Carrying Albert Home
Hickam, HomerAlbert is an alligator and the improbable wedding present to Elsie and Homer Hickam, residents of the West Virginian coalfields. With Homer's ultimatum of 'him or me' becoming the catalyst to return Albert home, time is up on his occupation of their only bathroom. Their 1000-mile road trip to Florida will garner them more than enough adventures to last a lifetime: from bootleggers and bank robbers to meeting Ernest Hemingway and John Steinbeck.
Quirky and endearing, this is the legendary tale of the author's parents rendered in a delightful blend of fact and fiction.
Pages
398
398
Year
2015
2015
Reviews
09-01-2023
Most of the group enjoyed this book although we all agreed it was a rather quirky read, and possibly a little 'silly' at times. However well-written and very easy to read.
02-05-2022
A nice light read.
05-11-2021
No consensus - some thought boring, far fetched, repetitive etc. Others saw it in the American tall tales tradition, with literary references and puzzles abounding. It would definitely help to have read Bret Harte, Twain, Melville, Steinbeck, Hemingway, Kerouac etc. - there's a good deal of slightly self-conscious homage.
03-11-2021
Lively discussion on what was real and what was a tall tale. Those who didn't care, enjoyed the anecdotes. Famous name dropping a step too far...
27-03-2019
All thought the book an enjoyable quirky tale. We doubted that Albert - or any alligator - would respond quite so dog-like!
10-03-2019
"I loved it!" "What a stupid story!" Two extremes in summary and the other reactions came somewhere in between. Those who enjoyed it also enjoyed discussing the quirkiness and true/untrue parts, those who didn't enjoy it wanted to move on...!
14-09-2018
Thumbs down all round for this one, we all thought it too far fetched. We did wonder how much was true Homer's mother was however, a fantastic storyteller.
14-09-2018
Very quirky! After our discussion with so many varying comments, some of us appreciated the 'tall tale' more. Entertaining.
14-09-2018
A light, fun read. Some of our group struggled with what was fact and what was fiction. Good coverage of the Depression in America.
25-07-2018
A mixed reaction to this book. People either loved it, or hated it and struggled to finish it. All agreed that the wife was a difficult person to like - although she somewhat redeemed herself toward the end.
27-05-2018
I loved this book - it was such a great story but whether much of it was true or not, who knows There was a background of truth, especially as some of the older members knew the actors etc. There was definitely a mixed reaction to this book - at least half didn't like it at all, thinking it was ridiculous and a waste of time. The other half liked it and just thought it was a good story. And there is an alligator at that golf course... great discussion!