Charming Billy

Rating:
Summary: Well-crafted, but empty
Review: The emptiness of the characters spills over into the essence of the book. And I don't think this is intentional. When James Joyce, the ultimate exemplar of the Irish story, wanted us to feel the emotional chill of his characters' situations, as in "The Dead," the chill was exquisite. I grew up in this territory. And while the characters are realistic, they are no more than that.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely final chapter....
Review: McDermott clearly has a way with the language, and much of her writing is a pleasure to read. The final chapter, in which the father and daughter go to the beach house, is especially well done. But, in the end, the writing is obscured by what seems to be an unnessarily confusing style. Artists should challenge themselves and their audience (just imagine a web site like this in which people reviewed modern art: Picasso sure would catch heck! Doesn't he know where to put the eyes?!), so I don't really fault her for writing the book as she did. But I would have liked to have seen more fully realized characters, instead of the handsome Irish drunk and his martyred wife. These people never came alive enough for me to really, truly care about them. But I'm not sorry I read the book.

Rating:
Summary: Once you get over the hurdle...
Review: Ms. McDermott writes beautiful prose. She knows how to capture a character at a vulnerable moment; and this is reason enough to read all the way through. Having said that, the clinically terminal problem with this skimpy book is that its central premise is patently unbelievable! Thirty years and we're supposed to believe that no one--not even the Irish relatives--give bugwit Billy a clue as to what really happened? Perhaps Ms. McDermott lavishes so much effort on her prose because she knows her plot is idiotic. Add to this gaping defect the author's oh-so-subtle insistence that nothing makes any difference in life anyway (so, why not be stupid??) and you find Ms. McDermott's book is a cheat in the end, and rather a cowardly one. So many better authors and stories affirm the opposite, i.e, William Trevor, Maeve Bunchy, Alice Munroe. Here's hoping the author got this nonsense out of her system and will deliver something major soon.

Rating:
Summary: Achingly boring
Review: I simply did not give a care about these people. The story was dull, the style uninteresting. Enough said.

Rating:
Summary: Verbal artistry at it's best.
Review: McDermott has a mastery of the written word that escapes my ability to explain fully. This book takes you though a man's life - triumph and tragedy, love and loss, life and death. With each turn of the page, I found myself wondering "if that had not happened, how would Billy's life have been different?" Attracted by the Irish-American influence, I found this book captivating if not a "thrill a minute". Perhaps those who found this book dull, should take a moment to consider that the most meaningful moments of their own lives are not necessarily the most exciting moments.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: This was a quick but emotional read; I couldn't put it down. I can't wait to discuss it with my book group!

Rating:
Summary: Overtouted and underentertaining.
Review: This is the new holder of the most boring book I have read recently. I fail to understand what all the shouting was about. Deliver me from overly revered writers.

Rating:
Summary: Ten stars would be more apropos
Review: I have to wonder about those giving this magnificent book poor reviews. Boring? Not in the slightest. It's a brilliant character study, a moving reminder of naivete and youthful illusions. Having recently taken an Advanced Novel course at a major university, I had to laugh when I finished "Charming Billy." This National Book Award winner would have failed to impress the class: no plot formula, no "high concept." Needless to say, loved the book, hated the class. Bravo, Alice McDermott.

Rating:
Summary: How did this book win such a major award?
Review: Imagine someone writes 243 pages and then drops the manuscript on the floor. The order gets all jumbled but instead of putting them back in order the publisher produces the book as is. Well, that's what you get with Charming Billy. I know some people are so vain as to consider great literare something that is difficult to follow (like Faulkner). But McDermott is no Faulkner and this is certainly not the quality of book that should win the National Book Award. The story wasn't bad but it was poorly presented. Our reading group read this book and every member just labored through this book, griping all the way. If this truly was the best that American authors had to offer in 1998, then perhaps the publishing houses should simply shut down for a year or so until authors get the filth and bile out of their systems.

Rating:
Summary: Devastating emotional impact, masterful writing
Review: Like the earlier reader with a 5 star review, I too had to comment on "Charming Billy" after reading the negative customer reviews which have recently been posted here. Though I read this book months ago, it remains one of the best written and most memorable books I have read in many years. It cannot be said to be an enjoyable book, unless can take pleasure in the level of artistry and characterization achieved by a subtle writer. It does not depend on plot, the story's main events are revealed early--both in the text and in all the reviews. There is no suspense, no submarine or serial killer, no cannibalism or girlish conversations. To witness Billy's destruction as a participant in the drama--for that is the achievement of the author, to have forced the reader beyond distant observation--is painful and wears on your ability to accept the depressing emotions that result. For those whose imagination can only be stimulated when their heart is accelerating, this book cannot satisfy, but reading it is a moving experience. It is an exploration of motivation, of self-destruction, of love and of the quality of 'unselfishness', of the sources of decay and of the misguided nature of those who take upon themselves the judgement of what is best for others. It makes you wish you could weep and find some relief.