Overview

""The tale of a musician who leaves school for a life on the road."" Flynn Robinson is eighteen years old and has just made the most important decision of his life. Excited by an offer to play guitar in a top club band, he's decided to drop out of his last year of high school. Naturally, his parents aren't too thrilled. Neither is his girlfriend, Julianne. But Flynn is driven by his passion for music, and his fear of ending up bored and boring -- a regular guy in a suit and tie. His hero is his uncle and namesake, Ray Flynn, a musician who has defied convention his whole life. Flynn can't bring himself to tell Julianne they're finished. He resents anyone giving him advice, and finds that he's really burned when the bandleader won't let him play his original tunes. When Flynn is offered a hot guitar, he is confronted by the first of his moral dilemmas. Flynn is getting his first look at the world of sex, drugs, and rock and roll. But a time for deep reflection arrives when Flynn discovers that his idol, Ray, isn't the man he imagined. Tanner reaches into his own experience as a musician to create the authentic universe of a club band. In this novel, written with the adrenaline rush of a live performance, we meet a compelling cast of characters.

Full Product Details

9781550378962

Table of Contents

Reviews

There is a lot of technical detail that will appeal only to musicians or serious fans of classic rock, but this well-told story of a young man on a quest for self-discovery will speak to a general audience.--Mary Ellen Monahan INFOLINK (12/08/2005)

Flynn's self-absorption and sometimes careless treatment... don't make him totally likeable, but those same qualities give his voice strong authenticity. -- Gillian Engberg Booklist (08/01/2005)

The protagonist is a well developed character who grows believably by the end of the story. -- Kelly Czarnecki School Library Journal (08/01/2005) If you play guitar long enough and hard enough, they will come. What happens to you is another story.... Recommended.--Joan Marshall Canadian Materials (06/24/2006) This well-told story of a young man on a quest for self-discovery will speak to a general audience.--Mary Ellen Monahan INFOLINK (12/08/2005) [The protagonist is] a well developed character who grows believably by the end of the story.--Kelly Czarnecki School Library Journal (08/01/2005) Flynn is a dedicated and gifted guitar player. He has been given a chance at beginning his dream of becoming a star when he is offered a position with a local touring band. He decides to drop out of high school, which worries his parents and his girlfriend. Flynn finds out that touring isn't as exciting as it sounds and the difficulties of living on the road. This is an interesting story with a strong and introspective protagonist. Flynn is unafraid to take risks or to make mistakes, although he is not always happy with where those decisions take him. ... A good book for high schoolers [on the] popular what if situation....i.e. What if I could be a rock-n-roll star? This book's got a rhythm many readers will identify with... [the protagonist is] a well developed character who grows believably by the end of the story.--Kelly Czarnecki School Library Journal (08/01/2005) Flynn's self-absorption and sometimes careless treatment of others don't make him totally likeable, but those same qualities give his voice strong authenticity, and many readers, particularly teens who share his lyrically described musical passion, will easily connect with his questions, restlessness, and driving need for independence and expression.--Gillian Engberg Booklist (08/01/2005) The mistakes and disappointments that Flynn encounters along the way are heartbreakingly real and occasionally hilarious. Adding to the strength of the novel is the fact that Tanner resists ending the story by drawing things to a tidy resolution, which is a perfect fit for the story. Flynn's tale is a work in progress, a piece of music not yet entirely composed, while Tanner's tale is a rock masterpiece fully realized.--Matthew Weaver VOYA (10/01/2005) Here's a book for those many high school students (usually boys) who think that school's a drag and playing in a professional rock and roll band would be the epitome of career choices. If you play guitar long enough and hard enough, they will come. What happens to you is another story.... It's the music and the characters that dominate Resurrection Blues. And there are many descriptions of how the band plays its gritty '60's choices that will excite the heart of any guitar player... Told in the ubiquitous first person present tense, this novel creates a tone of urgent immediacy that reflects young adults' impatience and self-centeredness. Flynn's sojourn with the band helps him to break away from parental expectations and find his own solution to what to do with his life. This theme of finding your life path will resonate with older teens in the same position.... For band wannabes, Resurrection Blues could be a serious wake-up call. Recommended.--Joan Marshall Canadian Materials (06/24/2006) There is a lot of technical detail that will appeal only to musicians or serious fans of classic rock, but this well-told story of a young man on a quest for self-discovery will speak to a general audience.--Mary Ellen Monahan INFOLINK (12/08/2005)

Author Information

Mike Tanner is a songwriter and recording artist who has published one previous novel. He lives in Toronto, teaches English and gives writing seminars.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available