William Kennedy
Paperback | Pages: 208 pages Rating: 3.86 | 15300 Users | 677 Reviews
Particularize Regarding Books Ironweed (The Albany Cycle #3)
| Title | : | Ironweed (The Albany Cycle #3) |
| Author | : | William Kennedy |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 208 pages |
| Published | : | September 30th 2004 by Simon & Schuster Ltd (first published 1983) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Historical. Historical Fiction. Literature. Classics. Novels. American. Literary Fiction |
Commentary As Books Ironweed (The Albany Cycle #3)
Francis Phelan, ex-ballplayer, part-time gravedigger, full-time drunk, has hit bottom. Years ago he left Albany in a hurry after killing a scab during a trolley workers' strike. He ran away again after accidentally -- and fatally -- dropping his infant son. Now, in 1938, Francis is back in town, roaming the old familiar streets with his hobo pal, Helen, trying to make peace with the ghosts of the past and the present.Details Books Toward Ironweed (The Albany Cycle #3)
| Original Title: | Ironweed |
| ISBN: | 0743263065 (ISBN13: 9780743263061) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Series: | The Albany Cycle #3 |
| Setting: | Albany, New York(United States) New York State(United States) |
| Literary Awards: | Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1984), PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Nominee (1984), National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction (1983) |
Rating Regarding Books Ironweed (The Albany Cycle #3)
Ratings: 3.86 From 15300 Users | 677 ReviewsJudge Regarding Books Ironweed (The Albany Cycle #3)
Finished: 27.04.2018Genre: novelRating: BTheme: Redemption: The ghost of Francis infant son tells his father that hemust perform acts (of kindness) to exorcise his demons.#ClassicPulitzer Prize Fiction 1984 ReviewI first read Ironweed over 30 years ago; I'm glad I read it again with more years under my belt--because age has allowed me to understand and possibly empathize with Francis, the damaged protagonist of this gritty novel. The Depression-era setting is bleak and squalid. Francis lives violently. He sees ghosts from his past. He goes home. He takes care of Helen. But does he forgive himself for the accident that killed his infant son? The ethereal brutality of Kennedy's novel is striking--a
Stunning. Absorbing. Heartbreaking. Easily the best novel I've read in years. Each book in Kennedy's Albany Trilogy is worth your attention but the final novel, Ironweed, is the tour de force that will leave you at once thoughtful, enriched, and somber. Guess them Pulitzer Prize folks know their game, alright.
"Finally we sold our blood and drank the money."Jesus. Katie bar the door. Reading this was like chain smoking three packs of Camels, passing out drunk and waking up to nightmare memories and cold coffee spiked with dead dandelions and pea gravel. Pretty. Fucking. Gritty.
Though its just been a few months since I read this wonderful book, I find myself barely able to remember what actually happened in it. I do remember actually laying in bed at night and crying during several passages, though, and thinking that it was one of the best things that I had read in a long time. The fiction that Ive been randomly pulling off my shelves has been really good to me this year.This is part of William Kennedys multi-volume Albany Trilogy, which would now be better-named the
This story really touched me emotionally. Sad, beautiful, and engrossing. I will always remember "Katie bar the door" and "It's too wet to plow." A very rich and startling Pulitzer prize winner.
I can add another Pulitzer Prize winner to my list of READ PULITZER PRIZES. I may feel differently about this book later, but as of today I can give it three stars. It is a powerful book with a powerful message, kind of a "live and let live" philosophy in that I, Francis Phelan, have fucked up my life royally and all I have is my grief, so don't take that away from me. It is a very sad story as well, with portions of poignancy that make you want to grab Francis and tell him that his family is
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