October 15, 2021

Looking Back - The Man Who Ate the 747

Looking Back... In an effort to transfer my book journal entries over to this blog, I'm going to attempt to post (in chronological order) an entry every Friday. I may or may not add extra commentary to what I jotted down in these journals.


Fiction
2000 Bantam
Reading in September 2000
Rating: 3/5 (Good)

Publisher's Blurb:

Piece by piece, a farmer is eating a Boeing 747 to prove his love for a woman... Written with tenderness, originality, and insight, filled with old-fashioned warmth and newfangled humor, it is an extraordinary novel, a found treasure that marks the emergence of a major storytelling talent.

This is a story of the greatest love, ever. An outlandish claim, outrageous perhaps, but trust me--

And so begin the enchanting, unforgettable tale of J. J. Smith, Keeper of the Records for The Book of Records, an ordinary man searching for the extraordinary. J.J. has clocked the world's longest continuous kiss, 30 hours and 45 minutes. He has verified the lengthiest single unbroken apple peel, 172 feet and 4 inches. He has measured the farthest flight of a champagne cork from an untreated, unheated bottle 177 feet 9 inches. He has tasted the world's largest menu item, whole-roasted Bedouin camel.

But in all his adventure from Australia to Zanzibar, J.J. has never witnessed great love until he comes upon a tiny windswept town in the heartland of America, where folks still talk about family, faith, and crops. Here, where he last expects it, J.J. discovers a world record attempt like no other: Piece by piece, a farmer is eating a Boeing 747 to prove his love for a woman.

In this vast landscape of cornfields and lightning storms, J.J. is doubly astounded to be struck by love from the same woman, Willa Wyatt of the honey eyes and wild blond hair. It is a feeling beyond measure, throwing J.J.'s carefully ordered world upside down, proving that hearts, like world records, can be broken, and the greatest wonders in life can not be qualified.

Richly romantic, whimsical, and uplifting, The Man Who Ate the 747 is a flight of fancy from start to finish. It stretches imagination, bends physics and biology, but believe it just a little and you may find yourself reaching for your own records, the kind that really count. Written with tenderness, originality, and insight, filled with old-fashioned warmth and newfangled humor, it is an extraordinary novel, a found treasure that marks the emergence of a major storytelling tale.

My Original Thoughts (2000):

Pretty good, but not great. I met the author at a book signing. Very personable and funny. I don't know if I would have read the book if I hadn't gotten one signed. 

Quirky characters.

My Current Thoughts:

I remember that this was a very odd, quirky novel. I was working in an independent bookstore in Lincoln and Sherwood gave a reading and signed copies of his book. I doubt I would have bought the book, had I not met the author, but I wound up reading his second book (Charlie St. Cloud), which was very good.


8 comments:

  1. Certainly a quirky title! Love the cover and the blurb is intriguing. I'm curious, but overwhelmed with books at the moment.

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    1. It's probably one you can skip, Jenclair. I no longer own my copy and doubt I'd read it a second time even if I did.

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  2. Now I'm interested in reading Charlie St. Cloud. :-)

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    1. Laurel, I'll probably have a post about that book in the coming weeks. I still have my copy, which tells you how much I loved it.

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  3. Eating a 747? Talk about odd! I hope you have a great weekend.

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    1. Helen, it's a crazy premise, isn't it? I wish I could remember the details of how the character actually consumed the jet. It was certainly a book in which one needed to suspended disbelief. :)

      We're wrapping up a 2 1/2 week road trip in our RV and head home tomorrow.

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  4. I do enjoy quirky characters but for something like this I would really have to be in the mood for something different. I'll have to check out his other title and see what that one is about!

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    1. Iliana, a movie was made based on Sherwood's second novel, but I never got around to watching it. I think I wanted to reread the novel before seeing the movie. I may get to it later in the year.

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