Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful
Review: What a wonderful reading journey Alice McDermott provides for her readers with her newest book Charming Billy. As she did in both That Night and At Weddings and Wakes, McDermott entrances and intrigues her readers to quickly turn the pages. This book reels you in from the first page and doesn't let go. Wonderful characters who remain with the reader even after they've finished the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Classic Alice McDermott!
Review: Alice McDermott is the author of one of my all-time favorite books, At Weddings and Wakes. I didn't love this book the same way, but it is very good all the same. Anyone who is from an urban Irish- American background must read her books - you will recognize her characters as people straight out of your lives. Her working class New York neighborhoods echo the Boston that I grew up in, and reading her books is like revisiting my childhood. Don't read this book if you are looking for romance or excitement. Alice McDermott's books are in a class of their own.
Rating:
Summary: You will enjoy it
Review: You will enjoy this book - McDermott's writing is very unique and very refreshing from the ordinary. For something different, read here.
Rating:
Summary: A book of depth
Review: I echo the other favorable reviews in terms of the writing, the unfolding of the story line - which Amazon's synopsis destroys, by the way and should be removed - and the masterful character development. The point I'd like to add is that although I read this book when it was first printed years ago, I got chills and just a bit weepy in a sweet way from only reading ABOUT the book here, where I came to purchase a copy for a friend. The story and characters truly have stayed with me in a powerful way for all these years. What an unexpected treat this book was. I wish I'd never read before it so I could 'find' it again...
Rating:
Summary: Have we lost interest in great writing?
Review: Many of the reviews criticize the weak plot (when there is, in fact, a reasonable story line) and disappointment in the character development. But McDermott does a beautiful job of painting a picture of real people, many of whom have probably existed in your life at one time or another. Their weaknesses are real, bu they are not Greek tragedies. And the language the author uses to describe the comfort people find in death, the acceptance of alcoholism, the reality of tragedy is gripping but not pretentious. Try this book. It is not long, but every page is a treasure.
Rating:
Summary: You either love it, or you hate it
Review: In reading the other reviews I have decided that a reader will either love it or hate it. It depends on what you are looking for when choosing a novel to read and how much you can relate to the story or to the characters. Now if you are looking for a thick juicy plot with lots of suspense and drama, then this is not the book to pick up. But if you are looking for a book that forces you to become nostalgic and drift off into your own ideas on important themes such as family, friends, living and dying, then this book is for you. As far as relating to the story or to the characters, if you are Irish American or know any personally, then you will absolutely love this book. The loyalty, the stubborness, the honesty, the hidden emotions, the reaction to death and dying that are so typical of many Irish Americans are portrayed in an elegant and nostalgic way. I will concede that it takes a while to get the whole story clear and to figure out who is who, but it is worth the challenge if even just to witness excellent writing skills.
Rating:
Summary: This is a great book!
Review: The audiobook version of this title is a curious affair. At first I was confused because the voice Prichard uses for a number of the characters sounds almost exactly like the voice of that freaky little midget woman in The Exorcist. It took a while before I figured out that the characters were not supposed to be undead - rather, they were simply animated by Prichard using the worst Irish accent in the history of humankind.On top of that, Prichard reads 60% of the sentences with an inflection of wry irony, as if the sentence contained some nugget whose foolish and accidental charms, though undetectable by most, were so glaringly obvious to her that she was forced to acknowledge them with a smirk and an upturned lip. This is a fine dramatic technique when used sparingly and appropriately, but not, for instance, when reading a restaurant menu. Imagine what it would sound like if James Hetfield narrated a version of "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" complete with antiquated English accent. This is uncomfortably close to the spirit of Prichard's recording. The box says that Prichard is an actress. Consequently, my new conception of Hell is hanging upside down in a straight jacket from the ceiling of an intimate and overheated fringe theater above a Brixton curry house, forced to endure a playbill featuring Prichard and William Shatner in period costume performing a dramatic reading of "Jude the Obscure." Uff da.
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