Praise for Not Even Immortality Lasts Forever
“Moving . . . McClanahan . . . lures the reader—with his trademark jocularity and bountiful prose—through the wistful banalities of a midcentury, middle–American boyhood. His anecdotes wind together, flowing almost associatively . . . The book, taken as a whole, performs a genuinely beautiful act of post hoc portraiture, eventually building into a protracted study of McClanahan’s relationship with the erosive nature of time and the happy–sad miracles of memory. How much is fiction? How much is memoir? Who cares: It’s joyous.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Entertaining . . . McClanahan’s rich material, ready wit, and unique turns of phrase hold interest. This will satisfy his fans.” —Publishers Weekly
“Former Merry Prankster McClanahan has earned a respectable following for his mischievous wordplay and oblique storytelling . . . Fascinating . . . His conversational style and frank humor imbue these pieces with wisdom and charm.” —Booklist
“This book is all over the map—in the best possible ways. Long admirers of McClanahan don’t want McClanahan Bound. We want him, as here, available in all his florid, wide–ranging, unpredictable, savvy, and sassy (and, I’m sorry, yes, extremely humane) abundance. Somewhere in him resides the restless, extravagant spirit of Mark Twain.” —Richard Ford
“I happened to be waiting in a federal jury room when I started reading Ed McClanahan’s latest accounts ranging from his childhood escapades, his many friendships, and most certainly the appealing characters of his hometown. This would not be recommended reading in that setting, as I couldn’t help but chuckle on almost every page . . . McClanahan notes that these stories are ‘mostly true,’ and we all know that the truth is stranger than fiction. But, a clever storyteller can embellish a memoir with a few fictional details that vary from audience to audience and achieve delightful entertainment. Of all of the 642 residents of Brooksville, Kentucky, McClanahan is likely the most famous, but his tales about the basketball coach, the drug store clerk, as well as friends and family, elevate the ordinary events of their lives into extraordinary, memorable stories . . . Has McClanahan led a more colorful life than the rest of us? Or does he paint the ordinary life with technicolor details? Either way, you will laugh.” —Lizz Taylor, Poor Richard’s Books, FRANK.
“I’m sorry, all you lovers of The Natural Man et al., but Not Even Immortality Lasts Forever may be Ed McClanahan’s best book yet. Never again can I say that I don’t laugh out loud—or walk around reciting to the closest human—while reading a book. McClanahan has cornered the market in self–deprecation. This memoir belongs on the same shelf as Nordan’s Boy with Loaded Gun and the works of David Sedaris. What a great, comical joyride by a large–hearted man.” —George Singleton, author of Staff Picks
“To tell about his early years in Kentucky, Ed McClanahan has channeled the voice of Mark Twain and propelled us off to military camp and Southern Gentlemen’s college (you will want to read this book just to find out what he did with the dress code there) and even to an extravagant launching party of his parents’ houseboat. From tall tale to artful hyperbole, the verbal wizardry in this fabulous book is tops. McClanahan always has a blast with words, running the language around in circles. He can’t just say ‘a humble abode’ when ‘a humble ensquatment’ will do. So much here is fresh and invigorating—and often tender and sweet. His portrayal of his father is especially touching. And there are dogs. I will treasure this memoir forever. It’s immortal!” —Bobbie Ann Mason, author of In Country and The Girl in the Blue Beret
“This is McClanahan at his best . . . McClanahan, a member of the Kentucky Writers Hall of Fame, has a way with words that never fails to tickle readers’ funny bones.” —Carnegie Center staff and friends, Smiley Pete Publishing
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