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A review by jennifer_mangieri
Homer & Langley by E.L. Doctorow
4.0
This had been on my list for a while & I picked it up & read it in memory of Mr. Doctorow who recently passed away.
The story of Homer and Langley Collyer is true, but this is a novel & Doctorow changed many crucial details to create a more interesting book. By having H & L live into the 1970s, he uses the majority of the 20th century as a counterpoint and backdrop to the reclusive lives of the brothers.
On the surface, the book is about two brothers who withdrew from the world and lived in their Fifth Avenue home alone from the end of World War I, into the 1970s. Homer is blind, & Langley is physically & emotionally damaged by mustard gas and PTSD from his WWI service. For many years, they're still part of the outside world. Their parents were wealthy & they have a lot of savings. They have some live-in help, and take in roommates. Langley goes out shopping - and buys newspapers - and gathers things he might want to do something with, someday - like a Model T, that he parks in the dining room. Together they participate in the Jazz Age & World War II through random characters & roommates & their live-in caregivers. They hang out with a gangland boss & with hippies they meet in Central Park. It's not until their money really begins to run out - and Langley is becoming increasingly odd - that things get bad for them.
The book almost makes it sound like they had a pretty good, interesting life together for many of their years - so it's kind of a cool knife edge that Doctorow plays with here. In most cases, we'd look at these guys & pity them & want to bring in social services, & we'd also think they were pretty crazy & wonder who would want to live such a horrible life. But Homer, the narrator here, doesn't entirely see it that way, & while he admits to depression & loneliness, he also has times of happiness & things to do that keep him engaged. He's aware of his brother's love & care for him. He doesn't think the things they do are so weird - they're just "what they do." Is Doctorow implying that we shouldn't be so quick to judge people because they live differently from "normal?"
Maybe...up until the last line. Woah!
Well written like all of Doctorow's books, but a much quicker read than some of his work. It's almost simple on the surface - just a straight forward story told in chronological order. But there's a lot to think about here. I enjoyed it.
The story of Homer and Langley Collyer is true, but this is a novel & Doctorow changed many crucial details to create a more interesting book. By having H & L live into the 1970s, he uses the majority of the 20th century as a counterpoint and backdrop to the reclusive lives of the brothers.
On the surface, the book is about two brothers who withdrew from the world and lived in their Fifth Avenue home alone from the end of World War I, into the 1970s. Homer is blind, & Langley is physically & emotionally damaged by mustard gas and PTSD from his WWI service. For many years, they're still part of the outside world. Their parents were wealthy & they have a lot of savings. They have some live-in help, and take in roommates. Langley goes out shopping - and buys newspapers - and gathers things he might want to do something with, someday - like a Model T, that he parks in the dining room. Together they participate in the Jazz Age & World War II through random characters & roommates & their live-in caregivers. They hang out with a gangland boss & with hippies they meet in Central Park. It's not until their money really begins to run out - and Langley is becoming increasingly odd - that things get bad for them.
The book almost makes it sound like they had a pretty good, interesting life together for many of their years - so it's kind of a cool knife edge that Doctorow plays with here. In most cases, we'd look at these guys & pity them & want to bring in social services, & we'd also think they were pretty crazy & wonder who would want to live such a horrible life. But Homer, the narrator here, doesn't entirely see it that way, & while he admits to depression & loneliness, he also has times of happiness & things to do that keep him engaged. He's aware of his brother's love & care for him. He doesn't think the things they do are so weird - they're just "what they do." Is Doctorow implying that we shouldn't be so quick to judge people because they live differently from "normal?"
Maybe...up until the last line. Woah!
Well written like all of Doctorow's books, but a much quicker read than some of his work. It's almost simple on the surface - just a straight forward story told in chronological order. But there's a lot to think about here. I enjoyed it.