Book · 2015 · Fiction
Fat City
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- 1
I mean I have I've read several books like that and one of them is Fat City by Leonard Gardner.
The best things said about it
And then also um there's a movie called Fat City with Stacy keich and Jeff Bridges and it starts off with this amazing establishing shot of Stockton California.
Bill Burr Monday Morning Podcast · Sep 2024 Why people recommend it
Fat City by Leonard Gardner is a gritty, realistic novel depicting the struggles of small-time boxers in California. On the How I Write podcast in August 2025, guest Jayne Anne Phillips recommended Leonard Gardner's novel Fat City during a conversation about her own literary influences, citing the book as a prime example of intensely studied and well-crafted writing. Phillips noted that she had read several books of that particular character, with Gardner's work standing out among them. Separately, Bill Burr mentioned Fat City on the Monday Morning Podcast in September 2024 while discussing the creative inspirations behind setting up his show Old Dads. Burr referenced both the novel and the cinematic adaptation directed by John Huston, which starred Stacy Keach and Jeff Bridges. He highlighted how the film opens with a memorable and striking establishing shot of Stockton, California, using the atmosphere of the story to reflect on regional settings and visual tone. Together, these podcast references underscore the enduring cultural and literary footprint of Gardner's work, bridging discussions of careful prose craftsmanship with cinematic representations of American working-class life.
Every mention
Jayne Anne Phillips I mean I have I've read several books like that and one of them is Fat City by Leonard Gardner. 1
“I mean I have I've read several books like that and one of them is Fat City by Leonard Gardner.”
Bill Burr and then also um there's a movie called Fat City with Stacy keich and Jeff Bridges and it starts off with t… 1
“and then also um there's a movie called Fat City with Stacy keich and Jeff Bridges and it starts off with this amazing establishing shot of Stockton California”
