Helpful Score: 2
I absolutely loved this book. It's what I call one of my "comfortable" books. So well written and descriptive of the wonderful characters. I think that some books are just 'overdone'. The authors go on and on to the point where you are skipping many paragraphs out of pure boredom. I never felt this way reading "North River". Loved the beautiful characters and especially the Grandpa and his special little grandson sharing simple experiences that I still think about.
Helpful Score: 2
My new favorite author! Being a New Yorker it's refreshing to read about NY in a time that I could only imagine. You'll be transported there.
Helpful Score: 1
Dr, James Delaney wakes up one morning to discover his infant grandson, left by his estranged daughter, in a baby carriage on his doorstep. The sudden appearance of this baby in Delaney's life pulls him abruptly out of the sad routine of his life in the grim Depression world of 1934 Brooklyn, and into a world of new possibilities.
This is a quiet little story, full of details about the vanished world of 1930's-era New York City. I liked it, but didn't love it--the conflicts resolve a little too easily, and the characters are a little flat, especially the character of Delaney's daughter, who makes an unsatisfying appearance at the end of the book.
What IS appealing is the author's obvious love of the era and the city, and his portrayal of a grandfather and grandson getting to know each other.
This is a quiet little story, full of details about the vanished world of 1930's-era New York City. I liked it, but didn't love it--the conflicts resolve a little too easily, and the characters are a little flat, especially the character of Delaney's daughter, who makes an unsatisfying appearance at the end of the book.
What IS appealing is the author's obvious love of the era and the city, and his portrayal of a grandfather and grandson getting to know each other.
Solid piece of work about a Greenwich Village doctor whose insular life is turned upside down by the sudden appearance of his two-year-old grandson. The romance that develops is well-written, but predictable. Where this novel really shines is in Hamill's gritty depiction of New York City in the waning days of the Great Depression and in his depiction of the ways in which the lives of the blue-collar class intertwine.
Pete Hamill is one of my favorite writers. I wish that he had published more. This book provides wonderful historical pictures of NY City while carrying on a plot that will keep you up late at night.
I really enjoyed this one.
I really enjoyed this one.
I really liked this book, very relaxing, enjoyable evenings with it. I liked all of the main characters and could have followed them through a series--especially the doctor and his life. Warm and cozy, and a lovely romance to boot. Very nice writing style, slow and like listening to soft lapping shoreline waves through a window into your bedroom.
I really enjoy Pete Hamills writing. This book is big on detail, not plot. His descriptions of NY pre WW2 bring you right there, experiencing the sights, smells and tastes. Character development is excellent.
I really liked this book. In fact, I found it hard to put down! Harking back to the 1930's in New York, it's about the life of a doctor, his daughter, and his missing wife.
Characters are added, each drawn believably, and we also are drawn into the story. Rich with details of the time, I also liked it because I grew up in NY and some of the things brought back memories. I wasn't born in this period of time, but the geographical descriptions are timeless.
I would say this book is a character study: the doctor starts with "baggage," then must confront new problems. How he faces them are what makes the book so good
Characters are added, each drawn believably, and we also are drawn into the story. Rich with details of the time, I also liked it because I grew up in NY and some of the things brought back memories. I wasn't born in this period of time, but the geographical descriptions are timeless.
I would say this book is a character study: the doctor starts with "baggage," then must confront new problems. How he faces them are what makes the book so good
Pete Hamill is fast becoming one of my favorite authors. This book will simply transport you to the New York of he '30's-WWI is over, the depression is in full swing, and there are rumblings of trouble in Europe. The city is as much a character as the people. And the people are amazing. Real life in real hard times-read this book.
What a great story about a man who is a doctor whose daughter leaves her young son on his doorstep and what a bond they form.It is also a love story between the doctor and Rose who comes to tend to the boy.He really knows how to tell a story.I couldnt put the book down.
This was my first time reading this author but it wont be the last.
This was my first time reading this author but it wont be the last.
