Wednesday, January 14, 2009
NORTH RIVER
Author: Pete Hamill
Genre: Fiction, Standalone
Published: 2007
Personal Rating: 3.5/5
Yearly Count: 6
Greenwich Village, 1934, is where and when Dr. Delaney finds his 2 1/2 year old grandson seated in a stroller in his foyer - alone, but with a note. Trying to deal with the past, heal the poor and make do with what little money he receives for his services, Dr. Delaney now has to hire someone to take care of his grandson. Questions and concerns begin to arise regarding his daughter's disappearance and his choice to help out injured mob members. What has life brought him now?
The description of New York and the general living conditions during the depression were very vivid. The neighbors, the streets, the restaurants - everything, contributed to the sense of being transported to a different era. The emotions of loss, hope, fear, joy, loneliness and love are all explored in this slow-paced, character driven novel. It's a good story with good writing to tell it.
*Recommended By: Carrie from Books and Movies
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Great review - I'm glad you liked it, too!
ReplyDeleteIs it really, really slow-paced? I'm not in the mood for slow right now. Not sure why. Ever feel that way?
ReplyDeleteCarrie ~ I'm glad I did. It's not my favorite genre, but I enjoyed Hamill's writing.
ReplyDeleteMary ~ No, I don't think it's really, really slow. The story moves along with something happening all the time, but for a thriller reader - it's slow. :)
Nice review Joy. This sounds like one I would like.
ReplyDeleteSounds like one I would like! I'm all about characterization and the setting and time period are perfect.
ReplyDeleteDar ~ Yes, I think you would.
ReplyDeleteNicola ~ Oh, this is good for both characterization and setting/time period. I enjoyed that part, too.
I'm so glad you liked it. This book has been sitting on my shelf for over a year. I hate to read bad reviews of my unread books.
ReplyDeleteYour first sentence reminded me of "Blessings" by Anna Quindlen but from there the similarities stopped. This sounds good.
ReplyDeleteFramed ~ I understand. :) I think you'll like it.
ReplyDeleteBooklogged ~ I have Blessings on my TBR shelves, but didn't remember what it was about, so I looked it up on Amazon to see what you were referring to. Yep, you were right. :) I think you'd like it, too.
Sounds like a good one for transporting yourself to a different time and place.
ReplyDeleteBeth F ~ Yes, that's it exactly. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked it. I'd read another bloggger's review and she didn't like it much. I own a copy so I'm hoping to enjoy it. I actually like slow paced stories myself. Thank you for reviewing this.
ReplyDeleteSandra ~ If you like slow-paced, character driven novels, you should enjoy this one.
ReplyDelete