Customer Reviews:
 Stylistically gorgeous September 3, 2004
Oaxacophile
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I read this book in one sitting and found it exceptional. The author's style is unique, although it is a little reminiscent of Henry Green. The picture that is painted is gritty and absolutely true of the working class Boston suburbs that I have known. You should not buy this book if you are allergic to "experimental" literature, that is, literature which disobeys conventions about what sentences must be like and what a narrative must, simplistically, accomplish. You should buy this book if your taste in prose tends toward the lyrical and poetic in style, you aren't afraid to have to think a little, and you want to hear the voice of someone from the underside of the class divide in America. Torra's other novels in the trilogy, _My Ground_ and _Tony Luongo_ are even better.
 Lack of plot and punctuation not a hindrance for this book. September 26, 2000
Brian (Herndon, VA)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
I didn't seem to have the same problems with this book as the other reviewers. I found the lack of punctuation and linear narrative very liberating, casting the whole book in the hazy light of memory and hindsight. The fluidity of the prose was in keeping with the flow of reminiscence of a bittersweet time gone past, of captured moments that slip by. Maybe it's just because I've read a lot of Faulkner and the Beat writers that I'm used to this kind of writing style.The lack of a plot only served to increase this tone for me. When looking at "slice-of-life" stories, plot usually isn't my primary consideration; what compels me is how the protagonist (or the writer) seeks to find meaning in the mundane, the repetitive, the significant and the overwhelming events of an ordinary life...."ordinary" in the sense that it could just as well be yours or mine. This is not a spectacular book, it is not the best book I've ever read, but it doesn't deserve to be written off as pointless or difficult. It is a glimpse into a time and place that I would not otherwise have ever known, and in terms of its structure, it is fascinating. Again, not a classic, but well worth a place on my bookshelf.
 punctuation is a problem February 13, 2000
hunter (England)
1 out of 7 found this review helpful
This book could possibly be very good if it was not for the lack of commas and full stops it makes it near impossible to make sense of the narrative and it becomes tedious having to reread every page especially when the subject matter is so dull if you enjoyed reading this review which contained no punctuation than you may just enjoy this tedious book
Unique setting, difficult read. October 19, 1999
Jayson A. Olson (Rancho Santa Margarita, CA)
1 out of 5 found this review helpful
Gas Station, a story that could probably take place in anyrural town, is a true slice of the typical average American dream. Itis a story, (well not really) more like a snap-shot of a young adolescent boy who's coming of age. In this Joeseph Torra captures the many thoughts that we all have in life. Your first beer, your first cigarette, how you view yoru parents and the immediate world that surrounds you.However, the book lacks plot. There is no climax, no intricate story, just a time slice of a young man's life. The difficulty in this book is its rhythm. I found myself re-reading sections of the book because of the lack of where a sentance starts and where it ends. Without punctuation, you find many thoughts becomming a blur and it takes time to sort them all out into cohesive thoughts to digest. The myriad of characters had much promise, and I would have liked to see many of their motivations, but they were discussed. Touch for a book that is $11.95
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