ABout the Book
A rust belt city in decline retains the solace of romance, which often proves to be an empty promise or even a curse. With a wry perspective and unflappable determination, Curt embodies all the town’s ills, including his own problems with drinking, work, and relationships, as he tries to save himself and rescue his friends in his own unconventional and unlawful ways. In The Bridge on Beer River, a novel-in-stories set in Reagan-era Binghamton, New York, characters scramble for subsistence while hoping for love and a better life.
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:978-1-956692-63-1
Publication Date: July 11, 2023
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:978-1-956692-63-1
Publication Date: July 11, 2023
About the Author
Terry Tierney is a writer who hails from the Midwest, but has planted roots in the San Francisco Bay Area. After serving in the Seabees, he completed his BA and MA at Binghamton University; Tierney completed a PhD in Victorian Literature at Emory University. For years, he taught college composition and creative writing courses, and survived several Silicon Valley startups as a software engineer. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife Michaelyn Burnette, a Librarian from the University of California, their son, and their goofy Golden Retriever. Tierney’s work has appeared in countless publications. Lucky Ride (Unsolicited Press), an irreverent Vietnam-era road novel is set to release in 2022. More can be learned at http://terrytierney.com.
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Reviews
The characters in The Bridge on Beer River drink too much, fight for survival, and fight one another while clinging to friendship and humor. Terry Tierney plies the blue-collar desperation and heroism of William Kennedy with fast-moving prose reminiscent of Raymond Chandler!
Lee Kravetz, author of The Last Confessions of Sylvia P.
As Curt, an ex-Marine living in Reagan-era Binghamton, NY, struggles to find his way, he crosses paths with colorful down-and-outers, sharp women, and hardened characters. With his heart in the past but his eye on the future, he tries to improve himself by learning computer technology at the dairy which eventually lays him off. Down on his luck again, and short on cash, he makes do by working for a local bookie in between beers at his favorite bar. Others offer money, advice, and the use of a battered set of wheels, but only Curt can help himself. Then, a chance to flee the industrial decay of upstate New York comes his way, but will he take it? Written in tight, unsentimental prose, with wry, crackling dialog, The Bridge on Beer River reminds us of the value of friendship, believing in yourself, and the lure of that one big gamble that could really pay off.
Anne Leigh Parrish, author of An Open Door