Sideways

By: Rex Pickett

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Sideways is the story of two friends, Miles and Jack, going away together for the last time to steep themselves in everything that makes it good to be young and single: pinot, putting, and prowling bars. In the week before Jack plans to marry, the pair heads out from Los Angeles to the Santa Ynez wine country. For Jack, the tasting tour is Seven Days to D-Day, his final stretch of freedom. For Miles, who has divorced his wife, is facing an uncertain career, and has lost his passion for living, the trip is a week-long opportunity to evaluate his past, his future, and himself.

A raucous and surprising novel filled with wonderful details about wine, Sideways is also a thought-provoking and funny book about men, women, and human relationships.

©2004 Rex Pickett (P)2005 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Pickett takes his readers on a jolly ride." (Publishers Weekly)

A brilliant comic novel about midlife crises

This is a brilliant comic novel about two sadsacks who take off to the Santa Barbara County wine country. One is a failed novelist who has replaced his remorse over his divorce to his soulmate with a romance with wine. His best friend is a semi-successful TV director in Hollywood. The book is hilarious, but there's a depth of sadness that this is going to be the last time they get together in this way. The equally brilliant movie changed some things, and not always for the best -- Sandra Oh's character changes tipped it a little more toward ugliness -- but the book cuts deeper than its comedy; it's a soul-searching tragedy of lives lost in the balance. Reviewers who complain about profanity shouldn't be allowed to review this; it just isn't objective reviewing. This book, aside from being the definitive novel -- I didn't say nonfiction -- written about wine is going to go down as a classic comic story, one that will last for years to come. I saw the film several times and it cut deeper every time. But I think the book stands up to the movie and may even be better in some way because it interiorizes the main character of Miles in a way that the movie can't. There's something deeply archetypal about Jack and Miles; we both know guys like this. The women may border on fantasy at times, but they're just as flawed and just as lonely and aliented in their own lives and it's not hard to buy why they would all want to have a good time. For people who think "real" characters like this don't exist, they're living in some faith-based bubble where they want their art to represent some ludicrous fantasy of goodness. Well, it ain't like that out there, folks. This is a tremendous book from a truly gifted author.

L.O.L. Very funny and enjoyable listening

I would highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys laughing and reminiscing. Excellent story telling .... makes me want to go wine tasting in Norther California <smile>.

Surprises!

While the movie follows the book to a certain extent, there's really a lot of differences between them. Which is to be expected. I enjoyed the book far more than I enjoyed the movie, and the movie is one of my favorites. I am a wine person; Pinot Noir is my favorite, too, so this book really means something to me. However, this is really a character study, not just a book about wine. The book emphasizes that, although a lot of my friends thought the movie was about wine. It really wasn't.

Scott Brick is one of my favorite narrators. That made the book even that more enjoyable. The book, the use of the language, and the narration makes me want to buy the physical version and actually read it. A well deserved five stars.

funny drinking story

Two buddies enjoy wild adventures while exploring the world of pinot noir. A light read.

if you liked the movie, you will like the book

If you liked the movie, I think you will like the book, even though the book is very different in some respects. I loved the movie and I am tempted to give the book five stars. but the book does have flaws/lapses. There's a lot more drunkeness. Some incidents are not credible and are distracting. There is lots more on specific wines, which is great. I completely disagree that the book is poorly written. There are parts that are extremely well-written. Very memorable. You may want to keep a dictionary handy. The first person voice is very much that of writer. A well read one, with a large and expressive vocabulary. Among other things, it is interesting to see where the moviemakers altered and streamlined the novel. The novel "explains" parts of the movie, for instance, some of the motivations of characters that were unclear. But the characters also clearly evolved into different people in the transition from book to movie. The relationship between Jack's wife to be and Miles' former wife is much more developed in the book. Probably unnecessarily. The character of Jack's wife to be is much more three dimensional and explains Jack's character quite a bit, in a way that makes sense. Those that complain about the crudeness, I bet did not like the move either. Sorry, but I am afraid that many men talk and act this way. It rang more or less true to me, although the characters are exaggerated for effect. The conflicts in Miles character are better explained in the book. For instance, his stealing from his Mother. To me the character makes sense. He has great inner conflict and is a good person and a bad person at the same time, as is Jack. This is the way people really are and the book and the movie explore this well. To me there are several big lapses as to Maya in the book--inconsistencies with character. She is still compelling. Virginia Madsen truly deserves kudos. In general, I appreciated the movie even more after reading the book.

Surprisingly good book

My expectations for this book were fairly low since wine isn't something I care for, but I wanted something different so I took a chance. The chance really paid off and I loved this book! There are many books out there that delve into friendships between women, but this is the first one that went into the emotions of male friendships and overall male emotions. As an added bonus, I learned some things about wine! Please note that the movie version of this book was awful and didn't capture the emotions of the book. It also left out and changed many significant parts of the book.

Better than the Movie

Saw the movie first, which was funny, but the book is funnier. Good read to cheer you up.

The best

I’ll never get tired of Miles and Jacks adventures. And it always makes me want a glass of Pinot noir :-)

Complex, inebriating and surprising as wine itself

Where does Sideways rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Sideways ranks far better than average. For a book that focuses on such wanton abandon, it is remarkably thought provoking. I found myself regularly pausing to meditate on the characters and their moral quagmires.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I was most interested in the unshakeable bond of friendship between Jack and Miles. Whenever I would begin to think that one was just using the other, some jaw-dropping act of kinship would pass between them. I was also intrigued by Miles' need to self-destruct whenever he felt he was becoming too amoral. I could have passed on all the wine-tasting jargon, but it was a great vehicle for the story. What better metaphor for the book than raising the enjoyment of intoxication to an art form?

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He breathes real life into Jack and Miles making their desperation palpable.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I really can't explain why I bought the book, since I did not like the movie. However, I'm glad I did listen to it. I found the character development and ending supremely satisfying. I ended up really loving these louts. Not to mention how crazy funny they are.

Love, Love this story!!!

I saw the movie first but this book was very good. Rex Pickett is so good at writing about transitions in life. This book makes you relatable to Miles (provided ur going through a MLC). I love this story because its raw not sugar coated with “think positive.” Lets be honest, at some point in our lives we have a down point and had to find a way out. That was Miles. Great story and I jotted down every winery and Im off to try them!