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This Side of Brightness
by
Colum McCann (Goodreads Author)
At the turn of the century, Nathan Walker comes to New York City to take the most dangerous job in the country. A sandhog, he burrows beneath the East River, digging the tunnel that will carry trains from Brooklyn to Manhattan. In the bowels of the riverbed, the sandhogs—black, white, Irish, Italian—dig together, the darkness erasing all differences. Above ground, though,...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
January 1st 2003
by Picador
(first published 1998)
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I was absolutely head over heels in love with this book.......until the last chapter. (view spoiler) Definitely this would have gotten five stars if only that last chapter were absent. End it any way but this! That is my sole complaint. Four stars, not five! My heart wants to give this five anyhow.
I am going to give you a quote:
He played so...more
I am going to give you a quote:
He played so...more
Rating: 3.75* of five
How delightful it is to go back and fill in the high spots in a favorite author's early career. This book, published in 1998, was the third published book by McCann, and showed that his command of language was equal to his command of storytelling. He's a winner of the National Book Award now, but his earlier books don't disappoint in any way. (Well, Songdogs disappointed me, but not severely.)
The evocation of the sandhog life in early 20th-century New York was strong, compel...more
How delightful it is to go back and fill in the high spots in a favorite author's early career. This book, published in 1998, was the third published book by McCann, and showed that his command of language was equal to his command of storytelling. He's a winner of the National Book Award now, but his earlier books don't disappoint in any way. (Well, Songdogs disappointed me, but not severely.)
The evocation of the sandhog life in early 20th-century New York was strong, compel...more
I scoff when I hear people say, "I wish I had time to read!" My reading time is at 5:30 in the morning, when I am doing my cardio, rocking out to my music, and trying to balance my book open on those cheap little plastic book "thingys". I have sensed a pattern recently when I listen to an old song from my Ipod and suddenly I am am shot back into a book I read three months, six months, or even two years ago.
When I purchase a new song, I will often open up my Ipod and listen to the same three song...more
When I purchase a new song, I will often open up my Ipod and listen to the same three song...more
2 likes · like · see review
McCann’s third book and second novel, This Side of Brightness has a number of things in common with McCann’s most recent novel, the prize winning Let the Great World Spin. Both novels are set in New York; both involve issues of race, class, and immigration; and both novels are testimonies to the fragility and resilience of the human condition. Some people get crushed by circumstance and choice in McCann’s novels and others endure, struggling on, reclaiming hope from ruin’s ashes.
This Side of Br...more
This Side of Br...more
I'm still trying to wrap my head around how McCann can take stories about "ordinary" people and make them so interesting that I can't stop thinking about the characters long after I'm done with the book. Also how he, as an Irish man, can get away with writing African-American characters. And how much research he must have done, into tunnel diggers, mole people and everything in between. Throw in his remarkable use of language, with lines that make me want to break my "no writing in books" rule,...more
This Side of Brightness is two stories tied into one. One story begins in the early 20th century with the digging of tunnels for the New York subway involving a set of sandhogs, the men who are digging the tunnels, and the next chapter occurs in the later 1990s focusing on people who live underground in the tunnels. The chapters go back and forth between the two time frames, finally revealing how they are connected. This Side of Brightness starts with a tragedy- several men are sucked up through...more
this is an amazing book that i can pick up and read a hundred times. the dual generations, the factual historical record, all of it is so vibrant and beautiful. the language of Colum McCann is spectacular, and every time i read it, i get so engulfed, i can't put it down. in fact, i may pick it up again tonight!!!
So yes, i picked it up again, and with my pen, underlined things i hadn't noticed before. this is such an amazing book with such language that i had to pull out the dictionary at some po...more
So yes, i picked it up again, and with my pen, underlined things i hadn't noticed before. this is such an amazing book with such language that i had to pull out the dictionary at some po...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
"Clarence Nathan sleeps on the fire escape; he has been told that his father used to do this. He is not bothered by the noise from below: police sirens, record players sounding out through open windows, Jimi Hendrix, James Brown. His body is squeezed up in the small space, his forearms wrapped around his knees. Sometimes the night is punctuated by gunshots. Or the blare of a musical car horn. Or couples shouting as they lean out of windows. A landscape of loving and hating. A palpable viciousnes...more
As a huge fan of Let the Great World Spin, I looked forward to reading another book by McCann. Although this book was written well before Great World, it was just as compelling. McCann is the Scott Fitzgerald of our day. His prose is beautiful. His characters genuine and complete and his story telling ability marvelous.
This Side of Brightness is the story of a man Nathan Walker and his family over three generations. The structure of the book is such that the reader moves between present day and...more
This Side of Brightness is the story of a man Nathan Walker and his family over three generations. The structure of the book is such that the reader moves between present day and...more
TSOB is just my favorite book. Has been since 2003. If you like books about NYC where the city itself becomes a character, read this. Also good for those of you who love underground/alternative historical narratives (both fig and lit).
2 likes · like · see review
Nathan Walker is a sandhog, a man who has the dangerous job of digging tunnels for the New York Subway in the early 1900s. Treefrog used to work on the extreme opposite — high in the sky building skyscrapers — before his descent into homelessness brought him to live in the same tunnels that Nathan helped build.
Colum McCann tells the parallel story of two men: one who works digging the tunnels for the New York subway in the 1900s, and the other a homeless man who lives in these tunnels. I couldn’...more
Colum McCann tells the parallel story of two men: one who works digging the tunnels for the New York subway in the 1900s, and the other a homeless man who lives in these tunnels. I couldn’...more
This is a story of New York city tunnels; the workers who built them and the modern people who live in them. The plot spans family generations, from the immigrant "sand hogs" who dig under the river every day, to their children and grandchildren. Treefrog is one of these descendents who lives in an abandoned subway tunnel. As the novel unfolds we learn why he has chosen this exile, shut away in cold and darkness. The question as to how he might redeem himself and live above ground again, haunts...more
The plot is not one I would expect from an Irish author. Told from the perspective of an African American sandhog who helped dig New York City’s underwater tunnels at the turn of the century, this book shows the unraveling of a family, broken by so many types of tragedies: substance abuse, molestation, accidental death, racism, suicide, and neglect. The main character experiences so much despair and sadness that he lives as a homeless man for four years in New York City’s subway tunnels. Still,...more
Jun 14, 2011
Dee-Ann
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
five-star,
library-book
This is a 'wow' of a book. Colum is a great wordsmith.
This tale has two parts, which meet towards the end, in that one part follows the events associated with an incident in the early 1900s where four men, part of a large crew, are sucked through a 'portal' whilst digging a train tunnel under the Hudson River. Three of these men survive in that they surface above in the Hudson River, one is never found. So, half of the tale follows the saga of what happened to one of these men in particular over...more
This tale has two parts, which meet towards the end, in that one part follows the events associated with an incident in the early 1900s where four men, part of a large crew, are sucked through a 'portal' whilst digging a train tunnel under the Hudson River. Three of these men survive in that they surface above in the Hudson River, one is never found. So, half of the tale follows the saga of what happened to one of these men in particular over...more
I'm a huge fan of Colum McCann, and this is a great book, but it isn't quite as excellent as his later novels. That said, it is still a wonderful read, but even more so, I love reading the early works of novelists for seeing their growth as writers, and to see the hints of the greatness that is to come, because there are some truly transcendent moments in this book, but then they get lost a bit in the plot and characterization. It is reassuring to be reminded that writers don't spring out of the...more
I just finished this one and its as good as the first I read by McCann. It has a dual narrative- one by a man who worked digging the tunnel between Manhattan and Brooklyn during the early part of the century- around 1915, and the other by a man who lives in the tunnels above the subway around the time of the second world war. Not usually a subject matter I would pick, but the writing is so good I finished it in two days! I'm looking forward to finding his other two books. It seems like a lot of...more
SUMMER READING CLUB: "This novel takes us underground into the subway tunnels and into the lives of the sandhogs who built them and into the lives of people of the homeless community who now reside in them. Both stories,told in an alternating fashion, come together in one as the book nears its end.
It is an interesting glimpse into both ways of life and into the tunnels themselves. There are so many sections no longer used in the subway system that even though this is a work of fiction, you know...more
It is an interesting glimpse into both ways of life and into the tunnels themselves. There are so many sections no longer used in the subway system that even though this is a work of fiction, you know...more
Second book by this author and it won't be my last. He is a genius at descriptive writing. While it was a depressing, dark storyline at times the writing was so wonderful and the characters so lovingly written I didn't mind the darkness or the dark themes. Never thought I could be this interested in sandhogs (the underground tunnelers) or the homeless living in NYC's subway tunnels. But in McCann's brilliant hands I came to really care about them all. He did a great job weaving the storylines. S...more
Another gem by McCann. While it is not my favorite McCann novel, I enjoyed the language of Dancer and The Great World Spins more, it was definitely worth the read. McCann fans will be happy to see, however, some beautiful lines peppered throughout the book. His use of language accounts for half of my interest in his work.
SPOILER: I especially enjoyed the character of Walker and was happy to find that he appears throughout the entire book. The novel is constructed as two distinct story lines that...more
SPOILER: I especially enjoyed the character of Walker and was happy to find that he appears throughout the entire book. The novel is constructed as two distinct story lines that...more
Wow! This is my first experience with anything by Colum McCann. His style of writing was enjoyable to read. More often than not, I usually forget the names of the characters when I try to recall them months later. But I don't think I will ever forget Treefrog, Angela, Nathan Walker, or Eleanor. Besides Treefrog and his peculiar behavior, Angela was one of my favorite people in the book. "Treefy you stink!!" Boy was she always blunt and to the point.
Soooooo...now I have a question. Can trauma rea...more
Soooooo...now I have a question. Can trauma rea...more
After I returned from my first trip to New York, anything related to New York caught my eye, including this novel. It's the first half of the 20th century and someone has to dig the underground tunnel that will shuttle trains between Brooklyn and Manhattan. The novel describes how taking on the country's most dangerous job affects the lives of everyone involved over a period of seven decades. Amongst the tragady, the author, Colum McCann, drops in light touches of humor with remarks about alegat...more
This is the second book that I have read by Colum McCann. He is an Irish writer, but both book I have read of his have taken place in New York. The other book was "Let the Great World Spin". This book weaves historical fact with fiction and spans three generations over a 70+ year period. It deals with death, racism, homelessness, love and incest. The two main charachters are a homeless guy named Treefrog and Nathan Walker, a black man who worked as a "sandhod", digging the subway tunnels beneath...more
I started off really enjoying this book and getting into the historical aspect behind the building of the underground train tunnels of New York. Unfortunately as the book went on it became depressingly easy to see where it was all going - all portents were delivered with an increasingly unsubtle sledgehammer. Therefore there were no surprises. Even though I had problems with Let the Great World Spin at least it had that going for it.
That's two books I've read by McCann now in which the hype over...more
That's two books I've read by McCann now in which the hype over...more
May 24, 2011
Danelle
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
fiction,
swapped-or-donated
This Side of Brightness follows a catastrophic day during the digging of the tunnel that will connect Brooklyn and Manhattan under the East River and the repercussions that follow three generations of a family.
Nathan Walker is an African-American sandhog, digging that tunnel in 1916 New York City. His story is told in alternating chapters with the story of Treefrog, a homeless man living in the tunnels in 1991 New York City. Both stories continue in this alternating fashion until they intersect...more
Nathan Walker is an African-American sandhog, digging that tunnel in 1916 New York City. His story is told in alternating chapters with the story of Treefrog, a homeless man living in the tunnels in 1991 New York City. Both stories continue in this alternating fashion until they intersect...more
Começo por dizer que este não é (ou não foi para mim) um livro fácil de ler. Não pelo tipo de escrita, que é bastante acessível não deixando de ser cuidada, mas sim pelo tema (ou temas) que trata.
A história passa-se entre 1916 e 1991 em Nova Iorque. O hiato de tempo entre as histórias de Nathan Walker e Treefrog vai-se dissolvendo ao longo do livro e o que os une só é perceptível mais ou menos após o meio do livro.
Nathan é um trabalhar nos túneis de NY, Treegrof é um sem abrigo que vive num tún...more
A história passa-se entre 1916 e 1991 em Nova Iorque. O hiato de tempo entre as histórias de Nathan Walker e Treefrog vai-se dissolvendo ao longo do livro e o que os une só é perceptível mais ou menos após o meio do livro.
Nathan é um trabalhar nos túneis de NY, Treegrof é um sem abrigo que vive num tún...more
Colum McCann’s This Side of Brightness is the relentlessly depressing story of three generations of a New York city family. Nathan Walker is a “sandhog”, digging a subway tunnel under the East River, when he’s involved a terrible freak accident. His connection to the family of one of his fellow victims forms half of the novel; the other half concurrently tells the story of the not-quite-sane homeless manTreefrog, who lives up in a cave high above the train lines on the West Side of Manhattan, wh...more
Tunnels, Tragedies .....Terrific Tales......
Nathan Walker and his family are at the center of this well constructed story of hope, despair, poverty, racism and ultimately the possibility of redemption.
McCann masterfully portrays a realistic story of the lives of the men known as "Sandhogs" and the dangerous nature of their job digging tunnels under New York City.
Mixing history with metaphor and vivid language, we are taken into the bowels of the earth and then to the tops of skyscrapers with...more
Nathan Walker and his family are at the center of this well constructed story of hope, despair, poverty, racism and ultimately the possibility of redemption.
McCann masterfully portrays a realistic story of the lives of the men known as "Sandhogs" and the dangerous nature of their job digging tunnels under New York City.
Mixing history with metaphor and vivid language, we are taken into the bowels of the earth and then to the tops of skyscrapers with...more
I find it very difficult to give five stars to a novel for some reason, but this one comes very close.
It's a novel about Manhattan and covers much of the last century historically. It involves mostly a group of laboring people who built the tunnels and skyscrapers of the city. Family relationships, interracial relationships, violence, and homelessness provide the anchoring situations.
The writing is wonderful, poetic and enticing. If you want spoilers, find another review.
It's a novel about Manhattan and covers much of the last century historically. It involves mostly a group of laboring people who built the tunnels and skyscrapers of the city. Family relationships, interracial relationships, violence, and homelessness provide the anchoring situations.
The writing is wonderful, poetic and enticing. If you want spoilers, find another review.
Dec 10, 2009
Gretchen
is currently reading it
So fare this is very interesting. I remember when they talked about this book at the residencies, they mentioned Colum going into the tunnels in NY to do research. He spins an interesting story, intertwining a current storyline of a homeless man and an older storyline of a man digging the tunnel under the river in NY. I only just started it, but so far am enjoying it.
Colum has interesting phrasing, which makes me (a normally fast reader), slow down and really read each word.
Colum has interesting phrasing, which makes me (a normally fast reader), slow down and really read each word.
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Colum McCann is the author of two collections of short stories and four novels, including "This Side of Brightness,""Dancer" and “Zoli,” all of which were international best-sellers. His newest novel “Let the Great World Spin” will come out in 2009. His fiction has been published in 26 languages and has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, GQ, Paris Review and other places. He has wri...more
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Feb 23, 2013 06:51am
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