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Summary: A backward glance at a long-gone New York
Review: A witty and engaging first-person narrative of New York in 1954. In addition to the brilliant and mysterious Lillian Dawes, whose first noncameo appearance doesn't occur until a third of the book is behind you, you'll meet the brothers Gabriel and Spencer Gibbs, who are temporarily rooming together (for reasons explained in the opening chapter), and their delightful aunt Lavinia, who brings her own silverware, and her dog, to restaurants.The story is written in the first person, by Gabriel at some point in his future, and it joins the ever-growing list of "New York" novels, and quite near the top, too. Comparisons with "Catcher in the Rye" as well as Henry James and Edith Wharton are inevitable. There's also more than a touch of "Breakfast at Tiffanys." New Yorkers with long memories, or their children and grandchildren, will delight in the references to the politics of the time (Joe McCarthy, the Rosenbergs, President Eisenhower) as well as to artifacts of the "Populuxe" era--transistor radios, hula hoops--and long-gone New York eating places, like Schraffts. Tidily done.
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Summary: What fun.... with wit, intelligence and humor to spare!
Review: I can't remember the last time I had so much fun reading a novel that purports to be a comedy of manners but is also a heartwarming look at the eccentricities found in families and of the ties that bond those families together - in spite of themselves. Filled with humor and warmth, this one is an absolute stand-out, not to be missed.
At the heart of this book is Gabriel Gibbs, a young boy struggling to find himself after being thrown out of an upscale boarding school. Luckily he has his wise, if unconventional, brother Spencer to look after him as well as a muse in the form of the mysterious Lillian Dawes, a woman who is both more and less than she seems. She touches the heart of both Gabriel and his brother, leading them towards an unpredictable conclusion.
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Summary: The Golden Days
Review: I felt, at times, that Ms. Mosby was rather pretentious on some of the words she used on her novel, even if it was upper crust New York in the early 1950's. But you can overlook that on the merit of her witty dialoges and phrases. This novel may even remind you of your favorite film noir classic. In my mind, it was Ava Gardner who played Lillian Dawes.
Find a way to read this brilliant novel. It will not waste your time.
Rating:
Summary: Loved This One
Review: I really loved The Season of Lillian Dawes--it's got wonderful writing and a wonderful story--it's just a terrific read. Katherine Mosby is a terrific writer and so what if her characters speak more eloquently than most people. We would if we could. The story concerns Gabriel Gibbs, who has been kicked out of boarding school and must spend a few months with Spencer his older brother. During their time together, Gabriel befriends Lillian Dawes, a fascinating older woman with on whom he has a very strong crush. Lillian ultimately becomes involved with Spencer. The story is a combination of The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye--it is the coming of age of a wealthy cynic. The ending is fabulous. Mosby leaves enough to the imagination to make it incredibly satisfying without being too perfect or tied up. Enjoy.
Rating:
Summary: Loved This One
Review: I really loved The Season of Lillian Dawes--it's got wonderful writing and a wonderful story--it's just a terrific read. Katherine Mosby is a terrific writer and so what if her characters speak more eloquently than most people. We would if we could. The story concerns Gabriel Gibbs, who has been kicked out of boarding school and must spend a few months with Spencer his older brother. During their time together, Gabriel befriends Lillian Dawes, a fascinating older woman with on whom he has a very strong crush. Lillian ultimately becomes involved with Spencer. The story is a combination of The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye--it is the coming of age of a wealthy cynic. The ending is fabulous. Mosby leaves enough to the imagination to make it incredibly satisfying without being too perfect or tied up. Enjoy.
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Summary: A COMPELLING STORY RESONANTLY READ
Review: Jeff Woodson, one of America's premier voice artists, gives resonant reading to this tale of fascination and obsession. Those who heard Woodson's rendering of "Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil" well know the qualities he brings to a voice presentation. When young Gabriel Gibbs, son of an affluent attorney, is kicked out of prep school he is remanded to the care of his older brother, Spencer. That really isn't too hard to take as Spencer lives in a Greenwich Village apartment and determines that what Gabriel needs is an education in the way the world works. Of course, it is a very privileged world. It is not too long before Gabriel spies the mysterious Lillian Dawes. She is unlike any of the other women he has come across in the City, and he is smitten. So is Spencer. When Lillian and Spencer become a couple it seems to be the perfect pairing. But, we all know how the course of true love runs and each harbors secrets from the other. As an observer, although an emotionally involved one, Gabriel learns more than he might have in prep school - he learns about masks and what lies beneath them, he discovers the importance of being true to oneself. It is a compelling story from which all of us may make discoveries. - Gail Cooke
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Summary: Lovely, evocative, wonderful
Review: Set in NYC high society in the 50's, THE SEASON OF LILLIAN DAWES is an apostolary narrative (the narrator is not the protagonist, but is, rather, an apostle of the protagonist) in the style of BRIDESHEAD REVISITED or THE GREAT GATSBY. Evoking the time when a white linen summer suit was de rigueur, and the Rosenbergs were on trial, this is a lovely, well-written, compelling novel. Must read.
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Summary: Funny and touching
Review: The epigraph for this brilliant novel is from Flaubert: "Human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we beat melodies fit to make bears dance when we long to make the stars weep." Katherine Mosby does both in this novel, which for me was laugh out loud funny several times, as well as touching, haunting, and thought provoking. It is filled with eccentric characters who populate a deliciously rich evocation of New York in 1954. There were a few improbabilities that broke the spell for me a bit at the end, but I see the effect she was trying for in trying to make the stars weep. She almost makes it. I hope next time Katherine Mosby allows herself to write a funny and sensual love story where we get to be in the main character's shoes.
Rating: 
Summary: He aint Holden!
Review: There were many wonderful things about the book: namely the compelling female characters. They were quirky and believable and had great lines.
But Gabriel, the narrator--who is he? What does he look like? How old is he supposed to be when he's telling this story? What kid talks like this?
Holden would tell it to you straight: This kid's a phony!
As for evoking the zeitgiest of New York in the 1950s, I found the book unconvincing. Sure, there was the requisite mention of the McCarthy hearings and a liberal sprinkling of place names to set the scene, but then some neologism or trendy food item (pinenuts, etc.) would throw me off.
Finally, there are some real gimmicky things happening in the end as mysterious heir surfaces and true identity is revealed blah blah blah. Why add all these trappings to what could have been a bittersweet, ordinary (in the good sense) story of a boy's lost love?
Still, there's no denying that the novel has its charms, something that makes these faults all the more regrettable.
Rating:
Summary: He aint Holden!
Review: There were many wonderful things about the book: namely the compelling female characters. They were quirky and believable and had great lines.
But Gabriel, the narrator--who is he? What does he look like? How old is he supposed to be when he's telling this story? What kid talks like this?
Holden would tell it to you straight: This kid's a phony!
As for evoking the zeitgiest of New York in the 1950s, I found the book unconvincing. Sure, there was the requisite mention of the McCarthy hearings and a liberal sprinkling of place names to set the scene, but then some neologism or trendy food item (pinenuts, etc.) would throw me off.
Finally, there are some real gimmicky things happening in the end as mysterious heir surfaces and true identity is revealed blah blah blah. Why add all these trappings to what could have been a bittersweet, ordinary (in the good sense) story of a boy's lost love?
Still, there's no denying that the novel has its charms, something that makes these faults all the more regrettable.
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