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Book Review of The Man Who Ate the 747

The Man Who Ate the 747
GeniusJen avatar reviewed on + 5322 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1


How far would you go for someone you loved? We've all heard people state that they'd lie or die for a loved one, but would you eat a Boeing 747 jet plane?

Such is the case for Wally Chubb, a man on a mission to garner the attention of Willa Wyatt, the town's newspaper editor. Wally has been in love with her ever since she was the only schoolmate to attend his tenth birthday party--and now that he wants her attention, wants her to see just exactly how far he'd go to gain her approval and admiration, a jumbo jet has fallen from the sky like manna from Heaven.

When J.J. Smith gets an anonymous letter summoning him to Superior , Nebraska , to meet a man attempting to eat a 747, he's not sure what to do. For The Keeper of the Records--the man in charge of verifying all records for The Book of Records (similar to The Guinness Book of World Records)--the thought that someone would attempt to eat an airplane is intriguing. It's been awhile since he's found a great record, and his boss is starting to intimate that after fourteen years, J.J. is burnt out.

But John Smith, a small-town boy who got out as soon as he could, measures his life by the records that he verifies. He's seen greatness a thousand times over, and in turn felt justified in living a life of little emotion, of little love. Until he pulls into Superior , Nebraska , and witnesses "the greatest love, ever."

THE MAN WHO ATE THE 747 is a testament not just to how far a person will go for someone they love, but how a town reacts to momentary greatness, how it recovers from loss, and how you can find love in the strangest places.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and if you did, too, I would recommend Ben Sherwood's second release, THE DEATH AND LIFE OF CHARLIE ST. CLOUD.