A good Southern novel about a magazine writer in Atlanta and the complicated relationships she discovers in the southerners she meets. A great read.
Enjoyable story of a woman making it on her own in the big city.
Be prepared for the unexpected - Ann River Siddons writes books that really grab your emotions when you least expect it!
When Smoky arrive in Atlanta in 1966 after an airless lifetime back in Savannah she is at once thrilled and chastened by this dazzling hectic young city on the move
If you like Siddons you'll like this one!
Great book - especially for those who have lived in Atlanta (gives landmarks that seem to be pretty realistic).
This is another book set in Atlanta. The best part about Siddons books is the description of the setting location.
"(Siddons') lush, lyrical writing nicely conjures up a '60s- flavored Atlanta... She's a gifted writer and a good storyteller."
- Orlando Sentinel
- Orlando Sentinel
Very interestingEsp .if you were aroundin the turbulant 60's. This is fiction that hits close to home. If your from Atlanta Ga.or other Southern local the memories are even more real.
The year is 1966, a time of innocence, possibility, and freedom. And for the city of Atlanta, Georgia, the country, and one woman making her way in a changing world, nothing will ever be the same.
After an airless childhood in Savannah, Maureen 'Smoky' O'Donnell arrives in Atlanta, a naive young woman, dazzled and chastened by this hectic young city on the rise. Even though Smoky has to literally earn her wings as a female reporter on the staff of the male-dominated magazine, she gains membership into an intimate family of dedicated staff members headed by Matt Comfort, a flamboyant and charismatic editor who is known everywhere in the city. Her new job as a writer with the city's Downtown magazine introduces her to many unforgettable people and propels her into the center of momentous events that will irrevocably alter her heart, her career, and her world.
More than any of her previous novels, Downtown mirrors the facts of Anne Rivers Siddons' own life. She got her start as a writer for Atlanta magazine - one of America's first city magazines. Atlanta magazine was founded by Jim Townsend - a revered mentor to an entire generation of writers. The magazine was just coming to life during the exciting decade of the '60s, when Atlanta was emerging as a political center for the civil rights movement and redefining itself as the metropolis of the future. Downtown captures the energy of the city at this amazing turning point in history.
While I did enjoy this book very much, I found that it started off sort of slow for me. Although, it picked up immensely about halfway through the story and I was really drawn into the plot. However, to be totally honest, I thought that the book was about 100 to 150 pages longer than it needed to be. Overall though, Downtown was really good and I give it an A!
After an airless childhood in Savannah, Maureen 'Smoky' O'Donnell arrives in Atlanta, a naive young woman, dazzled and chastened by this hectic young city on the rise. Even though Smoky has to literally earn her wings as a female reporter on the staff of the male-dominated magazine, she gains membership into an intimate family of dedicated staff members headed by Matt Comfort, a flamboyant and charismatic editor who is known everywhere in the city. Her new job as a writer with the city's Downtown magazine introduces her to many unforgettable people and propels her into the center of momentous events that will irrevocably alter her heart, her career, and her world.
More than any of her previous novels, Downtown mirrors the facts of Anne Rivers Siddons' own life. She got her start as a writer for Atlanta magazine - one of America's first city magazines. Atlanta magazine was founded by Jim Townsend - a revered mentor to an entire generation of writers. The magazine was just coming to life during the exciting decade of the '60s, when Atlanta was emerging as a political center for the civil rights movement and redefining itself as the metropolis of the future. Downtown captures the energy of the city at this amazing turning point in history.
While I did enjoy this book very much, I found that it started off sort of slow for me. Although, it picked up immensely about halfway through the story and I was really drawn into the plot. However, to be totally honest, I thought that the book was about 100 to 150 pages longer than it needed to be. Overall though, Downtown was really good and I give it an A!
This is a coming of age story in the very beginning of the Civil War Movement. It's well written and descriptive.
Set on the cusp of the country's great social movements - youth, women's, peace, and civil rights - in the year before the love turned to anger and the peace to militancy, Downtown is the story of Smoky O'Donnell, her career and her heart. When Smoky arrives in Atlanta in 1966, after an airless lifetime back in Savannah, she is at once thrilled and chastened by this dazzling, hectic young city on the move. Atlanta is one of the first cities to have its own magazine, called Downtown, for which Smoky has been specially chosen to work as a writer. In her heart she knows it is a job that will change her life. With breathtaking quickness it introduces her to many unforgettable people - not least among them the magazine's flamboyant and utterly charismatic editor, Matthew Comfort, who helps shape many careers, including hers. Smoky soon meets Bradley Hunt III, the charming and substantial scion of an aristocratic Southern family who invites her into a world more polished and remote than any she has known. As spring comes to Atlanta, she finds herself in the company of Lucas Geary, a gifted young photographer with a rebel's heart. The choices Smoky must face, and her ultimate decisions, create a tender, joyous, and powerful story of the end of innocence - both Smoky's and America's - at a time when traditional values are in question and the air is full of possibility. Full of the masterful characterizations, probing insight, and lyrical prose for which Anne Rivers Siddons is justly acclaimed, Downtown is another stunning achievement from an extraordinary writer.
Excellent book worth reading
Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city. Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty. You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go Downtown....everything's waiting for you.
From cover:
The year was 1966. And for Atlanta,the country, and one woman making her way in a changing world, nothing would ever be the same.
Set in the cusp of the country's great social movements, in the year before love turned to anger and peace to militancy, Downtown is a story of Smoky O'Donnell, her career and her heart.
When Smoky arrives in Atlanta in 1966, after an airless lifetime back in Savannah, she is at once thrilled and chastened by this dazzling, hectic young city on the move. Her new job as a writer with Atlanta's Downtown magazine introduces her to many unforgettable people, including three young men who will change her life in ways she never thought possible.
Smoky's choices, and her ultimate decisions, create a tender, joyous and powerful story of the end of innocence -- both Smoky's and America's -- at a time when traditional values are in question and the air is laden with possibilities. Full of the masterful characterizations, probing insight and lyrical prose for which Anne Rivers Siddons is justly acclaimed, Downtown is another stunning achievement from an extraordinary writer.
The year was 1966. And for Atlanta,the country, and one woman making her way in a changing world, nothing would ever be the same.
Set in the cusp of the country's great social movements, in the year before love turned to anger and peace to militancy, Downtown is a story of Smoky O'Donnell, her career and her heart.
When Smoky arrives in Atlanta in 1966, after an airless lifetime back in Savannah, she is at once thrilled and chastened by this dazzling, hectic young city on the move. Her new job as a writer with Atlanta's Downtown magazine introduces her to many unforgettable people, including three young men who will change her life in ways she never thought possible.
Smoky's choices, and her ultimate decisions, create a tender, joyous and powerful story of the end of innocence -- both Smoky's and America's -- at a time when traditional values are in question and the air is laden with possibilities. Full of the masterful characterizations, probing insight and lyrical prose for which Anne Rivers Siddons is justly acclaimed, Downtown is another stunning achievement from an extraordinary writer.
