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A review by nferre
Maggie-Now by Betty Smith
2.0
I really wanted to love this book and unfortunately, I just couldn't. I loved the social history references - life in Ireland pre-immigration. Life in Brooklyn for a greenback. The way young ladies lived in early 20th century. That part was terrific, but the story? Not so much.
Pat is a disgruntled young man who has lived with him mother for far too long. He gets himself in a bit of a pickle and instead of confronting his problem, leaves Ireland for the milk and honey promise of New York. It's not until he arrives that reality sets in and real menial work is part of that reality. Pat has a chip on his shoulder the size of Manhattan which never goes away. He marries up in life, and fruit of that marriage is Maggie-Now, who we only meet after 100 pages or so.
Maggie grows up subservient to her father and an absolute doormat to the person she marries. I didn't particularly like Pat's character, Maggie's character, her little brother's character or her husband's character -- so in the end, there was little to like as far as plot or character development.
This was my first book of 2019. I certainly hope my other choices are better!
Pat is a disgruntled young man who has lived with him mother for far too long. He gets himself in a bit of a pickle and instead of confronting his problem, leaves Ireland for the milk and honey promise of New York. It's not until he arrives that reality sets in and real menial work is part of that reality. Pat has a chip on his shoulder the size of Manhattan which never goes away. He marries up in life, and fruit of that marriage is Maggie-Now, who we only meet after 100 pages or so.
Maggie grows up subservient to her father and an absolute doormat to the person she marries. I didn't particularly like Pat's character, Maggie's character, her little brother's character or her husband's character -- so in the end, there was little to like as far as plot or character development.
This was my first book of 2019. I certainly hope my other choices are better!