Overview
In this cosmic comedy, novelist Charles Sides presents a familiar tune with a new twist: Our hero, Alan Pierce divorced, jobless, and on the skids sets out for California on his new motorcycle in pursuit of escape and enlightenment. But an appalling sense of direction, a previously fear of motorcycles, and recurring and painful leg cramps land our neurotic mid-lifer in coastal New Jersey. Pierce dismounts from his “hog” forever to turn his voyage of self-discovery inward. With a little help from his friends and some heavy guidance form above, he gradually transforms his habitual blundering, effortless confusion, and bootstrap enlightenment into a life worth living.- A light-hearted coming-of-middle age story
- A spiritual novel with a sense of humor and a fun recipe for enlightenment
- Lively and humorous literary reflection upon the spiritual journey we all must take
Synopsis
Alan Pierce in his forties, divorced, clueless, a bit neurotic, without a job can t find his way across the street without getting lost, it seems. The only thing Pierce knows for certain is where to find really good pizza on the Ocean City, New Jersey, boardwalk and that s as far as he gets in his cross-country motorcycle odyssey in search of enlightenment. He ditches the ideas of traveling to the West Coast (he can t find it), sells his motorcycle (he gets leg cramps), and digs in where he finds himself. As he searches for inner peace and self-understanding, his life becomes a paradoxical study of indirection: he goes by not going, he bikes by selling his bike.
Following his doughnut wisdom, Alan calms down, relaxes his mind, and learns to meditate, all the while observing himself with the bemused and sometimes startled fascination of an anthropologist. Quirky, clever, and somehow actually instructive, Motorcycle Enlightenment is a stand-up comic s take on adventure along the spiritual path.
Publishers Weekly
Jack Kerouac meets Richard Ford in this slender, thoughtful piece of visionary fiction. We follow Alan Pierce, an unemployed divorced Pennsylvanian, on a memorable journey beginning on the road but becoming an ethereal voyage of self-discovery. Though Alan plans to motorcycle to California, he winds up in New Jersey, where he settles down and tries to find himself. He rises at 5 a.m. to do yoga and meditate. He munches on pizza and doughnuts and, later, broccoli. And he falls in love with a real estate agent named Jean, who can tell "from [his] eyes" that Alan's life has fallen apart. She isn't put off by Alan's muddled confusion, early morning regime or balding pate, however. Jean (who conveniently holds a master's degree in counseling) is insightful and incisive, and readers may grow to love her as Alan does, as he learns to eat meditatively, enjoying his food without rushing, to stop gazing blankly at the Jersey shore and to feel each grain of warm sand when he goes out for a stroll. At times, this novel--like others packed with so many life lessons--tends toward the didactic, but it remains a captivating and spiritually challenging read. (July) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.|