Very satisfying ending. The two sisters are reconciled . . . to a degree. Nora is nasty to Teresa at the wake, but she visits her at her Ramada Inn before Teresa returns to her cloister. Both sisters ask forgiveness of the other; both receive it.
Terrific book.
Characters: Nora, older sister, pragmatic no-nonsense mother after being a timid adolescent. Truth is not a necessary fact of life for her. She adapts truth to fit her concept of family and a proper life.
Charlie: Her husband. Not clear if he loved her, but it's definitely a marriage that grows into mutual respect that is a form of love. He accepts Patrick as his own son.
Patrick: Teresa's son, doesn't know it. Wild. Blinded a boy in a fight as an early teen while protecting a friend. Family moves away from Dorchester because of it. Owns a bar . . . dies in car crash after night of heavy drinking connected to the return from the past of the story of the boy he blinded.
John: Brother. Of the family but moved away from family. Campaign organizer for Republicans. Fancy home, fancy wife, adopted daughter from China (Mauve). John is just barely holding it all together, but his siblings view him as a bit of a traitor to their values. Mother thinks more of Patrick's bar than John's fancy house. Mother wants nothing to do with Julia (John's wife) expensive gifts.
Brigette: Lesbian, with Natalie. Dog shelter. Never quite got much from this subplot. It felt as if J.C.S was checking a box off. 21st century . . . gay couple.
Brian: Youngest son, but best friend of Patrick. Still lives at home. Baseball player for a time, but never made it to MLB for long. Patrick, the eldest, never has to be a caretaker, so the two of them become friends. John & Brigette always looking to get rid of the responsibility of looking after him.
Teresa: Wild, yet innocent, as adolescent. Pregnant without fully understanding the facts of life. Forced to give up her son to Teresa. Teaches for a time, then becomes cloistered nun. Conflict with Nora who is fully engaged in messy life while Teresa lives contemplatively as a cloister.
Thinking about novels of today in regard to classics of the past. Heresy follows: This book is better than Middlemarch. Characters are more believable, more rounded. Writing is excellent. It makes sense that the best books are being written now. More writers, more educated people, computers to make rewriting possible.
Terrific book.
Characters: Nora, older sister, pragmatic no-nonsense mother after being a timid adolescent. Truth is not a necessary fact of life for her. She adapts truth to fit her concept of family and a proper life.
Charlie: Her husband. Not clear if he loved her, but it's definitely a marriage that grows into mutual respect that is a form of love. He accepts Patrick as his own son.
Patrick: Teresa's son, doesn't know it. Wild. Blinded a boy in a fight as an early teen while protecting a friend. Family moves away from Dorchester because of it. Owns a bar . . . dies in car crash after night of heavy drinking connected to the return from the past of the story of the boy he blinded.
John: Brother. Of the family but moved away from family. Campaign organizer for Republicans. Fancy home, fancy wife, adopted daughter from China (Mauve). John is just barely holding it all together, but his siblings view him as a bit of a traitor to their values. Mother thinks more of Patrick's bar than John's fancy house. Mother wants nothing to do with Julia (John's wife) expensive gifts.
Brigette: Lesbian, with Natalie. Dog shelter. Never quite got much from this subplot. It felt as if J.C.S was checking a box off. 21st century . . . gay couple.
Brian: Youngest son, but best friend of Patrick. Still lives at home. Baseball player for a time, but never made it to MLB for long. Patrick, the eldest, never has to be a caretaker, so the two of them become friends. John & Brigette always looking to get rid of the responsibility of looking after him.
Teresa: Wild, yet innocent, as adolescent. Pregnant without fully understanding the facts of life. Forced to give up her son to Teresa. Teaches for a time, then becomes cloistered nun. Conflict with Nora who is fully engaged in messy life while Teresa lives contemplatively as a cloister.
Thinking about novels of today in regard to classics of the past. Heresy follows: This book is better than Middlemarch. Characters are more believable, more rounded. Writing is excellent. It makes sense that the best books are being written now. More writers, more educated people, computers to make rewriting possible.
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