The Honk and Holler Opening Soon
by Billie Letts
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Book Summary Information
Author: Billie LettsEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-07-01
ISBN: 044661288X
Number of pages: 384
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Book Reviews of The Honk and Holler Opening Soon
Book Review: Full of Laughter, Tears & Dreams
Summary: 5 Stars
When Canny Paxton was recovering in the VA from the fall from a helicopter that cost him the use of his legs in Vietnam, he was planning the diner that he would shut himself in back in his hometown in Oklahoma. He was going to call it the "Honk and Holler "as the place was going to have drive in service with carhops. However he and a friend got drunk and when they ordered the sign, they thought appending the words Opening Soon would be a good idea. That way passing motorists would see the sign and anticipate the opening. However it's years later and those words are still there, so the official name of Canny's diner is "The Honk and Holler Opening Soon".
The sign is faded now, as is Canny's life. He's not been outside of his diner since it opened twelve years ago. He lives and sleeps in an attached apartment. Every day is the same. Same food, same customers, same sunrise, same sunset. Then one day at Christmastime Vena Takes Horse comes through the front door with a half dead three-legged dog tucked under her arm. She sees a years-old faded notice for a carhop on the bulletin board and though the diner hasn't had outdoor service for years, she starts working for tips only. She makes eleven dollars that first day and though she was just passing through, she stays on.
Then Bui Khanh, a wounded and damaged soul on the run comes by with his clunker of a car. He's Vietnamese, barely speaks English and sleeps unknown in the church down the road at night. He claims he's a cook, Canny says he doesn't need one and Bui starts working anyway. He doesn't understand Canny doesn't want him and Canny can't bring himself to make himself understood.
It seems everybody in town is just going through life's motions. Same old, same old, day in and day out, until these two show up, lost souls on the move, just stopped by for awhile. But the way they change the great and colorful characters in Ms. Letts' wonderful story will move you to laughter and tears again and again.
Summary of The Honk and Holler Opening Soon
Caney Paxton wanted his cafe to have the biggest and brightest sign in Eastern Oklahoma-the "opening soon" part was supposed to be just a removable, painted notice. But a fateful misunderstanding gave Vietnam vet Caney the flashiest joke in the entire state. Twelve years later, the once-busy highway is dead and the sign is as worn as Caney, who hasn't ventured outside the diner since it opened. Then one blustery December day, a thirtyish Crow woman blows in with a three-legged dog in her arms and a long-buried secret on her mind. Hiring on as a carhop, Vena Takes Horse is soon shaking up business, the locals, and Caney's heart...as she teaches them all about generosity of spirit, love, and the possibility of promise-just like the sign says.Literary Books
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