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William Kennedy (1) (1928–)

Auteur van Billy Phelan's Greatest Game

Voor andere auteurs genaamd William Kennedy, zie de verduidelijkingspagina.

William Kennedy (1) via een alias veranderd in William J. Kennedy.

18+ Werken 1,869 Leden 31 Besprekingen Favoriet van 13 leden

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Titels zijn toegeschreven aan William J. Kennedy.

Guys and dolls (1932) — Introductie — 212 exemplaren
Mob: Stories of Death and Betrayal from Organized Crime (1656) — Medewerker — 29 exemplaren
Robert Penn Warren talking: Interviews, 1950-1978 (1980) — Interviewer — 14 exemplaren
Battling Editor: The Albany Years (2019) — Voorwoord — 1 exemplaar

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VERY OLD BONES (1992) is, not surprisingly, a damn good book, so I'm not sure why it sat on my shelf for over twenty years, unread. It's one of several novels which make up William Kennedy's "Albany Cycle." Kennedy grew up in Albany, where he attended Catholic high school, and then a Catholic college (Siena), also in Upstate NY. I've read a couple of his Albany books, LEGS and IRONWEED, thirty-some years ago, and enjoyed both, but especially the latter, which won the Pulitzer, and was also adapted into an acclaimed film, with Jack Nicholson as Francis, the wandering prodigal of the large, dysfunctional Phelan clan. BONES is a logical sequel to IRONWEED, set in an Albany twenty years later, in 1958, with Francis making only a brief appearance, but still looming large in the family's tragic history. The narrator here is Orson, the bastard son of Peter Phelan, an aging artist only recently gaining fame for his work, much of it derived from family stories and eccentric characters, Francis included. Orson delves deep into family - ancestors, sibling rivalries, Christianity, witches, superstition - as well as his own post-war military service in Germany, where he meets and marries the exotic Giselle and suffers a complete breakdown. We learn too of his unnatural attraction to his aunt Molly, who has her own hidden secrets. And there is Chick Phelan, the former seminarian, and Sarah, the domineering 'virgin' of the family, as well as the brain-damaged Tommy. All of these and more converge on the family home in Albany, for the reading of Peter's will. Oh, and Peter is still very much alive.

Like IRONWEED, this is what I would call a highly literary 'potboiler,' and I loved it. Very, very highly recommended.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER
… (meer)
 
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TimBazzett | 1 andere bespreking | Jun 5, 2023 |
El día que Estados Unidos celebra la victoria sobre Japón, Roscoe Conway decide retirarse de la política tras haber regido, de manera particular y poco escrupulosa, el Partido Demócrata de Albany, capital del estado de Nueva York, durante más de medio siglo. Cuando está a punto de hacer pública su dimisión, recibe la noticia del suicidio de su amigo Elisha Fitzgibbon, ex alcalde demócrata de Albany y ex candidato a gobernador del estado. La muerte de Fitzgibbon desata todo tipo de rumores y a Conway no le quedará más remedio que repasar los últimos veinticinco años de su vida para comprender las razones que han llevado a su amigo al suicidio. La pérdida temprana de su verdadero amor, las luchas por el control del partido, sus relaciones con los gánsteres irlandeses, el amaño de distintas elecciones, el control del contrabando de alcohol y del juego, son parte de los recuerdos que van acudiendo a su memoria y que terminan conformando el retrato del poder político y económico en Albany durante la primera mitad del siglo XX.… (meer)
 
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Natt90 | 5 andere besprekingen | Feb 13, 2023 |
I received an electronic copy of this book and thank NetGalley and Open Road Integrated Media.

William Kennedy's book about Daniel Quinn employs more words than I thought existed. I loved the words, I loved the characters and their travels, I loved the setting . The touch of mysticism, cynicism, phantasmagoria, were all whipped cream on the top of a great story. What an adventure, what an interesting way to be introduced to Albany in 1849. There is no question that I will explore Kennedy's other books.… (meer)
 
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kimkimkim | 4 andere besprekingen | Aug 21, 2017 |
Decently written book, but hard to get into. I didn't like the way Kennedy jumped from Havana to Albany - either or would have made a good story - didn't need both.

Props, though, to the cool reference to Bonheoffer's "cheap grace". Also liked the quote "after the dog a cold beer is man's best friend".
½
 
Gemarkeerd
DuffDaddy | 11 andere besprekingen | Aug 23, 2016 |

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18
Ook door
5
Leden
1,869
Populariteit
#13,772
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½ 3.7
Besprekingen
31
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125
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13
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13

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