Ray Shackleford lives in the ruins of the idealistic 1960s. Veteran of failed garage bands, working as a repairman of stereo equipment and tending the dying embers of his marriage, Ray dreams of bygone days and the music that almost was. When he finds the music he dreams of has been mysteriously recorded by his tape deck, Ray is drawn into the past, to revisit the histories of Hendrix, Morrison and the Beatles...along with the history of Ray Shackleford. Vividly recreating a lost era that might have been, GLIMPSES fuses the ...
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Ray Shackleford lives in the ruins of the idealistic 1960s. Veteran of failed garage bands, working as a repairman of stereo equipment and tending the dying embers of his marriage, Ray dreams of bygone days and the music that almost was. When he finds the music he dreams of has been mysteriously recorded by his tape deck, Ray is drawn into the past, to revisit the histories of Hendrix, Morrison and the Beatles...along with the history of Ray Shackleford. Vividly recreating a lost era that might have been, GLIMPSES fuses the hopes and dreams in the music with a powerful vision of reality.
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Add this copy of Glimpses to cart. $10.89, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Griffin.
Add this copy of Glimpses to cart. $10.89, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by Griffin.
Add this copy of Glimpses to cart. $37.22, good condition, Sold by Bonita rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Newport Coast, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2001 by St. Martin's Griffin.
When I finish any book, I'm generally impressed with it. I'm a sucker for twist endings and get easily attached to characters, even when their lacking in depth. For me, the real test of how good a book is is seeing how well I remember it a few months later and whether it provided me with any sort of inspiration or had some sort of impact on the way I see the world.
In the case of Glimpses, it meets the first test, but not the second, for explainable reasons. Glimpses is a great story. It touches on so many parts of life in a such a surreal manner, that you can't help but be pulled into the world that Shiner creates (that is, if you have some basic knowledge of rock music of the 1960's). You are there. You don't know if Ray is going crazy any more than he does.
The second test, however, was failed for me, but I'm certain would pass with flying colors for those of an older generation. The characters are middle-aged, struggling with marriage and careers, and reminiscing about the "good old days." While I could completely understand all the characters and their motives, being only 21 years old myself, I could not completely relate to their situations. While I did have the luck of being raised on the music of the 50's and 60's (via my music buff father), other parts of the novel I'm sure would be more relevant and impacting on those who were coming of age in the 1960's.
