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3.98 AVERAGE
3.98 AVERAGE
challenging
emotional
informative
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
One of the most humane, inventive, and well-written American novels that I have read in a long time. McCann's uncanny ability to create distinct and believable voices sets this novel apart from many other post-9/11 novels. Those who appreciate the New York of Don DeLillo's novels will be pleased to discover it again, in McCann's novel, which takes place in the early 1970s before concluding in the late 2000's. While not as sweeping in scope as DeLillo's 'Underworld,' 'Let the Great World Spin' seamlessly blends historical events and place into a fictional narrative that meditates on the lives touched, and those ignored in the shadows of, the newly constructed Twin Towers.
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
If a book could earn ten stars, this one would be a dozen. Colum McCann weaves an intricate portrait of New York in 1974, but it could just as easily be Anywhere, USA. The narrators are diverse and yet we feel as if we know them. Know their stories. Inhabit their stories. From a Bronx prostitute to a wealthy judge to a run down Catholic priest, McCann shows us that the beauty in this world comes through the everyday grime. Everyone has their stories, and all to often those stories intertwine. And rarer still are those times when all the stories around merge into one extraordinary scene: a man walking a tightrope between the World Trade Center towers. Those same towers instantly disintegrating. Tsunamis in Japan and Indonesia. Katrina and Andrew and Rita. Names and places and dates and times that play a role in every story. And it is that cohesion of stories that draws us in - the intersection where lives collide and stories become one big story. Our Story.
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
"Kaleidoscopic view of the lives of New Yorkers, told as a series of interwoven vignettes. Beautiful character detail, especially through McCann's technique of describing the same event through multiple narrators. The uniting figure is Philippe Petit, the man who crossed a high wire between the Twin Towers in 1974. All of the stories intersect with his performance, and the act is a lens for the events of the time: Vietnam, race and class relations, pop art, the spread of heroin, arpanet, and liberation theology. However, the first 25 pages or so are tortured, wannabe Frank McCourt, so skim them quickly."
This book is a wonder. Colum McCann drew me in from the very first page. The book centers around Phillippe Petit's actual high-wire walk between the Twin Towers in 1974, but the fictional lives of those who witness the event and just barely miss the event are captivating. I wanted to read it all over again as soon as I finished. Each chapter is told from a different character's perspective, but the ways the stories intertwine caught me off guard. Strong recommend.