A Fine Ending [Paperback]

Here is what reviewers have been saying about A Fine Ending:

"By touching upon the lives of those who inhabit the region - a generation with nothing to gain and nothing to lose - (Rastelli) has successfully painted a timeless portrait of the spirit of bohemia that not only permeates the vibrant and colourful Montreal neighbourhood in which he lives and loves, but would feel equally at home in Greenwich Village, Soho or along the left bank of Paris. And, like the Plateau itself, A Fine Ending shines with both substance and style." - Stephen Clare, Halifax Daily News

"A Fine Ending reads like a middle-of-the-night yarn from a slightly stoned scribe who has set himself the task of telling everybody's story - for a laugh or at least a smile. Yet hovering overhead is a powerful metaphysical gravitas heightened by the narrator's innocence." - Marianne Ackerman, The Globe and Mail (Canada)

"Although Louis Rastelli's A Fine Ending is written in a smooth, flowing style reminiscent of J.D. Salinger or Jacques Poulin, that doesn't fully explain the novel's appeal... His unique, insider perspective and matter-of-fact voice are the real draws in this warm-hearted account of an artistic community's defining years." - Anne Chudobiak, Montreal Gazette

"Louis Rastelli was very much a part of the Montreal Plateau scene in the '90s, that recession era that encompassed the Referendum and the Ice Storm and culminated, or fizzled out, with Y2K. And he was definitely taking notes. The result, part elegy, part celebration, part parallel-universe Friends, is A Fine Ending. It's an episodically structured novel whose charms may take some time to make themselves felt but whose parts eventually coalesce into a vivid, funny, and touching record of a unique time and place."-- Ian McGillis, Montreal Review of Books

"A Fine Ending is about a community of friends that grows and changes shape through the years, but who remain loyal to one another and their bohemian way of life. It's about young people fighting to pursue their art when the world wants them to just grow up and get a job. Rastelli successfully re-creates the gritty world of his youth, peopled with earthy characters and exploits that shock and entertain. Though spotted with tragedy, he maintains an upbeat tone throughout the novel." - Carmen Klassen, Saskatoon StarPhoenix

"A Fine Ending is exactly that, an untroubled immortalization of a bygone era in the Montreal underground. There is something undeniably compelling in the openness and innocence of the telling, in the largely non-subjective subjectivity. We feel safe in his story, and therein lies the draw - whatever the faults, A Fine Ending offers a comfy barstool perspective on the times, a cold beer and good company, and that's always hard to pass up."- Jamie O'Meara, Hour (Montreal)

› Go to Amazon.com to see the review  5.0 out of 5 stars