This book is strongly recommended.
I cherished Doctorow's command of prose and the scenic autobiographic chapters of this book depicting and describing the Bronx of my youth, its vibrant street and family life.
In truth, I prolonged my reading of the book to savor the narrative.
In truth, I prolonged my reading of the book to savor the narrative.
For the most part, this memoir is told from the point of view of young Edgar as he makes the transition from the limited perspective of his pre-school years into a more awakened awareness of life.
We get to know the intimate lives of his brilliant, musical older brother Donald who attended the prestigious Townsend Harris High School (before the building of the Bronx High School of Science), his lovable father, unreliable in his conduct of his business, his possessive and doting mom Rose and grandparents who live further up the Concourse and his rich Westchester aunt and uncle.
Here are some quotes about Edgar's dad:
"My father was not a reliable associate, I was to gather. Too many things he said would come to pass did not...He was full of errant enthusiasms and was easily diverted by them. He had, besides, various schemes for making money that he did not readily confide to my mother."
"I knew he was unreliable, but he was fun to be with. He was a child's ideal companion, full of surprises and happy animal energy. He enjoyed food and drink. He liked to try new things. He brought home coconuts, papayas, mangoes, and urged them on our reluctant, conservative selves. On Sundays he liked to discover new places, take us on endless bus or trolley rides to some new park or beach he knew about. He always counseled daring, in whatever situation, the courage to test the unknown, an instruction that was thematically in opposition to my mother's."
What about the World's Fair? The book culminates in some eye-opening scabrous events at the 1939 Queens, New York site.
Often a photographer would come to our
Bronx neighborhood with his pony
Here are some quotes about Edgar's dad:
"My father was not a reliable associate, I was to gather. Too many things he said would come to pass did not...He was full of errant enthusiasms and was easily diverted by them. He had, besides, various schemes for making money that he did not readily confide to my mother."
"I knew he was unreliable, but he was fun to be with. He was a child's ideal companion, full of surprises and happy animal energy. He enjoyed food and drink. He liked to try new things. He brought home coconuts, papayas, mangoes, and urged them on our reluctant, conservative selves. On Sundays he liked to discover new places, take us on endless bus or trolley rides to some new park or beach he knew about. He always counseled daring, in whatever situation, the courage to test the unknown, an instruction that was thematically in opposition to my mother's."
What about the World's Fair? The book culminates in some eye-opening scabrous events at the 1939 Queens, New York site.
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