Corvette Odyssey: The True Story of One Man's Path to Roadster Redemption

By Terry Berkson

Book Overview

"In Berkson's hands, the hunt becomes an attempt to realign his life and even reconnect with his dead father, making this an improbably meaningful account."-- Publishers Weekly It was a car fanatic's... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1592282946
• ISBN13: 9781592282944
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: UNKNO
• Length: 197 Pages
• Weight: 1.12 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.8" x 1.3" x 6.0"

Customer Reviews

A Tale of Inspiration

In clear concise prose, that gives a nod and a wink to Messrs. Hemingway and Hammet, Mr. Berkson draws the reader into a nightmarish web of doubt, deception, and despair that would have stopped a lesser man cold in his tracks: Mr. Berkson is made of sterner stuff. All he wants to do is get his beloved classic red Corvette, the very Corvette his deceased father gave to him, back home where it belongs. But, just like Odysseus of old, there are modern day sirens and cyclops waiting to ambush him or mislead him at every turn. His foray into the netherworld of junkyards and car junkies is nothing short of heroic; and is reminiscent of Walter Moseley's character, Easy Rawlins. Just regular guys called upon by fate or tricked by destiny into diving down into a bubbling cauldron of endless trouble only to climb out of it one piece, rising above the heat and horror like a phoenix. The story comes together, piece by piece, disappointment by disappointment, as it reports to the reader the sometimes comic and most often demoralizing trials and tribulations of being your own private detective. Mr. Berkson's tenacity is of mythic proportions. This is a tale of obsession and posession: obsessed with a loss and posessed by a relentless determination to regain what was lost. A sentimental tale told without an excess of sentiment; quite a neat trick which this writer pulls off flawlessly. By the way, his wife, who happened to be giving birth to their new son at the very moment his Corvette was being stolen, deserves much of the credit and is as much a hero in her own way as her husband. She put up with quite alot. I would highly recommend this book not only to lovers of classic red Corvettes, but to lovers of literature and to all those out there who believe in the very American grit and against-all-odds determination of real working class heroes.

An Inspiring Story

Once in a great while a book comes along that combines a terrific story with one of the fundamental ideas that give meaning to life. Not simply a story about recovering a piece of property, this book recounts some of the tragedies that befell the author growing up and his powerlessness to change them. Then his car is stolen when he's most vulnerable, not only an insult to his rights as a human being but a violaton of some of the memories he holds most dear. But this time he has the ability to do something about it, to change the outcome. Those around him think it's about recovering a car when it's really about proving that he's not a helpless pawn in some cosmic game. His triumph is a win for all of us who have felt at the mercy of fate, proving that we do have control over what happens to us if we only make the commitment and sacrifices that it takes to win. A truly inspiring story.

STREET SMARTS

This story is more than an author's attempt to retrieve his stolen car. It is his ambition to stand up and fight for a personal possession that is rightfully his. Berkson takes us for a rollercoaster ride of automobile recovery. I admired his street smarts used to cut through the bureaucratic red tape, while feeling the emotional drain upon his wife and family. You don't know whether to love him or hate him. He educates us with the process used by thieves to put a stolen vehicle back on the road again. I found the book very enjoyable and it was quick reading. I would hope to see this a movie one day so one could appreciate the actual beauty of the car.

You Don't Have To Love Cars Or Corvettes...

Corvette Odyssey shouldn't scare away readers who aren't obsessed with cars or Corvettes as was author T. Berkson. This is a story about a guy who loves something and can't just accept the fact that it's gone...and about how it affects his whole life and his relationships. In all, a good read, written in a down-to-earth style that makes you feel like it's a friend talking to you. He might have given us a little more detail about the people in his life, and what happened once he found the car, but the story is very interesting and draws you in.

Absorbing

By way of full disclosure, I will begin by saying that I have known the author, Terry Berkson, and his family for well over twenty-five years. I have read various drafts of this book prior to the final published version, and as I've watched Terry bring to life the events experienced, I've been impressed with how honestly he describes his obsessive search for his Holy Grail, even to his own detriment. The reader, not knowing him personally, might easily dismiss him as crazy and/or irresponsible. After all, it's just a car, right? Well, yes and no. Yes, it's a car, but, then again, it is also a treasure chest of memories and experiences, something given to him by his beloved father, and something that was with him during some of the happiest moments of his life. The car was a touchstone of his youth, his early freedom, and all of life's possibilities, and, in a crushing instant, it came to represent their loss. Corvette Odyssey is ultimately a book about a man who loses something very important to him and, in his desperation, risks losing even more important things in order to restore his equilibrium. It is a book about a man who attempts to force the world to yield to his will. And it is a book about a man who, finally, comes to know himself better through the effort. I recommend Corvette Odyssey to one and all without hesitation.