Review: Man Plans,  And then God laughs.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 11, 2013
Take a group of young, white blues musicians living and playing on the Isle of Jersey, England.  Now toss in some heavy duty ambition and a yearning to move outside of the confines of the small island to mainland England and beyond, to the continent.  Toss in some herb.Have the leader of the group come upon a Black old timey jazz musician from Texas, on the internet.  Have them strike up a conversation in which the Black Texas musician, Coyote Jack, is invited to the Island of Jersey to play a one night gig with the young musicians, the Bluebirds.  Have him agree to fit it in on the beginning of his tour of the continent.And then the hilarity ensues.The famous jazz guy is late, very late, almost too late for the radio show interview which will help publicize the gig happening later that night.  The airline lost his guitar.  The pretty lady bass player has a marriage that chooses that day to fall apart, and she is left with no husband, and no babysitter for the night.The lead guitar has an ego bigger than the drum set, played by a drummer who is almost OK.  He wants secretly to leave the band and be with a hotter group.  The owner of the pub has a dicey ticker.  What does all this add up to?A great read, a wonderful story with a surprise -- right in the middle!!!!  We get to see life from the view of each of the main characters.  We get to remember what it was like being young and ambitious, and to have friends you think you can count on.  We get to remember that most ointments have flies, and that most clouds have silver linings, and that getting on with things is what we learn to do best.Fun book, fun characters, good writing.  Just all around dandy.