca parle de pardon, d’ouverture, de comment se relever et prendre la main qui nous est tendue. Du bonbon, ca m’a fait du bien cette lecture. J’ai versé une petite larme à un moment donné, non pas parce que le passage était triste, mais parce que c’était trop beau.
On suit un gars qui s’est fait laissé par sa femme car elle se rend compte qu’elle est homosexuelle et se met un couple avec la femme d’un autre gars qu’il ne supporte pas. Il est propriétaire d’un garage, et sa vie se met à changer complètement suite à un transaction très particulier qu’il fait avec un autre gars de son village. Il accepte la proposition de celui-ci d’échanger une voiture qu’il vend contre…un violoncelle!
Ca parle de pardon, d’ouverture, de comment se relever et prendre la main qui nous est tendue. Du bonbon, ca m’a fait du bien cette lecture. J’ai versé une petite larme à un moment donné, non pas parce que le passage était triste, mais parce que c’était trop beau.
March 26, 2018
Tried passively to track this down in used book stores for years, finally just bought it through thriftbooks, and I am SO GLAD I have my own copy, to re-read as necessary. The most Alberta book I could ask for, as queer as it can be, and still be about a straight guy. Gentle, insistent, made me homesick as hell. Endearingly dated in its references to flip phones, bar bans for smoking, and VCR's, but in a nostalgic rural kind of way. A reflection on family and healing and masculinity from Ivan Coyote, who is becoming my favourite author at breakneck speed. Recommend for anyone feeling Rural Queer, Tender Masc, or Soft Alberta Nostalgia.
November 3, 2020
CW: drug use (smoking, alcohol), death (including death of a child off page), cheating/adultery
This book was a gentle 5, a 5 I never saw coming. It took my hand and led me through a slow and quiet journey of one man's grief and loss after an unexpected divorce, and how he finds his way through it.
This journey involves our main character Joey learning to come out of his shell, learning how to make real connections with others, getting in touch with his emotions, picking up the cello as a hobby, and finding a family in a different way than what he thought possible.
Reading this book felt like a hug on a cold day, acknowledging the cold but giving a brief respite from it.
This book was a gentle 5, a 5 I never saw coming. It took my hand and led me through a slow and quiet journey of one man's grief and loss after an unexpected divorce, and how he finds his way through it.
This journey involves our main character Joey learning to come out of his shell, learning how to make real connections with others, getting in touch with his emotions, picking up the cello as a hobby, and finding a family in a different way than what he thought possible.
Reading this book felt like a hug on a cold day, acknowledging the cold but giving a brief respite from it.
December 29, 2024
[4 stars] I read this author's memoir/essay collection, Rebent Sinner, earlier this year and I loved it. I found this one on Kobo Plus and I jumped at reading it. It was a very slow paced story, but I loved it. It was such a compelling story about heartbreak, healing, and reconnection. Music as a medium for joy and meaning in life is a major theme I also really loved seeing explored. I'd highly recommend this story, but I'd recommend not reading the ebook version of this. Something definitely did not go right when this one was converted into an ebook. I'd definitely read Ivan Coyote's work again very soon.
May 28, 2020
3.5/5. Read it for school; it's a nice and short story of self-discovery after our MC loses his wife to another woman and ends up living day by day through the motions. However, novels like Bow Grip aren't my personal taste, so I found it boring, especially in the beginning when the MC lacks a lot of life (understandable). A few proofreading errors here and there especially at the beginning as well.
February 23, 2021
A really quick sweet read with great characters! I grabbed it off an LGBTQ shelf so it ended up rather different from what I was really expecting but i loved it nonetheless. A great balance of dry wit and heartwarming stuff thats not spelled out in a condescending self help book kinda way. If I were to complain, all I can say is I’d appreciate a little sequel since this really only covers about a week and lots of interesting stuff had just started happening.
September 24, 2019
Book #24 completed for Book Riot Challenge 2019: "A novel by a trans or nonbinary author"
For as ordinary as the characters and plot was, it was touching and made for a good read. It was as if I were looking through any one of the people I pass by everyday's life. The emotions were real, the setting was real. It was refreshing.
For as ordinary as the characters and plot was, it was touching and made for a good read. It was as if I were looking through any one of the people I pass by everyday's life. The emotions were real, the setting was real. It was refreshing.
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