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156th out of 166 books
—
56 voters
Sacred Time
by
Ursula Hegi
The bestselling author of Stones from the River delivers her most ambitious and dramatic novel yet -- the unforgettable story of an endearing, but also flawed, Italian American family.
In December 1953 Anthony Amedeo's world is nested in his Bronx neighborhood, his parents' Studebaker, the Paradise Theater, Yankee Stadium -- and in his imagination, where he longs for a st
...morePaperback, 256 pages
Published
August 24th 2004
by Touchstone
(first published 2003)
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Hegi has a great way with words -- especially stream-of-consciousness type words. Her stuff is really hard to beat in terms of character development and general flow of the story. I particularly liked how she began with "Anthony's" story, went through the stories of the women in his life, and then ended again with his story. This "full-circle" writing is my favorite kind of story-telling.
So why only three stars? My main complaint (and call me a prude, if you must) was the excess of SEX in this b...more
So why only three stars? My main complaint (and call me a prude, if you must) was the excess of SEX in this b...more
When I read Ursula Hegi's Stones from the River I assumed she must've been a German dwarf to be able to relate that story so convincingly; and now I can't believe she's not a New York Roman-Catholic Italian. Hegi manages to sound more authentic New York Roman-Catholic Italian than my husband's actual New York Roman-Catholic Italian family does!
Sacred Time is the story of four generations of Amedeos in the Bronx. Grandmother Riptide and her husband have an amazing love story beginning with their...more
Sacred Time is the story of four generations of Amedeos in the Bronx. Grandmother Riptide and her husband have an amazing love story beginning with their...more
Ursula Hegi is hands down my favorite author. She has this way of writing where you feel as if you are going through everything right along with the characters. You feel their pain, joy, fear, with them. I don't think I have ever read a book written by her where I did not cry.This one was no exception. This book takes you through the complex family dynamics of an Italian family after they suffer a horrendous tragedy. You glimpse into how each member deals differently with grief and guilt for the...more
Seven-year-old Anthony Amedeo's comfortable life with his caterer father, Victor, and his mother, Leonora, is disrupted when his ne'er-do-well Uncle Malcolm goes "elsewhere" (a family euphemism for prison) and his Aunt Floria moves into the Amedeo apartment with her eight-year-old twin daughters. They arrive just before Christmas 1953, and soon afterwards, one of the twins plunges to her death from an open window. The tragedy will define the lives of everyone in the two families and change them...more
Rich, satisfying saga of two Italian American families spanning the preiod from the Bronx in the 50's to post-9/11 Brooklyn. Hegi is a genius in evoking the perceptual and emotional world of her vivid characters, the power of their secret pleasures and pains, and their bonds in love and loss. Her prose is captivating and often poetic. She plumbs well the resilience of families to surmount challenges they are all subject to. Her major concern here is with the recovery of the accidental loss of a...more
I'm not sure whether I liked it or not so I'm giving it a solid 3*. The story is told from the viewpoint of 4 different people throughout the span of the book.
It's wonderfully written and the descriptions of emotions and events are outstanding. Hegi really has a way of bringing pictures to your mind.
However, there's so much pain and sorrow that 2 of the viewpoints were really, really hard to read. With the wonderful wording, the pain really came through.
Also, there were times where Hegi dwelt...more
It's wonderfully written and the descriptions of emotions and events are outstanding. Hegi really has a way of bringing pictures to your mind.
However, there's so much pain and sorrow that 2 of the viewpoints were really, really hard to read. With the wonderful wording, the pain really came through.
Also, there were times where Hegi dwelt...more
I picked this up from the library when I had about 2 minutes to find a book. Since I had loved Stones from the River, I figured I was safe with Ursula Hegi. It wasn't until I got home and had time to open it that I realized I had already read it about 8 years ago. I have carried a memory of this book (a particular scene/revelation) with me all these years, but could never remember the name of the book. Unfortunately, it wasn't a good memory--more of a that-was-really-annoying memory. So, I won't...more
The characters were extremely well drawn, especially the women. However, the attempt to tie in the premise of the book, e.g. how the death of a family member affects the rest of the family over the next 2 or 3 decades, was muddled at best. I don't think the point was strongly made that the death of the family member had any real bearing on the actions of the rest of the family members.
This was the 3rd book I've read by this author and while I recognized the deft touch with the characters and ima...more
This was the 3rd book I've read by this author and while I recognized the deft touch with the characters and ima...more
The story opens in an Italian neighborhood in the Bronx in the 1950s. Our narrator is a young boy named Anthony who is frustrated when his cousins and aunt move into his cramped apartment over the holidays. The story morphs into something new as our narrator changes to Anthony’s mother and then to his aunt Leonora, then his cousin. The book covers three time periods as well; first the ‘50s, then the ‘70s, and finally the early 2000s.
We watch as the family grows and changes over the course of th...more
We watch as the family grows and changes over the course of th...more
Hegi is a highly rated author and I picked this book up while browsing in a used book store. It follows an Italian family through roughly three generations and is well written, gritty in places, with Hegi's run-on thoughts in places and great character development. Having said that, I'm not sure the point of the novel aside from the treatment of family secrets and guilt. A good book, but not a great one and certainly worth reading for Hegi fans.
I read this too fast, and on a plane, to be able to give it four stars. Ursula Hegi is certainly one of my new favorites. I love the way she brings the reader into each character in this and the other books I've read. We're never in danger of tunnel vision; never stuck in the mind of any one person. (Aside: I wish more humans could broaden their views in this way.)
So far, so good. This is the third Ursula Hegi book, and it's surprising how different each one is, both the settings and characters. Yet she writes well for each one. I have this in the car, cd version...and am enjoying the reader also.
Now that I'm finished.... I liked this one. The story and the main event are told from each of the main character's points of view. Each character is an interesting character, and of course, affected by the focal event of the book. Ursula Hegi is on my list of au...more
Now that I'm finished.... I liked this one. The story and the main event are told from each of the main character's points of view. Each character is an interesting character, and of course, affected by the focal event of the book. Ursula Hegi is on my list of au...more
I literally could not remember what this book was about while I was reading it. Every time I picked it up, I thought, "what is this about again?" I enjoyed it while I was reading it, but barely retained anything about the book.
Good writing, but not a compelling story, and the title doesn't make a ton of sense.
Good writing, but not a compelling story, and the title doesn't make a ton of sense.
I could not find the Audio Cd version of this listed on here so added the book version. I do not think I could have actually read this book. Listening to it the narrators voices brought me to that neighborhood, into that kitchen or bedroom. Very interesting family story. I liked all the characters instantly. Would love to see a movie based on this.
"and I wanted to stop time there, when everyone I loved lived close by; when I believed my parents would be together forever, and that the entire world was made up of apartment buildings with tar beaches and fire escapes...."
I was a little worried to find the characters were an Italian family but by the end of the book I saw how this resonates for everyone. A good read. Couldn't put it down.
I was a little worried to find the characters were an Italian family but by the end of the book I saw how this resonates for everyone. A good read. Couldn't put it down.
This book was a quick read, but I didn't enjoy it all that much. I've decided that Ursula Hegi is not the author for me. I could never finish 'Stones from the River' and this one was so uninspiring. I am also in a weird place mentally and finding it hard to concentrate on reading. That could explain my dislike of this book as well.
I've loved everything Hegi has written, so this one was somewhat a disapointment. It's difficult for me to articulate what it was that didn't work in this book (other than that it was depressing!) I do feel I got a good feel for the characters. It just wasn't her best
I loved Ursala Hegi's book "Stones from the River," so of course I need to try to read everything she has written to see if she has any novels that rival that book. This is a good read. Her writing is very poetic and not predictable.
For me, this novel was very erratic in holding my interest. I had to switch to another book before I could come back to it and finish it. Much of the writing is compelling but some seems disjointed.
Book on CD... having three narrators was helpful, but at times, the two ladies didn't differentiate well between their characters. The cover jacket was more interesting than the plot of the story.
This was fast paced and hard to put down, almost a 5 by Laura's rating scale. It is very different than Hegi's books about Germany. It was almost like someone else wrote it.
Hegi's writing is richly detailed and she delivers a story that is subtle, filled with intense, true-to-life characters. Sacred Time begins with a tragedy and deals with the effects on this flawed Italian-American family.
Sep 27, 2009
Garlan
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
everyone
Shelves:
little-gems
This was a another great story from Hegi about a family living in the Bronx in the 1950's. Told from several points of view over a span of 40+ years, we're introduced to Anthony, Floria, Leonora and Belinda, as they tell their story about family and what binds us to one another, all the while dealing with tragedy, loss, guilt and forgiveness. Hegi gives each character depth and peronality, but especially Floria and Leonora. I would have given the book 5 stars, but for one section that I didn't c...more
When I first started reading this book I thought I would really enjoy it. As I kept reading though, I never gained interest in the characters and found myself bored quite frequently. While the act in childhood affects the remaining characters seemed to the premise of the book, I never really felt like it got anywhere.
Nothing special. Hegi is a good writer, but this story of the effects on a family, over a 50-year-period, of a child's death just didn't grab me.
Horrible...had to put it down and stop reading it. Just wasn't into it and didn't want to waste any more time on it.
Really good book about the stories, mostly hidden from others, that shape our lives and interactions.
I love Ursula Hegi, this book is no exception. I enjoyed the flow and the different perspectives throughout. The end is perfect.
the impact of fear and secrets on families can be immense...well written and thought provoking...
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Ursula Hegi is the author of Sacred Time, Hotel of the Saints, The Vision of Emma Blau, Tearing the Silence, Salt Dancers, Stones from the River, Floating in My Mother's Palm, Unearned Pleasures and Other Stories, Intrusions, and Trudi & Pia. She is the recipient of more than thirty grants and awards.
More about Ursula Hegi...
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