Welcome to the tragedy-of-the-month club! In one nine-month period, Mark Millhone's youngest son nearly dies from birth complications, his oldest son is injured in a household accident, his father is diagnosed with prostate cancer, and his mother has a heart attack and passes away. In the aftermath of this year-from-hell, his marriage also begins to fray.
He deals with this as only a "real man" could: he logs on to eBay and bids on his dream car. The like-new BMW becomes more than a car for Millhone—it's almost a prayer to the patron saint of used cars and second chances to make his family like new again. Joined by his estranged dad, he embarks on a dysfunctional family road trip to pick up the car—a comedy of errors that gives Millhone life-affirming perspectives on how to navigate the road of life's bumpy patches.
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"A surprisingly funny recounting of a "year from hell" experience in a family's lifestory. At first I thought, well this is just an unusual set of circumstances. But later I realized that years from hell are more common than not. Enjoyable, profound and easy to read." — Frank (4 out of 5 stars)
"A surprisingly funny recounting of a "year from hell" experience in a family's lifestory. At first I thought, well this is just an unusual set of circumstances. But later I realized that years from hell are more common than not. Enjoyable, profound and easy to read."
“Ray Porter’s masterful delivery of Millhone’s memoir…elicit[s] universal emotions and a feeling of connection. His tone and pace are conversational, punctuated by increases in volume and intensity where appropriate to the events and language of the text. His equally skillful handling of wry humor, muttered asides, and musings adds to his authenticity as Mark Millhone. Porter also does especially convincing presentations of Millhone’s father and Rose, Millhone’s wife. The final product is both funny and poignant—a slice-of-life listeners will identify with and enjoy.”
“Simultaneously humorous and poignant…An impressive display of misery tinged with rueful humor—like Woody Allen wading into Ingmar Bergman.”
" This book took me forever to finish, it wasn't bad it just couldn't hold my interest. I'd pick it up for a half hour at a time and then put it down in lieu of something else. "
" So good for so many reasons. It's a roller-coaster of emotions filled with "been there- done that" situations, a really good read. "
" I don't usually like memoirs at all, but this one was actually pretty good. "
" Library2go Audiobook. This book was fairly depressing throughout, what with all the tragedies that befell the author in one year. A couple of times, I even got a tear in my eye (I empathize too much). On the whole, a mildly amusing tale that made me ever more grateful for my circumstances. "
" Loved this audio book. I really want to read it so that I can get the full impact of the story. The audio reader did a fantastic job. "
" Very funny. The author has a witty way of writing. Heart-warming story. (I do wish the language was cleaner.) "
" Witty, self-deprecating, intelligent. A quick read, worth your time, if you like memoirs, as I do. "
" Reading this book is like you're having a nice, long chat with an old friend. I think we've all had our own "year from hell" I know I have. "
" It had some pretty funny one-liners, but besides that, it was a somewhat depressing look at a husband/wife who are growing apart after a very tough year of family tragedies. "
" I really enjoyed this book. It was weird remembering that it is a true story and yes, it even made me cry a little. It also made me think about myself and how I act under stressful circumstances. A quick, easy read that people can relate to. "
Mark Millhone is an award-winning filmmaker, Men’s Health columnist, and screenwriting professor at NYU Film School. He won an Academy Award in 1997 (Best Student Film, for Christmas in New York.) His first feature film, Minuteman, is set to start filming soon. He lives in Virginia with his family.
Ray Porter has garnered two Audie nominations as well as several Earphones Awards and enthusiastic reviews for his sparkling narration of audiobooks. A fifteen-year veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, he has also appeared in numerous films and television shows.
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