A Fine Place to Daydream: Racehorses, Romance, and the Irish (Vintage) - Softcover

Barich, Bill

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1400078091 ISBN 13: 9781400078097

Publisher: Vintage, 2007

Synopsis

Twenty-five years after Laughing in the Hills, his racetrack classic, Bill Barich tells the story of how he fell in love and found a new life in Dublin, where he was soon caught up in the Irish obsession with horses and luck. Barich travels his adopted country and meets the leading trainers and jockeys; the beleaguered bookies who work rain or shine; and a host of passionate, like-minded fans--from Father Sean Breen, the "Racing Priest," to T. P. Reilly, whose peculiar betting system turns on a horse's looks.

Witty, philosophical, and vividly written, A Fine Place to Daydream is a paean to the real Ireland, a moving tale of a surprise romance, and a thrilling account of a hugely exciting season at the track.

About this title

Review:

"An easy, fluid stylist, Barich writes entertainingly about anything, but in Irish racing he has grabbed on to a good thing. . . . Samuel Johnson could not have said it better." --The New York Times

"Like a horse that senses the ability of its rider and responds accordingly, readers know when they are immersed in the work of a master. Barich makes a winning companion-he's warm, funny and relaxed." --The Washington Post Book World

"Captivating. . . . Mr. Barich recaptures much of the feel and compass of his first narrative of the equine life, once again weaving a broad tartan from scores of interviews with inhabitants of every corner of the horseracing industry." --The Wall Street Journal

"The author, who a quarter century ago in Laughing in the Hills found inherent majesty in the broken-down plugs that race on the Northern California circuit, embraces Irish jumpers with similar enthusiasm." --Chicago Sun-Times

About the Author:

Bill Barich has lived in Northern California for most of his life. For many years he was a staff writer at The New Yorker, contributing fiction and nonfiction alike. His honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship and inclusion in Best American Short Stories. He is a Literary Laureate of the San Francisco Public Library and currently lives in Dublin.

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1400078091
• ISBN 13: 9781400078097
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 240