Rating: 
Summary: top notch novel--don't be put off by ornery reviews
Review: CHARMING BILLY (the title's from the song) is a top notch novel. It is a modernist work and therefore perhaps not suited for those who want a more straightforward read. But the prose is lyrical (by the way, those weren't dangling modifers) and the characterization moving. The narrator, who is revealed within the first few chapters, is trying to put Billy's story together; consequently we never quite get to the heart of Billy, any more than we do to the hearts of other people in real life. Ultimately, this is a book about Mystery,
Rating: 
Summary: Classic McDermott, not classic literature
Review: Reading Charming Billy felt much like reading the a sequel to That Night...same voice (or voices, as the point of view was often cloudy and shifting, often within the same paragraph), same expectation of the spectacular, which turns out to be some quiet almost-tragedy that many of us refer to as an inevitable part of life. I didn't see the passion Billy supposedly had for Eva as something that would follow him throughout his life. It was young love, a summer fling, a fleeting romance with a beautiful girl; it was hardly portrayed as the love of a lifetime between two soul mates. And how an entire network of people can over look the extreem alcoholism from which Billy suffers, passing it off as "just Billy" or blaming it on his loss of "the Irish girl" most of them never met is simply unfathomable. Throughout the book, I had the feeling that there was a wonderful story there, only no one was telling it. This book is a nice, quiet, quick read. Hardly worthy, though, of the National Book Award. Reading the other finalists is certainly warrented.
Rating: 
Summary: National Book Award Winner Indeed!
Review: Instead of spending her time naming and describing a cast of characters, Alice McDermott uses the mourners at Billy's funeral to paint the portrait of his life. It doesn't really matter what their exact place in his life was nor how many Rosemarys sat at the table. It was the summing up of his life that was essential. Her use of language is inspiring. Her tale of how the life you don't get to live, affects the life you do live is remarkable. Her interweaving of the narrator's life as part of the tale is done seamlessly. I can almost imagine this work as a play, set in three acts: the funeral, Long Island and Ireland.
Rating: 
Summary: Will the stereotypes ever end?
Review: I was familiar with Alice McDermott's work prior to this novel and was eagerly anticpating this read. Ms. McDermott shares the same ethnic heritage as me and in fact grew up in the same town as I did (I am familiar with some of her "That Night" real life characters). Boy was I disappointed with this book. Unlike most of the other reviewers I was not put off by her prose or her endless cast of similarly named characters. What I found unrewarding was a book about the worst type of Irish - American sterotype: the lovable, loquacious, deeply flawed DRUNK. What the heck made Billy charming? He was a pathetic man who never moved on from a brief, albeit heartbreaking, romantic experience. Growing up Irish American in the Queens/Nassau area I know (and am related to) people just like the characters in this book but never did we make the mistake of idealizing and almost deifying a man as weak Billy. Billy deserves pity - not a book. Please Alice, be more careful with your stereotypes.
Rating:
Summary: Right award for wrong book
Review: Ms. McDermott's earlier At Weddings and Wakes was a much more fulfilling effort and more deserving of a prize than this one.
Rating:
Summary: Pot-holed building?!
Review: Many of these reviews point out the author's carelessness -- for example, in not making clear from whose perspective the narrative is being told. I agree. Too many writers refuse to craft their prose with the understanding that their audiences shouldn't have to work needlessly to figure out what's going on. Modernism gave us worth-while stylistic experiments, but it doesn't give authors an excuse to write sloppily. If there's no literary point to confusing the reader or breaking rules of grammar (for example, in order to imbue the narrative with purposeful ambiguity or a sense of urgency in the language), prose should be clear and unambiguous. The author of this novel makes clear that she does not share this position. Even on the first page, there are two glaring dangling modifiers -- "...the street that was willing to serve the funeral party..."; "the building, potholed..." A more careful novelist would have spotted and deleted these dangling modifiers, which only add to the reader's confusion.
Rating: 
Summary: Overrated, quiet read
Review: I was disappointed in the limited reach of the story. It would have been a good short story. The story line was redundant and repetitive. I had no feelings for any of the characters. I do not understand how this novel won such a prestigious award. There were some beautiful words written about what marriage really is on p.52, but otherwise, yawn, yawn.
Rating:
Summary: THEY CHOSE THE WRONG BOOK FOR THE AWARD!!
Review: Alice McDermott's writing is beautiful, and this was certainly a worthwhile story, but one of the finest books I have ever read is "At Weddings and Wakes" which was published in 1992 ( I know because I was expecting my daughter when I read it). At Weddings and Wakes never, ever received the praise and attention that it should have, and I think it is a much finer piece of work than Charming Billy. For those who are reading McDermott for the first time with this book, I urge you to read At Weddings and Wakes. A beautiful masterpiece!
Rating:
Summary: Charming Billy is classic Alice McDermott
Review: I've always been a avid fan of Alice McDermott. Her use of language is in a leaque of its own. As a physician at a major medical center I often use her work to illustrate to foreign physicians the ultimate use of the English language. Charming Billy is a beautifully crafted novel and so perfectly illustates Ms. McDermott's abilities as a master story teller and intellectual. While several of the on-line reviews suggested that readers had difficulty following the story line or were simply bored because of the lack of action and/or suspense, I would argue that this is charm of Charming Billy. Although at first pass Charming Billy appears relatively simple, in fact, it is a highly complex novel and requires a great deal of concentration and intellegence on the part of the reader. I am certain that Charming Billy was not written in a day and I doubt that Ms. McDermott intended it to be read in an evening. Bravo to Ms. McDermott on winning the National Book Award. A well deserved honor.
Rating:
Summary: I was disappointed with this book.
Review: Reading Frank McCourt's 'Angela's Ashes' may have created an unreasonable expectation that somehow tragedy can be compensated for by humor, and I somehow wanted this book to be funny, but it wasn't (although it probably wasn't intended to be). From my perspective, this book had neither a compelling plot nor a gripping tone. I was often confused about who was talking (though I knew it was Billy's niece) and who exactly the various relatives were. The book just didn't hold together for me.
|
