Vertical

A Novel

By: Rex Pickett

Narrated by: Scott Brick

The follow-up novel to the blockbuster Sideways, the basis of a major motion picture, tracks the continuing story of Miles Raymond and his buddy Jack.

It’s seven years later. Miles has written a novel that has been made into a wildly successful movie, and the movie has changed his life. Jack, contrarily, is divorced, has a kid, and is on the skids. Phyllis, Miles’ mom, has suffered a stroke that’s left her wheelchair-bound and wasting away in assisted living. She desperately wants to live with her sister in Wisconsin. When Miles gets invited to be master of ceremonies at the International Pinot Festival in Oregon, he hatches a harebrained road trip. With Jack as his copilot, he leases a handicapped-equipped van, hires a pot-smoking Filipina caretaker, and, with his mother’s rascally Yorkie in tow, they take off for Wisconsin via Oregon’s fabled Willamette Valley.

This is a road novel for the smart set and wine lovers, and it is anything but predictable.

©2010 Loose Gravel Press (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Better, richer than Sideways." (Kirk Honeycutt, Hollywood Reporter)

"Rex Pickett shows that his gift for creating wildly funny scenes is quite intact.…The book is laugh-out-loud funny." ( New York Journal of Books)

"Had me alternately laughing and crying through this hilarious, heartbreaking, and ultimately moving meditation on fame, friendship, and family. Vertical managed to break my heart and then put it back together again, piece by piece…and should abolish any lingering doubts whether the author just got ‘lucky’ with Sideways. This is a work to be both admired and savored like the great Willamette Valley Pinots Miles exults over." ( Forth magazine)

Good story

Even though there are three books in the series, Vertical seems like a proper ending for Miles and Jack and his mom. The story had some great moments, and was quite the adventure from Los Angeles to Sheboygan Wisconsin.

Excellent!!!

I loved this audiobook, sideways is one of my favorite movies and always wondered what happened to Miles. This was a great to ending to one of my favorite fictional characters. Thank you for writing this book!!

Good but at times boring

First Brick was good at narrating. He reminded me of Giamatti.

Now the storyline I was mixed. The mom stuff made this sequel into a drama. The ending was good.

If they do make a movie omit mom stuff and he n jack do a wine road trip through Oregon after her funeral.

As a female I relate to Miles and Im abt to start Sideways Chile

Too much unrefined sex

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

No, like every other sentence had talk of miles ejaculating it seemed like.

What do you think your next listen will be?

?

Which character – as performed by Scott Brick – was your favorite?

In this book no favorite. Brick is good, but miles seems like a completely different person from the miles in "sideways". As does jack. But miles is particularly unlikeable. He's sex obsessed. Treats everyone badly. And especially says mean things to his mom.
Just wayyyyyy to much sex going on with super hot young chicks and miles. Seems like the author is living vicariously thru miles. And it's told in a way that comes off as creepy. Not sensual.
Or maybe I'm missing somethjg?

Do you think Vertical needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

I didn't think sideways did. But I welcomed a new novel with miles and jack. Ultimately I didn't like the direction the characters lives had taken.

Any additional comments?

A dissapointment. Seems a contrived plot to facilitate another road trip.
The characters aren't consistent with sideways and too much sex not portrayed very sexily.

Kind of cringey. But the plot is pretty good

If I can convince myself this book is satirical, it’s great; The moments of over-the-top verbosity and overly descriptive sex scenes ala the literotica website are hard to get thru otherwise.

It really is a good supplement to Sideways but you can tell some editing suggestions were prioritized. Worth listening to

For Sideways Lovers

I don't think you necessarily need to have seen the movie Sideways or read the book to easily get into this novel. Miles is about as flawed a hero as possible in this novel. There is plenty of madcap adventures and redemptive moments. Pickett does a great job of bringing the auxiliary characters to life. Scott Brick is probably my new favorite narrator, he really brings Miles and the other characters to life.

Not everyone will love this book, a lot of people are going to be put off by all the excessive drinking and the promiscuous sex. Not to mention there are several places in the book where Miles is downright unlikable and it is hard to have sympathy for him. He is not the best of heroes but in the end he does become heroic. For me if you enjoyed the movie Sideways then you definitely need to get this book.

Excellent audiobook

Rex Pickett’s sequel to Sideways finds our heroes in unfamiliar territory. His warts-and-all recounting of the travails of success and aging is outrageous and outlandish, uncomfortable in both its selfishness and selflessness. It is all-to-true seeming in the way it weaves the fine line between reality and fiction in what feels like a near-autobiographical tale. What begins as an irresponsible romp of middle-aged men giving in to their basest pleasures and taking advantage of their privilege turns into them bearing the burden of those choices. While not exactly a new tale, perhaps the Hangover deals with similar themes, Pickett’s poignant prose, striking self-awareness and courage to unflinchingly detail the inner mindset of his main character give this story an unexpected buoyancy.

Funniest book I have read in a long time.

As the title says. The book had me in stitches. Very funny moments and also very serious ones. Overall, a great book. In my view, better than the Sideways.

A love story...

A love story of wine and the relationship between son and mother told in the narrators self-deprecating comedic tone. What starts as a madcap drunken adventure through wine country, ends in a touching heart ache of a son coming to know and let go of his dying mother. Bravo!

Great follow up to Sideways

I really enjoyed this book. I thought it was even better than the original Sideways. The book is yet another road trip story filled with crazy adventures. While the story was not so much a comedy towards the end I enjoyed the direction in which it took. Cant wait to read Sideways 3 Chile. Now I gotta go drink some f*&@in Merlot!