May 30, 2023dgiard rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
"George Washington Crosby began to hallucinate eight days before he died."
Paul Harding hit the ground running with his 2009 debut novel "Tinkers."
"Tinkers" tells the story of the final eight days of George Crosby's life. As George lies…
Oct 31, 2022kittybaker rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
A slow-paced story about a clock repairman — maybe late 1800s. The final chapters make the time-scale for the 200-page book collapse on itself. Stunning manipulation of time in a story featuring repair of broken clocks.
Aug 03, 2022firebird770 rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
Anyone having loads of time on their hands would possibly enjoy this book but not yours truly. Way too much detail. Story of a man dying and all the hours leading up to his death have him remembering the details of his life, his Father,…
Mar 24, 2021maipenrai rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
An old man lies dying. This book unfurls the history and final thoughts of a dying grandfather surrounded by his family in his New England home A methodical repairer of clocks, he is now finally released from the usual constraints of time…
Mar 27, 2018skae09 rated this title 0.5 out of 5 stars
First time author trying to be Faulkner or create a new literary genre and failing miserably. I had to review this for my book club, otherwise I would not have finished it.
Jan 13, 2016clarencedavis rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
This book is certainly good, but it's a long ways from great. The writing is poetic but the narrative doesn't always hold together. Character development lagged throughout the book as well, in my opinion. Perhaps the book should have been…
Jun 05, 2015jservilio rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Simple with simply gorgeous writing and more emotional charge than any number of lengthy adjective-ridden novels. One of the best books I've read in a long time.
Dec 20, 2014Chapel_Hill_KenMc rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Intriguing first effort, and one that found enormous critical success. For my taste, Harding tries a bit too hard to express the profundity of his subject. The narrative flows between the memories of a father and son, with the common…
Aug 23, 2014WVMLBookClubTitles rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
On his death bed, his mind delirious, eighty-year-old George Crosby recalls his impoverished childhood in rural Maine where his father, Howard, an epileptic, abruptly left the family when he learned his wife intended to institutionalize…
Aug 29, 2013BryanReinecke rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
Stream of consciousness writing, with very little structure to the written word. The story was interesting but the style was very offputting. I would not recommend this book.
Aug 03, 2012kwsmith rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
While on his death-bed, George Washington Crosby recalls the lives of three unusual tinkers: himself, his father, and his grandfather. George's father, an impoverished epileptic peddler has a very unusual relationship with nature. Sadly,…
Mar 10, 2011lilwordworm rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
It is about a man dying. Honestly that is it. It is pages and pages of description of his sloooow death. I thought I might suffer the same fate while reading it.
Feb 01, 2011Ann Langone rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Family gathers around an old man dying---he is taking stock of his life and remembering his own father's life, as he comes in and out of consciousness. A clock theme runs through story as the old mans life ticks away. Beautifully written--…
Nov 30, 2010lightbytheway rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Tinkers
by Paul Harding
tinker |ˈti ng kər|
noun
1 (esp. in former times) a person who travels from place to place mending metal utensils as a way of making a living.
• a person who makes minor mechanical repairs, esp. on a variety of…
A book that begins ?George Washington Crosby began to hallucinate eight days before he died' might seem off putting and grim. But, it's what passes through his mind and that of his father Howard that tells us just about all there is to…
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mfgeorge
Oct 29, 2010mfgeorge rated this title 1 out of 5 stars
Poetic, yes. Mr. Harding sure knows how to write a pretty paragraph. However, it's at the expensive of advancing the storyline. I found the novel terribly slow and couldn't connect/relate to the main character.
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Tinkers