The Standard Grand discussion

Praise for The Standard Grand


"Channeling the absurdist humor of Heller, corporate intrigue of Pynchon, and an empathic, sure-footed storytelling entirely his own, Jay Baron Nicorvo has given us the next great (post) war novel. Nicorvo is the kind of writer I’m constantly seeking — compassionate, fearless, deeply intelligent — and The Standard Grand — utterly unputdownable with its cast of outrageous yet fleshy characters, elegant story and overflowing reservoirs of wisdom — is a book I’ve been awaiting." — Derek Molitor, Co-Owner, Bookbug

"It's not every writer who can pull me into a story of contemporary war vets — characters who themselves often seem inclined to push everyone away. But Jay Baron Nicorvo's debut novel, The Standard Grand, is so exuberant, so irreverent, so full of incident and color and an addictive linguistic patter emerging from the jargon of soldiers, that it was absolutely irresistible. Like Cara Hoffman's Be Safe I Love You, another necessary contemporary novel about female soldiers, Nicorvo's book pushes at our assumptions about the human beings who are the pointed edge of US foreign policy, and how they can possibly go back to being ordinary citizens once their license to do state-sanctioned violence has expired. So there's serious stuff going on, but it's also funny as hell, and constantly surprising, with characters and phrases that will be ringing in my ears for a long time. It's so awesome to find that Jay, such a lovely person in the literary world, also has true writing chops, and that he's chosen to tell this particular story as only he can tell it. Read it — you won't be sorry." — Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, Co-Owner, Greenlight Bookstore

“The Standard Grand really punches its way along. At times, I was reminded of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, but Jay Baron Nicorvo's prose is more palpable and muscular. What The Standard Grand really feels like is an early Thomas McGuane book updated for the 21st Century, with all the fire and grit and smoke of war, but without — obviously — the machismo. And lots of oddball character detail. This is a big-hearted, multi-voiced epic for the PTSD generation. And it's a real New York book. The Catskills setting works so well because it puts such a diverse and modern group of characters up against all the old ghostliness of the region.” — Jacqueline Kellachan, Co-Owner, The Golden Notebook

“Captivating from the first page — a uniquely American epic tale of human beings left struggling in the wake of war, industry, and unpredictable circumstance.” — Kelley Drahushuk, Co-Owner, The Spotty Dog Books & Ale

"A very promising debut novel. Nicorvo has a finely-tuned ear for language; the writing is fast-paced, raw, engaging and continuously surprising." — Nora Gunning, Buyer, Bookstore1Sarasota