Lester Goran has once again effectively illuminated the world of Pittsburgh, particularly the Oakland section of town and the cronies at the Irish club. This is his longest collection of short stories to date that have focused on this same setting. He masterfully presents the stories of these troubled souls and invites us into their thoughts and the post World War II Pittsburgh they call home. He seems to almost present a "Tortilla Flat"(Steinbeck) type feeling to the book where all the characters lives are closely connected, but in a city such as Pittsburgh the world becomes larger than just a small group of friends in a small town while at the same time presenting a setting where all the characters are somewhat familiar to each other. The book does however maintain the feel of lost souls searching for something somewhat ineffectively and you will laugh at the troubles these characters get into and the stories they tell, but also feel compassion for them. Resist the temptation to read the final short story from which the book receives its name. It provides an excellent conclusion to these tall tales. If you enjoy this book, you will also like She loved me once, Tales from the Irish club, and Bing Crosby's Last Song.

The author of "Tales from the Irish Club" weaves a well-worn blanket of gritty, touching, disturbing, and enchanting tales set against the urban backdrop of Pittsburgh. It made me want to hoist a pint in memory of the very real characters this book evokes.

This is a moving novel about an aging lawyer and Pittsburgh native, Daly "Right" Racklin, who struggles to understand and live up to the legacy of his late father Boyce Racklin, a champion of the underdog and fellow Pittsburgh attorney. The first page of the novel paints a pretty bleak picture, as Daly is told by his doctor his heart is failing and that nothing can be done to extend his life beyond a year. Daly proceeds to try and get his life in order, all the while continuing to give of himself to family, friends, and relatives of deceased buddies who never seem to take advantage of his kindness and betray him. All of this takes place during the turbulent summer of 1968, after the assassinations of Bobby Kennedy and Dr. King.

Daly comes off as almost Saint-like, especially early in the novel, where he exudes a sense of calm patience when the world seems to come apart around him. He cares for a family that steals from him, because he knew their deceased father and knew he would've done the same had Daly died young and left a widow with children. Daly carries on a friendship with a blind divorcee, Jessie, and then gets involved in an unlikely, whirlwind romance with a mystical woman (Gloria Scone) that he meets at a wake. All the while, Daly is frequently visited by visions of Pretty Boy Floyd, and we learn one of the most vivid memories of his childhood was a visit to the grass field where Floyd was gunned down.

Overall, I thought this was a very moving novel, with the characters of Daly and Jessie drawn exceptionally well. The scenes in Oakland (a working class Pittsburgh neighborhood) pubs were excellent, as bartenders reminisced with Daly about his working class hero dad, the original "Right" Racklin. The author notes that it was difficult for Daly to live up the reputation of a good father. I also loved the road trip by Daly and his friends to NYC, to attend the funeral of RFK. Some of the plot twists seemed a little forced, ( I thought the whole Gloria Scone interlude was a little abrupt and unrealistic, and detracted from the novel), but overall it was an engaging read and a moving glimpse at a time and place that is infrequently visited.