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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
Review originally posted at Dangerously Cold Tea
From E. L. Doctorow, you expect to see history in all its different forms and viewpoints, from the common man on the street to the richest man on Wall Street. You expect the main character to walk you through different events, seeing the world unfold from his unique point of view. You don't expect said character to be a practical reclusive, or a blind man.
I’m Homer, the blind brother, and this starts Doctorow's latest novel, Homer and Langley, the tale of two brothers who live together in an old house on Fifth Avenue for most of their lives, rarely leaving the abode but living startlingly vibrant lives all the same. Homer's brother, Langley, has returned home from World War One, a veteran with a mustard gas-addled brain that only makes him more eccentric than before. They live their lives as social recluses, gathering junk and oddities in their house as the years go by, and yet become very active participants in the ongoing crawl of history.
At one point, Langley actually builds a somewhat-working Model T in one of the main rooms, to the amusement of his brother (and the agitation of the long-suffering help). It is a rather symbolic point in the story; how they are able to bring in parts of the current world into their house which is still stuck in the past. But car parts and such things aren't the only things running through their house; during the course of the novel, the brothers host dance parties, host hippies, provide refuge to a Japanese married couple, and eventually battle the ever-persistent efforts of bureacracy and the media.
Do not start this novel expecting something like, say, Ragtime. It encompasses a great deal of events without moving POVs or even settings, and that's what sets it apart from much of the historical fiction released lately. Doctorow takes a true story --- the lives of the hermit-esque Collyer brothers --- and breathes life into their story. He himself says they are "two brothers who opted out of civilization and pulled the world in after them"; there is not a more apt description for this wonderful story.
From E. L. Doctorow, you expect to see history in all its different forms and viewpoints, from the common man on the street to the richest man on Wall Street. You expect the main character to walk you through different events, seeing the world unfold from his unique point of view. You don't expect said character to be a practical reclusive, or a blind man.
I’m Homer, the blind brother, and this starts Doctorow's latest novel, Homer and Langley, the tale of two brothers who live together in an old house on Fifth Avenue for most of their lives, rarely leaving the abode but living startlingly vibrant lives all the same. Homer's brother, Langley, has returned home from World War One, a veteran with a mustard gas-addled brain that only makes him more eccentric than before. They live their lives as social recluses, gathering junk and oddities in their house as the years go by, and yet become very active participants in the ongoing crawl of history.
At one point, Langley actually builds a somewhat-working Model T in one of the main rooms, to the amusement of his brother (and the agitation of the long-suffering help). It is a rather symbolic point in the story; how they are able to bring in parts of the current world into their house which is still stuck in the past. But car parts and such things aren't the only things running through their house; during the course of the novel, the brothers host dance parties, host hippies, provide refuge to a Japanese married couple, and eventually battle the ever-persistent efforts of bureacracy and the media.
Do not start this novel expecting something like, say, Ragtime. It encompasses a great deal of events without moving POVs or even settings, and that's what sets it apart from much of the historical fiction released lately. Doctorow takes a true story --- the lives of the hermit-esque Collyer brothers --- and breathes life into their story. He himself says they are "two brothers who opted out of civilization and pulled the world in after them"; there is not a more apt description for this wonderful story.
E.L. Doctorow noveliza la vida de los hermanos Collyer, un par de personas que vivieron en Nueva York, sobre la quinta avenida y se dedicaron a guardar tiliches. Y no al nivel "guardo las revistas de Reader's Digest". No señor. Estos hermanos se tomaron las cosas en serio.
This book reminded me so much of A Gentleman in Moscow with it similar pace and style. This book pre-dates A Gentleman in Moscow by some time, but the character's outlook on life and philosophy is quite similar. It does take the historical grain of the Collyer brothers and is quite liberal in its treatment of the facts, but it does make for an enjoyable read.
After reading up a bit on the Collyer brothers, I changed my assessment of this novel. I don't take issue with the liberties of timeline and birth order, but I don't understand why Doctorow did it. Sure, the journey through the 50s-70s was interesting and the Collier brothers would no doubt have been an interesting lens for such times, but why make Homer the pianist and the younger brother? Admittedly, I knew little about the Collyer brothers before reading the novel and I think that added to my enjoyment. What struck me is that it is a story about stories in some sense. For much of the world, there were mysteries behind those doors of that brownstone that were sensationalized, yet fantastically truthful. What Doctorow does, however, is digs through the labels of "disorders" and reveals a relationship between two people. Two secluded brothers in history are perfect fodder for fictionalization and maybe that is their legacy--to generate stories. There's a safety in fiction, especially now that they are gone. But Doctorow asks us--with this story--to look beyond all in our present that is eccentric and "unknown" to find the touchstones. Maybe I'm giving him more credit than I should, but that was my takeaway from the book.
I would like to give this three and a half stars. The story is very loosely based on the actual brothers that lived a reclusive life in a mansion in Harlem. I found it interesting and I love Doctorow's style, but the ending felt rushed and unsatisfying.
Homer & Langley ended up being different than what I expected. I knew it was based on the true story of two reclusive brothers in New York who were hoarders. For some reason I was expecting more about the hoarding and the aftermath of after they died. Instead, it was an interesting story told from the perspective of Homer, the blind brother. This isn't told in general story format with chapters, but instead reads more like diary entries. It is interesting to get an idea of what type of person could become a hoarder and how it all seems so natural to them.
This book was such a pleasant surprise! I absolutely love the two main characters - two QUIRKY brothers. Great mix of humor and emotion and life events.
3.5 stars. I have about 40 pages to go, but I'm marking it as read. I like the narrator's lucidity. I wish there were chapters to make it easier to put down, but then again the less I put it down, the sooner I'll finish. Thankfully this book discussion group selection is only 208 pages long. Halleluiah! I never even finished Crime and Punishment before that group met this month (hence that title is not on my GoodReads list), so just finishing this is seeming like an accomplishment. I was leery of another book by the author of Ragtime, as I don't particularly like fictional books that bring in non-fictional characters and historical events, but so far, so good.
Another engaging take on historical fiction. It was a little slow going at parts, but had the typical Doctorow moments of brilliance that made some of the slogs worth it.
I don't really know what to say about this book. I had to read it over a long period of time; it was so painful to read about the slow downfall of these hoarders. As Doctorow writes you can feel the walls closing in on these two brothers. At the same time, the story is based on real life and the story of the Collyer brothers is truly unbelievable. Bottom line: this story is not one you will easily forget.