The Last Open Road

Written by Burt Levy
ST. Martin’s Press, New York, New York
ISBN 0-312-18625-X

www.lastopenroad.com

“Why, of course. It’s the bloody cars that win races,” he said matter-of-factly. The drivers can only lose them…”

Sometimes the best part of a race weekend is sitting down after the fact and swapping stories instead of paint. Now picture this time the narrator being a man with character, insight and humor telling the tale and you have Burt Levy and his book The Last Open Road. From the lines such as the one above – you know Burt has the inside track and is a true racing aficionado. He feels what as a racerchick or racerdude you feel and perfectly puts it to paper. One of the best attributes of this novel is the reader does not have to be an automotive or mechanical historian. Buddy Palumbo,  out of high school,  lands a job as a mechanic at the local gas station. The story chronicles his growth as a young man, mechanic and a race fan, fine tuning his personality along the way. Burt Levy marvelously describes the main character’s  mounting racing addiction -- something we all can relate to.  I am amazed how each character can remind you of someone you have met and each event remind you of somewhere you have been. Everything is detailed in a way to easily visualize and be a part of the history of racing in the 1950s – a great decade in the sport.

Call this the car lover’s best harlequin romance – the love between racer and racing. If you want literature – read Jane Austen. But if you want a great story,  pick up The Last Open Road. I sure hope you do.