Rating: 
Summary: Beautifully written novel!
Review: "Eddie's Bastard" is a fabulous book about a young man's unconventional upbringing. I told my family about how great this book was and I was only on page 19! I never needed to use a bookmark because I remembered exactly what page to return to (a definite first for me)! The descriptive scenes simply glowed and I never skimmed a paragraph. I can't wait for the sequel "Somewhere South of Here" to come out in paperback. Today is the first day without this novel to look forward to and I am going through withdrawals. I purchased two new books today ("Laura" by Larry Watson and "White Oleander" by Janet Fitch). If either one of these two new novels are even half as engrossing and lovely as "Eddie's Bastard", I will be a happy reader. This novel would make a fantastic movie but the name might need to be modified. My children kept asking me "Hey, mom, how's Eddie's bastard?" and chuckling. I love to read and I loved this book!
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Summary: The universal search for identity
Review: It is difficult to believe this is a first novel. That William Kowalski is a gifted novelist is simply a given. He is a fine story teller, able to weave threads of pulsing narrative toward a nourishing conclusion. He creates characters who are not only credible but about whom we care. Too many descriptive phrases might get in the way to the individual response to this rich novel.... Suffice it to say that the title EDDIE'S BASTARD is more than a label. A Bastard is one without parents and therefore without knowledge of history - genetic, philosophical, time sequence. This beautifully crafted book reveals the detective work involved in the main character's quest for self discovery. His journey is at once interesting, touching, warm, and curative. As he reads excerpts from his great grandfather's diary - sophisticated, elegant prose set off in italics which if separated from the novel would still provide a cogent guide to knowing ourselves through understanding our history - Eddie gains insight into his place in the world, his questions about his responses to that world, and eventually an understanding about where he fits in in a world that has seemed alien. Read this novel - for entertainment, for fresh words, for disarmingly beautiful story, and for restoration in the faith that we are a meaningful part of what was and, therefore, what will be.
Rating:
Summary: A RICH AND IMPRESSIVE READING
Review: Although his name is Billy Mann, he was originally known as "Eddie's Bastard" for that was the sign on the baby basket in which he was dropped by his grandfather's door. The elder Mann is delighted to find Billy as the perpetuation of their family name is all important to him, and Eddie died in Vietnam. This thoughtful distillation of the meaning of familial relationships is rich in pathos and humor, most impressively conveyed through the able reading by Campbell Scott.
Rating:
Summary: My first Kowalski experience...and I'm a fan
Review: "Eddie's Bastard" was the first audio book my husband or I ever listened to. It made a very long drive VERY enjoyable. It is rare that we like the same stories, but "Eddie's Bastard" is very much like real life and hard not to like. It was sometimes funny, sometimes ironic, sometimes sad. As a life long resident of Western Pennsylvania, I found his depiction of life in the rural parts of this state extremely accurate and believable. The story puts me in mind of "The Green Mile" and "The Shawshank Redemption" for reasons I can't articulate, it's in the overall feel of the story. The ending was not what I predicted at all, it was not the contrived "and they all lived happily ever after." It was a mature ending even though the character is still quite young. We would definately read or listen to more Kowalski stories in the future!
Rating:
Summary: Amazing book.
Review: This book just sweeps you away. Picked it up on a whim, I think somewhere it was compared to John Irving's work and he hadn't had a new one for a while. Billy Mann and his family were strange and wonderful and every page was completely compelling. It's a first novel and I will read everything Kowalski writes for the rest of his career. I'm an avid reader, a couple of books a week if I can, and this was the best book I read in all of 2000. We're halfway through 2001 and I don't think anything else is close yet. No matter what your interests in novels, this book will be one you fall in love with. I can't wait to find out more about Billy Mann and the rest of the family. I've given copies to most of my friends and family as birthdays come up.
Rating:
Summary: A RICH AND IMPRESSIVE READING
Review: Although his name is Billy Mann, he was originally known as "Eddie's Bastard" for that was the sign on the baby basket in which he was dropped by his grandfather's door. The elder Mann is delighted to find Billy as the perpetuation of their family name is all important to him, and Eddie died in Vietnam. This thoughtful distillation of the meaning of familial relationships is rich in pathos and humor, most impressively conveyed through the able reading by Campbell Scott.
Rating:
Summary: soooooooo good!!!
Review: One of the best books I've ever read. This is so good on so many levels. I love it!! Great prose, very powerful, very stylish. I love it!!!
Rating:
Summary: Has all the makings of a best seller.
Review: It's hard not to like this book. In fact it's so enjoyable I cannot think of a single negative comment to say about it. The author has got the art of storytelling honed down to a fine art in this novel. Some books are full of great language, great imagery, or great characters. This one reads like a long bedtime story being read to you by a parent; you don't want the teller to stop and you sure don't want to go to sleep till it's finished. Highly recommended, a real treasure.
Rating:
Summary: Great story...compelling and rich in family history.
Review: From the first chapter, I was hooked. A baby is left on Thomas Mann's doorstep in a basket with only a note saying "Eddie's Bastard". Thomas is overjoyed to have another Mann to raise, as Eddie died in VietNam. He named the infant William, after his great great grandfather. We follow William, or Billy from the time he is a child to his inaguration into manhood at age 18. Billy's grandfather passes on the Mann family history and rich stories of their ancestors and I found each one interesting and kept me turning the pages. Their house had ghosts and I actually felt as if I was part of the Mann family while reading this story. There are plenty of ups and downs in Billy's childhood, and through it all, he is postive and learning what it is to be born of the Mann's. With an unknown mother and a dead father, he comes to accept yet yearn to know more, especially about his mother. It surprises me that this novel has not become a bestseller, because there is bloodshed, ghosts, family secrets, tragedy, sex and lots of family history. A great story worthy of 5 stars and I look forward to reading Kowalski's sequel to continue following the life of Billy Mann.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Read
Review: The Priest at our church recommended this book so I bought it and three days later I had it done and feeling very sorry it was all over. Grandpa Mann's relationship with his grandson, Billy, made for good reading. The writing was smooth and fun, yet the book was very profound. Things didn't work out all "peachy keen", but the story carried you off to up-state New York, watching Billy grow up amongst the history and ghosts of the past and the present. Kowalski did a great job with this story.
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