Rating: 
Summary: much ado about nothing. A disappointing read.
Review: The author's reputation and the "hype" surounding Charming Billy prompted me to purchase and read the book. I wish I had read the reviewers' comments beforehand. I had to re-read the first half of the book to determine who the narrator was. This was very distracting. Halfway through, I really couldn't care about any of the characters. The lyrical prose saved the story, but I found the book boring, repetitious and forgettable. Prize-winning, I think not.
Rating: 
Summary: Winner of the National Book Award???
Review: I have never been so confused! The 'shifts' in voice were blurred. I was frequently lost as to which vague, and undeveloped character was telling Billy's story. I dislike rereading passages, in order to understand. The experience of reading this novel was less than charming...
Rating:
Summary: Endless Blather
Review: It all went wrong for Alice McDermott when her Billy, a Long Island guy, got buried in a Bronx cemetery. Why? Who knows? She never says. Why not Forest Lawn in LA? It would make as much sense. Who cares about this detail? Me. Unfortunately, very little of this hodge-podge of a novel made sense. The writer showers her pages with details, and few if any are telling and relevent. Description for description's sake. The Bronx as Brigadoon? The scene in the so-called Bronx Irish pub was pretentious and PRETENDED. Ms. McDermott should visit the Bronx, learn about the place. Also, the orations by the various "mourners" were nonsensical and stagy. Bad Marc Antony. As for Billy, anyone that acted like him in the saloons I hung out in the Bronx and Queens would have been laughed out the door or worse, cut off. What is worse than a sappy drunk, running his mouth about his philosophies of life and love? Who can take some guy spouting off endlessly with his glass on his heart? On his heart yet! So so precious. All the alcohol yak... okay, so establish that the guy was a drunk but to harp on it for an entire book? One paragraph of William Trevor (start with his short story "Access to the Children") is worth the entire "uncharming" blather by and about Billy.
Rating:
Summary: Charming Billy, a Gerund, Participle, or just a Drunk??
Review: I just finished a 2 day reading of Charming Billy, and I just don't get why it received the National Book Award. The story was so broken up and woven under and around other issues, that I felt I was swirling around in a martini glass. The narrator is nebulous, and her importance to the story escapes me. McDermott's writing was,at times, lyrical and poetic; other times, convoluted and unanchored. Her characters did not matter to me. I cannot believe that we did not get to know more about Eva and what was going on in her head. They were not well developed as human beings with the attending foibles and joys we all share. Seems the author has more strength in describing some of the landscapes we traversed. The 'cottage' would be a place I could go to and relax for a couple of weeks. Was the title, actually an adjective, describing Billy Lynch?....or actually a participle, as in what the characters around Billy were doing to him?? Were they all co-dependants and in that way, Charming him???? Sadly disappointed. Linda
Rating: 
Summary: This novel is not a story to be "swallowed whole"...
Review: This novel is not a story to be "swallowed whole", but rather one "to be chewed and digested carefully." It is a "study" that demands our full attention if for no other reason than to figure out "who's who" and "what's what"-too many Rosemary's, Danny's, and Lynch's- (not unlike most Irish families.The intense study of Irish immigants who refused to be enculturated into the American way of life evokes strong emotional responses from the reader: love, hate, irritation, frustration, and yes, rage. The main characters-Billy, Dennis, Eva, and Maeve-are masters of deception and manipulation. Are they to be pitied or censured? Rosemary Lynch is the protagonist, advocating sobriety "ad infinitum", but nobody is listening. And so it is that darkness overshadows everyone's life, and we are caught up in the suspense of the drama as the mystery unfolds. It is a credit to the writer that her delineation of character is powerful enough to hold the reader's interest and evoke his strong emotional response. That's writing at its best. Add to that her detailed descriptions of life in New York City-Post World War ll-, her endless display of images, liturgical references and redemptive passages, and you have a National Book Award Winner. Her glimpses of Irish humor are her saving grace and are surpassed only by her bits of poetry. Both were too few and far between. This tragedy needed more than a smidgen of humor, it needed saturation ! Congratulations, Alice McDermott!
Rating:
Summary: The story is highly repetitive and sticks to one alcoholic.
Review: The book won the National Book Award in 1998 which stimulated my interest in reading it. I was disappointed with the theme, the death of an alcoholic. The life of the protagonist (if you can call him such) was a dreary life in a bottle. Why he was called "charming" is beyond me. The book is well written, which helps since the story is highly repetitive. The poor characters loved a man who did not love himself. Did he really drown his life in alcohol because of a broken heart? It seems highly unlikely yet little is known about the character. I was most disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Redundant bore that had a promising beginning.....
Review: This novel started out beautifully, with writing that made my heart ache. And then, boom, it bombed around page 80. This would have been a GREAT short story. MacDermott's character descriptions were SO repetitive, and the scene in the gas station in Ireland with the bullsh-t about the two sisters having an argument was absolutely ludicrous. After all that pining for Eva, Billy acts completely alien to his own character during this whole scene.
Rating: 
Summary: Certain Chapters Pure Delight
Review: I became interested in this book after the National Book Award. I certainly can recommend certain chapters - Billy's trip to Ireland (and Eva) and Billy and Eva's first summer meeting. In terms of the whole novel, however, I didn't feel much connection with the characters. Perhaps because we do not really get to know the narrator (perhaps that would be a great sequel or prequel?)
Rating:
Summary: Very readable -- recommend it highly!
Review: An avid reader of Alice McDermott's previous books, I loved this one as it took me back to my childhood days when the Irish tales were told and retold, always with a touch of mystery - or the knowledge that when one got older one would finally find out those un- spoken family secrets! Also, it took me back to summers on Long Island when first loves came to pass with those wonderful . oh so brief days and nights by the glorious Atlantic ocean!!! Those who lived both in the Irish culture and the time period of this novel most certainly are in for a treat -- while those who are younger should appreciate the beautiful descriptive writing of the author. and nights --
Rating:
Summary: Charming Billy is more chore than charm.
Review: I have just this moment finished reading Charming Billy. I am so relieved to shut the cover for the final time. Any one interested in reading this book needs to go to page 243 and read the sentence near the bottom that continues on to page 244. It consists of 180 words and 12 commas. This is but a small taste of the grueling style of writing this book contains. I did not shed one tear over any character in this book. A book that seemed to never end. There are so many better choices for the National Book Award Winner. So many better choices for reading material period. Think long and hard before purchasing this book. If you must read it look for it at your local library.
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