A Moment in the Sun

Jun 08, 2011 oriana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2010, read-for-work

Wow you guys. This one, too, is going to blow your minds. It's tough not to compare it to The Instructions , the last 1000-plus-pager from the inimitable McSweeney's, but such a comparison would be meaningless, as I think it would be pretty difficult for these books to be more different. It's still way pre-pub, so I don't want to spill any secrets, but obvs this book, like everything McSwy's does, is phenomenal. Get it on them to-read shelves already!!

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Whoa, William T. Vollmann reviewed this!!...more

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Dec 29, 2012 Jonfaith rated it 5 of 5 stars

There was an element of Papa's dictum in my reading of John Sayles' doorstop qua cinder block of a narrative, it sat gradually until suddenly I devoured its 1000 pages. My cheekiest nod to the novel is that its as if the Chums of Chance (Pynchon's creations in Against The Day) chose to chronicle American Race and Imperium. That said, Sayles never appears overwrought nor resigned to types or constructs in establishing his dramatic web.

As many may know, I once considered African-American history t...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Seamus Thompson rated it 5 of 5 stars

True story: whenever I finish a book that I have not simply enjoyed but have truly loved reading, I follow the same simple ritual. I slowly close the book, hold it in both hands so I can squeeze the pages together between the boards, and then press my lips to the front cover. It has been awhile since I kissed a book but I planted a big smacker on John Sayles’ latest novel A Moment in the Sun.

What can I say about this incredible, accomplished novel that won’t sound like the usual book jacket bull...more True story: whenever I finish a book that I have not simply enjoyed but have truly loved reading, I follow the same simple ritual. I slowly close the book, hold it in both hands so I can squeeze the pages together between the boards, and then press my lips to the front cover. It has been awhile since I kissed a book but I planted a big smacker on John Sayles’ latest novel A Moment in the Sun.

What can I say about this incredible, accomplished novel that won’t sound like the usual book jacket bullshit? Book reviews and blurbs have made the language of praise seem tired and worn: incredible, phenomenal, terrific, powerful, riveting . . . It’s even worse when praising a longer novel since reviewers have standard tactics they use to convey a book’s sweep and scope – tactics that often include liberal use of the words “sweep” and “scope.” I could easily use some of those tactics here: from the icy cliffs of the Yukon to the dense jungles of the Philippines; from presidents, generals, and literary luminaries to newsboys, buggy drivers, and cleaning women; from, to; from, to . . .

So, I’ll say this: by the time I began reading the last third of a Moment in the Sun I was already slowing down, savoring the pages—wanting to know what happens next but not wanting to finish too quickly. While reading the final 50 pages I felt that singular sense of loss that comes only when a reader realizes, with regret, that they have probably read the last there is to read about each character.

Those who know John Sayles primarily as a writer-director of independent films will not be surprised that he has a screenwriter’s ear for dialogue and a director’s eye for detail. Happily, Sayles also has an author’s sense of language. Throughout his sentences are clean and polished – polished almost to the point of transparency: each phrase fades into the thing it describes. Still, there is real beauty here: the elegance of precision.

To say that the book is well researched is an understatement. Most historical fiction displays its research, wears its research on its sleeve. A Moment in the Sun is not a tightly plotted novel peppered with research. It is a life’s work--the product of a lifetime’s worth of fascination with history and people and place.

I won't bother trying to describe the story. I have already gone on too long and there are plenty of plot synopses to be found. Better yet, just read the book and discover for yourself.

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Nov 17, 2012 Tim rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"A Moment in the Sun" takes a fascinating, often spectacular, low-angle look at the underbelly of America in its growing pains as it heaves and flexes into the 20th century.

There. I did it. A first paragraph without mentioning author John Sayles' other, more well-known, job. But now it can't be helped. For those who didn't know, Sayles is a top-notch movie writer/director, producing such fine films as "Eight Men Out" (my favorite), "Matewan," "Lone Star" and "Sunshine State." "A Moment in the Su...more "A Moment in the Sun" takes a fascinating, often spectacular, low-angle look at the underbelly of America in its growing pains as it heaves and flexes into the 20th century.

There. I did it. A first paragraph without mentioning author John Sayles' other, more well-known, job. But now it can't be helped. For those who didn't know, Sayles is a top-notch movie writer/director, producing such fine films as "Eight Men Out" (my favorite), "Matewan," "Lone Star" and "Sunshine State." "A Moment in the Sun" isn't his first novel, though it's his first in 10 years and the only one I have read. It could go a long way toward putting "novelist" in front of his name instead of filmmaker. It's exceptionally good. I already knew he could write a movie script; he's a hell of a novelist, as well.

In a colossal work reminiscent of John Dos Passos' U.S.A trilogy, Sayles starts the action in 1897 and takes us a little into the new century as American imperialism and racism — not new topics — hold sway and yellow journalism and a nascent film industry feed a public hungry for entertainment. The main characters in "A Moment in the Sun" are the "little guys" of history, though famous figures such as Mark Twain, Teddy Roosevelt (mostly in the form of a T.R. impersonator) and President William McKinley and (more prominently) his assassin, among others, appear. It tackles big topics, though often in small ways. Speaking of size, this is a 955-page tome that looks much bigger (the only book I own that's thicker than the trade paperback I read is the still-champeen of fat novels, Vikram Seth's "A Suitable Boy") and, unless you're of Schwarzeneggerian proportions, will tax your arm muscles plenty.

Yes, it's long as hell, but I was two-thirds of the way through the book before I ever once got impatient with Sayles to get on with it. And he always did.

"A Moment in the Sun" opens with the Yukon gold rush, featuring one of the main characters, Hod Brackenridge, who will come to find his way to a few boxing matches and on the front lines as America fights in Cuba and the Philippines. The Philippine-American War, in particular, comes to dominate the novel in its second half. It must be said that the Philippine sections are the only places where the novel drags, though there are many excellent scenes set during this forgotten war that certainly cost America its innocence, if it hadn't been long gone already. One small criticism is that here, and sometimes elsewhere, Sayles assumes a little too much reader knowledge of the period.

Along the way to the Philippines, there's the Spanish-American War in Cuba and racial strife in Wilmington, N.C. Sayles features more black main characters than white, following them from Wilmington to the two wars to back home (or to their graves). In scenes of riot and brutality, the white people of Wilmington take back their city, ousting black elected officials and dealing violently with ordinary black citizens in what was a virtual coup while the federal government looked the other way. These scenes are extremely powerful.

The short Spanish-American War in Cuba ("Remember the Maine!"), seeming to whet the American appetite, gives way to American incursion in the Philippines, the U.S. first driving out the Spanish, then (while we're at it) whipping the Filipinos as well in a shameful example of U.S. imperialism. Here we meet Filipino insurgent Diosdado, among others, and many Americans whom Sayles has shown us elsewhere.

As stated, there's more than wars and racial strife in Sayles' book. He is expert at providing texture and atmosphere to a period that's one you're probably least likely to read about in history books. From Coney Island fun to the Pan American Exposition in Buffalo; from a sickly paperboy to a sensational newspaper cartoonist; from black society (not just the socially downtrodden) to Irish immigrants to Filipinos to a Native American; Sayles' handling of this panorama always feels right, always puts us right there. There's romance, history, adventure, everyday life. That one of the main characters, Harry Manigault, is an early filmmaker is fitting, considering the cinematic scope of Sayles' book. It's an amazing achievement.

If Sayles sometimes has a hard time getting deep into his characters, it's a small price to pay. He's covering a lot of ground, weaving main characters in and out and introducing a few characters briefly who are never seen again. Sayles writes almost exclusively in the present tense here; a warning for those irritated by that. His writing often acquires the perspective (and intellectual capacity) of those he's focusing on. Usually, this works. At the very least, he's giving us diverse perspectives. At more than 100 chapters, "A Moment in the Sun" generally keeps things moving, which may be a weakness with those who want total immersion in a less broad spectrum. But this is what we've got, and it's great. It's the best novel I've read this year.
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Nov 09, 2012 Linda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Don't read this book if you are an impatient person. It's nearly 1,000 pages long and not with the "big" print of books by Follett or the Game of Thrones. But it's a good book. The only reason I didn't rate it higher is that it got tiresome after a while.

Unlike my favorite Mallon and more like most historical fiction, these characters are actually experiencing historical events: the invasion of Cuba and the Philippines, the racist coup in Wilmington, North Carolina, the assassination of Presiden...more Don't read this book if you are an impatient person. It's nearly 1,000 pages long and not with the "big" print of books by Follett or the Game of Thrones. But it's a good book. The only reason I didn't rate it higher is that it got tiresome after a while.

Unlike my favorite Mallon and more like most historical fiction, these characters are actually experiencing historical events: the invasion of Cuba and the Philippines, the racist coup in Wilmington, North Carolina, the assassination of President McKinley, and others. Of course, they don't recognize that these events will prove historical; they are just a part of everyday life for them.

Many, many characters play a part. There is a sociopathic Southern second son who can't decide what he wants to be when he "grows up" so tries on gambler, soldier (officer, of course), politician. There is a former coal miner, who travels to Alaska for the Gold Rush and ends up in the Philippines as a soldier. There are several blacks - three who end up as soldiers, a well-to-do family, a younger son who has to flee to NYC after the Wilmington coup and ends up in a very comfortable working position with the older son of one of the caroup's planners and executors, a Teddy Roosevelt impersonator named Teethadore.

Actually, the characters are not hard to keep apart. The story only covers the few years before the turn of the twentieth century, but, because the book is so long, it seems like a much longer time period. I did catch the author in a couple of historic mistakes: the Great White Fleet that he says was painted gray for the attack on the Philippines was NOT the Great WHITE fleet until TR had it painted white as part of a campaign to let the world see the US navy's power. It was meant to stand out; otherwise, the fleet was the normal color. Now I can't remember the other, but the fact that I only caught two says a lot for the author's research abilities.

If you are interested in US history in this time period (which is one that few people learn about - except for TR's San Juan Hill episode), read it. But remember, it's long, so don't expect to finish it in a weekend.(less)

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May 04, 2012 Margot rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical, fiction

This book tempts me to create another goodreads shelf for myself called "man-book." Even though almost all the characters are men, and the plot circles around the actions of almost exclusively male society, I heartily enjoyed reading this book. Sayles' ability to shift narrative style and tone depending on the point-of-view of the main character of the chapter is a delight to behold. And at a hefty 955 pages, this book will give you reading pleasure for days on end. After reading this tome, I wa...more This book tempts me to create another goodreads shelf for myself called "man-book." Even though almost all the characters are men, and the plot circles around the actions of almost exclusively male society, I heartily enjoyed reading this book. Sayles' ability to shift narrative style and tone depending on the point-of-view of the main character of the chapter is a delight to behold. And at a hefty 955 pages, this book will give you reading pleasure for days on end. After reading this tome, I watched Sayles' latest film, Amigo, which focuses on the Philippine setting presented in his book, and includes several of the same themes (and makes use of the same research, I'm sure!).

I delight in historical fiction, and this one packs a particular punch by giving the perspective and daily experience of a variety of demographic groups during the Spanish-American War. We get familiar with newsboys in New York, a typesetter in a propaganda rag in the South, a bourgeois African-American family in North Caroline, Philippine guerilla fighters resisting the enemy of their enemy (who turns out not to be their friend), coolies overlooked and taken advantage of by everyone, and African-American soldiers fighting for respect from their countrymen.

So many great sections, but I'll include just a few here to highlight the changes in style that accompany a different character focus.

"His head is clear enough and his legs are till with him but there are men all around him screaming into his ears and the ox waiting just inside the ropes for when Hd ducks to step back through, his right cocked, lips moving in a stream of curses, and Boyle behind him counting to ten and Hod gets up onto his knees with somebody trying to shove him back in and he hates them, hates Jeff Smith and Whitey and the whole sure-thing crew and the men screaming all around him..." (102)

"Tampa is a fever dream lying by the fetid Gulf, writhing hot with fear and desire. Camp followers have swarmed the miasmic city to feed upon the soldiers and each night, drawn to light and noise those soldiers dare each other to be the drunkest, the loudest, the lowest. The pianos are all warped out of tune, the liquor smells of kerosene and the Army is a guest who has stayed overlong. Tampa wishes he would leave but can't help selling more cocoanut, one more drink. And there are guns everywhere, guns are the point of it, guns and flags and men marching or staggering in groups and the hard slap of a black man in uniform a reminder that there is a price for this boon, this bonanza of war, an insult that must be swallow to keep the riches flowing. Tampa is a cackling reverie, flushing hot in fevered temples teetering on a point of chance..." (274)

"Royal is a sidelong bulge of panic in a horse's eye. The horse is churning without direction in a hot, acid sea, snorting saltwater after each new wave slaps its upstretched head, nostrils barely above the surface, legs pedaling desperately, hooves seeking solid ground and finding none, not lathered despite the effort but huffing and pedaling in a lather of ocean, slapping waves incessant..." (335)

"There is no way to cross the river of white men. Jubal pulls back on old Dan and sits as still as he can, watching them pass, white men in red shirts riding through the colored section of Wilmington, whooping their rebel yells, some already taken with liquor and all of them shiny-eyed with the power of their numbers. Jubal watches and is careful to avoid meeting the gaze of any of them, knowing his easy they can spook." (436)

"Flirt with them, Myrtle Talmadge always says, and you win their hearts. Feed them, and you own their souls." (455)

"This is how she discovered that the yang gweizi know nothing about the sky. They would stand on the balcony and Roderick Hardacre would point to the stars and make her try to see shapes of animals or people and tell her long stories about their adventures. When Ling-Ling began to understand the words she discovered that he was not talking about the Three Enclosures or the Azure Dragon or the White Tiger of the West or the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl but something completely different, either something he was inventing to mock her or strange beliefs of the yang gweizi." (638)

"The dark soldiers are all under the houses now, stabbing the ground with the blades on their rifles, looking for treasure. She hopes that if they find any more they don't start to fight over it. Some of them are looking at her, to, and the other young women. We are treasure, Nilda thinks, but only for a moment." (746)(less)

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Mar 20, 2012 Ron rated it 5 of 5 stars

This will be the briefest review of one of the longest books I’ve ever read. At 955 pages, Sayles’ novel set at the turn of the last century comes in just short of Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove. The difference between the two is that there’s not a single long-winded passage in Sayles. And there’s more packed into it per square inch even than McMurtry’s multi-character, multi-plotted cattle drive novel.

Like Lonesome Dove, I read this one because it comes square in the middle of a historical peri...more This will be the briefest review of one of the longest books I’ve ever read. At 955 pages, Sayles’ novel set at the turn of the last century comes in just short of Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove. The difference between the two is that there’s not a single long-winded passage in Sayles. And there’s more packed into it per square inch even than McMurtry’s multi-character, multi-plotted cattle drive novel.

Like Lonesome Dove, I read this one because it comes square in the middle of a historical period I’ve been interested in. Taking place between the years 1897 and 1902, it portrays a moment in American history when the frontier had closed and the country took its first steps toward empire with the Spanish-American War.

The novel is largely about that war, a small part devoted to the adventure in Cuba and a much greater part to the war in the Philippines. There we are treated to points of view from three sides, white troops of volunteers, black U.S. Army troops, and the “insurgents” fighting them. And all of it is set in the larger context of life back in the States.

I can tell you the names of the handful of soldiers whose lives we follow with considerable intimacy from start to finish. But I can’t keep a mental list long enough to recall the host of other characters whose lives weave in and out of the rest of the narrative. Still, they are drawn with such clarity, I came to feel utterly familiar with every one of them.

To a great extent, the novel is about race relations. While two young black men take up arms to fight in the War, their families back home experience the convulsive upheavals that followed so-called Reconstruction in the South. We get the story of the “recapture” of Wilmington, North Carolina, as whites forcibly take an election away from the blacks and cause their flight to the North.

There’s much also about working people and the poor. We are witness to grinding, low-paid physical labor. One example being the work involved in the removal and disposing of dead horses from city streets. There’s work in the mines of Colorado and women working in sweat shops and scrubbing floors in mansions. And there’s child labor, as homeless boys hawk newspapers on curbs and street corners in Manhattan.

There’s also a glancing focus at the media itself as editors, correspondents, and cartoonists shape and sensationalize the news for public consumption. And one character is entranced by the possibilities of a new invention that takes moving pictures. One of its first uses is to film reenactments of battle scenes showing U.S. troops abroad.

Historical figures walk the pages of the novel, among them the boomtown entrepreneur, Soapy Smith. We visit cigar factories in Tampa Bay, a military fort in Missoula, and the gold rush town of Skaguay, Alaska. One of the most absorbing chapters takes place entirely within a prison in upstate New York on the day President McKinley is shot at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo.

It’s the kind of book you can go on and on about, particularly when you know that you’ll probably never persuade another person to read it because of its length. And what’s ironic is that it’s so well suited to readers with short attention spans. Its 100-plus chapters are each like a tightly written short story. You can pick it up anywhere and read one without needing to know what came before it.

Set in another context, this novel covers the years leading up to the publication of Owen Wister’s The Virginian (1902). It’s curious and maybe telling that at a time of war abroad and political assassination at home, this romance of the Old West became a best seller.(less)

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Jan 20, 2012 Tuck rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: this-ain-t-a-louis-lamour-type-of-p, pre-wwi

Author is a master of the big picture saga, and this new one does not disappoint. Encompasses 4 story lines, and what is most impressive is that author takes the “little guy’s” perspective, that is working class, blacks, women, those trying to what? Succeed? Survive? Has some damn dignity? So no big high faluting art galleries, captains of industry, or other bourgey pretenses (well there are some, granted, but in the black and passing community of Wilmington north Carolina, who were all run out...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Laura C. rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

On a recent episode of Bravo’s “The Next Great Artist”, the participants were challenged to take a piece of thrift store kitsch and turn it into something remarkable. One artist began with a picture of a southern belle with real hair. He remade it into a commentary on the bondage of beauty, race, and money. In the end, he was voted off. The judges said it was an important topic, but that his work brought no new insights to the table. This cannot be said for John Sayles book, “A Moment in the Sun...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Eric Malone rated it 5 of 5 stars

Set at the turn of the 20th-century, A Moment in the Sun by John Sayles weighs in a hefty 950 pages. One might think a historical novel of this length might be a little tedious to read, but this is not the case with A Moment in the Sun. Sayles' writing is clear and engrossing, and you can certainly tell this novel is written by someone skilled with writing film screenplays.

That is not to say that this is a light, feel-good read; the characters are repeatedly subjected to the harshest treatment i...more Set at the turn of the 20th-century, A Moment in the Sun by John Sayles weighs in a hefty 950 pages. One might think a historical novel of this length might be a little tedious to read, but this is not the case with A Moment in the Sun. Sayles' writing is clear and engrossing, and you can certainly tell this novel is written by someone skilled with writing film screenplays.

That is not to say that this is a light, feel-good read; the characters are repeatedly subjected to the harshest treatment imaginable. In fact, one might suggest the idea of the Sisyphean task is THE central theme of this novel. Character Hod Brackenridge quite literally struggles again and again up a steep, icy hill in the Yukon, hauling his gear a few pounds at a time only to have the whole ordeal rendered futile on the last trip. Consider the black community in the South struggling from slavery to Reconstruction-era prosperity, then watching helplessly as their voting and citizenship rights are revoked by Jim Crow laws. The character Lei Man escapes the practice of foot-binding, escapes an encounter with a wolf, escapes a shipwreck, escapes being sold into prostitution, escapes the occupying armies of Spain and the United States, and on and on. *Personal note: Lei Man is a relatively minor but perhaps my favorite character in the novel. I pretty much read the sections involving her with while holding my breath and fighting goosebumps. *

Sayles gives a very strong and accurate description of just how DIFFICULT and different life was a century ago. I walked away from this novel feeling absolutely blessed to be living in an age of technological exponentiation. In a few months, when this story has faded a bit from my mind, I might be upset to find a spider on the bathroom wall or find the hot water has been completely used up, but right now I just can't bring myself to complain.

If you are considering reading this novel, I would urge you to do so. You will find yourself hooked by about page 50. (less)

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Jul 25, 2011 Adam rated it 5 of 5 stars

This mammoth book of 955 pages and 105 chapters requires commitment from the reader. The storyline evolves slowly and never builds to a true climax. That is not to say that it is without gripping moments. It is a very rewarding read, thick with richly developed characters and story arcs. In the chronicle that stretches from Alaskan Gold Rush in 1897 through the Philippine-American War, Sayles explores the interplay between race and imperialism during a period in which American jingoism, thirst f...more This mammoth book of 955 pages and 105 chapters requires commitment from the reader. The storyline evolves slowly and never builds to a true climax. That is not to say that it is without gripping moments. It is a very rewarding read, thick with richly developed characters and story arcs. In the chronicle that stretches from Alaskan Gold Rush in 1897 through the Philippine-American War, Sayles explores the interplay between race and imperialism during a period in which American jingoism, thirst for capital gain, and bad racial science factored heavily into foreign policy decisions. Sayles smartly connects American aggression abroad at the turn of the twentieth century and the rationalization for that behavior with the United States’ expansionist policy on the North American continent earlier in the nineteenth century and the perceptions of racial fitness that pervaded American life. He also offers subtle commentary on technological advances, documenting the public marvel over new inventions while showing that some of these developments also promised a greater efficiency in killing that allowed the user of new technologies to more easily control beings lacking access to that technology.

A Moment in Time follows the lives a number of characters including: Hod, a white working-class man whose hopes for economic advancement have been regularly stalled by the employing class and the forces of capital; Diodados and Bayani, Filipino freedom fighters who initially look to the United States as an ally in their campaign to create a Philippine Republic but soon discover that the U.S. has imperial designs of its own; several African American characters from the town of Wilmington who variously seek to advance their race during the period of Reconstruction only to have their lives upended by white violence; and white Wilmington Redeemers who try to reverse the gains of black Americans during the Reconstruction period in effort to maintain the racial hierarchy in the South. The lives of these characters intertwine in the ambitious story that spans the globe from the rush of miners to Skaguay to the campaign of violence conducted by white Redeemers in Wilmington to fighting in Cuba and Manila to tenement life and the growing leisure culture in New York City. Sayles shows the characters’ lives irrevocably changed as a result of racial prejudice and violence. The black, white, and Filipino characters all harbor certain conceptions about race and racial superiority, yet Sayles also reveals a basic humanness that bridges racial divides on an individual level at various points within the story.

Sayles also supplements the meticulously research book with an extensive collection of historical photographs that are grouped by chapter on the McSweeney’s website http://www.mcsweeneys.net/books/amome....
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Jul 19, 2012 Timothy Hallinan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Director John Sayles has written one of my favorite books of the past year, a 956-page epic that captures America (and Cuba, and the Philippines) at the end of the 19th-century/beginning of the 20th, as the U.S. became a colonial power, thanks to the Spanish-American War. At the same time, the Yukon opened up to hoards of gold-seekers; almost the entire Black population of Wilmington, North Carolina was driven from the town in a white race riot; and in New York, Edison's invention was opening th...more

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Sep 01, 2011 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

I had this rated a four (because I never give anything a five) but changed to five because I don't like when people criticize John Sayles and I didn't want to do it. He essentially does exactly what I want in popular history and tries to appeal to the mainstream at the same time, and people just look for excuses not to read him or go see his movies. Yes the book does have many characters and plot lines, but you never get lost. It is long, but fun and not difficult. One negative review I read sai...more I had this rated a four (because I never give anything a five) but changed to five because I don't like when people criticize John Sayles and I didn't want to do it. He essentially does exactly what I want in popular history and tries to appeal to the mainstream at the same time, and people just look for excuses not to read him or go see his movies. Yes the book does have many characters and plot lines, but you never get lost. It is long, but fun and not difficult. One negative review I read said you needed to constantly google to follow it. That person had clearly not read truly difficult stuff like Pynchon or Melville where you would be lost without an encyclopedia. Most of the history can be clearly understood from the text. If you want more, the publisher has a great website with annotated pictures (http://www.mcsweeneys.net/books/amome...). It's not finished, but it should be great when it is, and as a history teacher I would recommend using it to give small sections to your students for research.

I have this same problem with reviews of his recent film Amigo, which is set at the same time as the book but has nothing to do with it really. The negative comments these reviews make revolve around it being too hokey or sincere or not enough of an artistic accomplishment. That might be true, but it isn't what's keeping people from seeing the film or reading the book. His stuff isn't commercially successful because it doesn't have happy endings and it's too political in a way that is more than just liberal. He tries his best to make the stuff have mainstream appeal in its form (which is where the hokey and sincere criticism comes from). I think people are just looking for reasons not to like it because they aren't really interested in politics or history. Whatever it's shortcomings (which I don't see many), there is no novel about the Spanish American War that is more of a literary achievement than this. So if you're interested you have to read it. (less)

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Jul 14, 2011 Mike rated it 5 of 5 stars

How can I not like a book from a fellow Nelson Algren fan? Sayles spoke on his tour in my town and when asked what writers influenced him he simply replied, "It was Nelson Algren more than anyone." So, given my tainted soul, I also have to conclude that this is an excellent book about being a man in America. He gives short shrift to women in my opinion...not unlike Algren.

Somehow I never felt bogged down by his characters. There was some weariness after hearing about the many illnesses, physica...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Victor Carson rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: history

A panoramic, almost epic portrayal of the U.S. at the time of the Spanish American War: the gold rush in the Yukon; in the South, the years following reconstruction; the systematic and violent intimidation of black voters in North Carolina; and the start of the war, in Cuba and then in the Philippines. Many characters appear and reappear, over the nearly 1,000 pages of the novel: blacks, whites, Cubans, and Filipinos. Although the pace sometimes slows, the characters, the events, and entire hist...more

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May 29, 2011 Andrew rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical

Around page 700 or so of Moment in the Sun, it occurred to me that the book was so long because John Sayles needed that many pages for everything bad in the world to happen to his characters. Set in 1897 and the years immediately after, this story takes the reader on a tour of American oppression and misery. From an Alaskan Gold Rush boom town to a white supremacist insurrection in Wilmington, NC, to the invasions of Cuba and the Philippines, this is not a happy, feel-good novel.

It is, however,...more

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Jul 22, 2011 Peter rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an unforgettable book about America at the turn of the last century. Skillfully told and breathtaking in its scope.

I must say that the first half was totally engrossing, but it got a little tougher in the second half. I think whole chapters could have been left out. And yet the breadth of it is amazing, it's like you are soaking in the era. Gold rush, Spanish American War, yellow journalism, Cuba, the philippines, African American culture post Reconstruction, the white overthrow of the e...more

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Jul 29, 2012 Ted rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A vivid examination of the turn of the 20th century: its culture, science, prejudices, dreams and nightmares. Sayles has intertwined several big themes (the rise of American imperialism, race relations, the advent of cinema and the dog-eat-dog nature of capitalism) and explored them through a large cast of viewpoint characters, ranging from an unlucky labor agitator-cum-boxer-cum-soldier to a Filipino freedom fighter, from an upper middle class black doctor to a professional Theodore Roosevelt i...more

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Jun 06, 2012 Carol rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: historical-fiction

My rating for this book went from a 4 for fine writing, to a 3 for holding my interest, to a 2 for getting bored, so I settled on an average of 3 stars. First off, I must admit, I have a hard time with 900+ page books. I am over-eager to learn the conclusion quickly; I also like page-turners, that make me want to find out what happens next. This book rarely had me anxious to see what the next page brought.

I had hoped to learn more about the Spanish/American War, which I did, but it was not pres...more

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Jun 30, 2011 Kevin Wright rated it 4 of 5 stars

John Sayles is as good a writer as he is a filmmaker, if not better. A Moment in the Sun is a brick of a book but it is engrossing for the entire 955 pages. Sayles jumps between multiple story threads and like most films and novels employing a similar technique, benefits and suffers from the structure. Some of the story arcs are more engrossing than others and notably in the final 300 pages we spend too much time from the main characters instead focusing on a few side stories that don't do much...more

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Oct 17, 2012 Mike rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: african-americans, fiction-drama-poetry, historical-fiction, new-york-city, pac-northwest, race, southeast-asia, the-19th-century-1880-1899, the-1900s-i-e-1900-1909, the-south, the-west, war, z-read-in-2012, canada-canadians, nature

There were five or six different storylines in here, all of which intersected at some point with one of more of the others. By far my favorite was the one about Hod Brackenridge--gold prospector, prizefighter, miner, soldier, entrepreneur. I also liked all the parts about Wilmington, S.C. and the characters from there (Luncefords, Scotts, et al.) All of the action that took place in the West and the Yukon was great. Same with Wilmington and NYC. The military action in Cuba and Philippines I foun...more

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May 29, 2012 John Strohm rated it 2 of 5 stars

Sayles did too much research for this book. Then he felt compelled to work all of it into a single novel; the result being that it's totally unwieldy. Sayles chooses to spin several concurrent plot threads which only loosely intertwine with each other. As one story gets interesting, you're shuffled off to another part of the world and a completely different cast of characters who you don't care about, or maybe can't remember since it's been 80 pages since you saw them last.

It's a shame that a bo...more

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Apr 01, 2012 Corey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Fantastic historical novel that focuses on the people involved. The events that serve as the backdrop and impetus for the characters involved are all seemingly historically accurate (at least according to the cursory research I did into many of them, like the Spanish-American War which kinda comes across as a warm up for Vietnam, and the race riots of Wilmington). The only downside is that he has so many main characters over the course of 950 pages, and so many minor characters, that some of the...more

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Jul 29, 2011 Catherine Woodman added it

I may look back on this book and think that i under-rated it but I don't think so. I love a sprawling 'big' novel, but I think this one could have been told in a shorter style. i know that the author is very much opposed to racism, but the length of time we are exposed to it in this book makes it hard to remember that. the story is set on at the very beginning of the 20th century and steeped in things that happened then--the Spanish-American war, McKinley's assassination, the war in the Philipin...more

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Jan 24, 2012 Jonathan Fretheim rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book is about America and the things that influenced it in the years around the turn of the 20th century.

The influence of the press over public opinion. The advent of moving pictures. The swirling mess of New York City, and hard resistance to change in the south (in particular, the Wilmington massacre in 1898 in North Carolina where white supremacists organized and carried out a coup d'etat of local government, mounting a Gatling gun to a wagon, murdering black citizens, and driving many aw...more

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Jun 10, 2011 Shawn rated it 3 of 5 stars

A book that I've often seen described as Pynchonesque, but I think it's more like Dickens: lots of characters, lots of digressing subplots, and a sympathetic view of the lower classes and downtrodden. Unfortunately, not all of the characters and subplots are really all that interesting. I couldn't stand the Philippines parts, which is a shame because a trio of most enjoyable characters were crammed into the plot, rather than being able to operate on their own. Also, I just couldn't get into Sayl...more

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Mar 25, 2012 Cynthia rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is a fantastic book. It brings to life the Yukon gold rush, the Reconstruction era, the Wilmington Massacre, the Spanish-American War, and the McKinley assassination. Not exactly a period of history that gets a deep and thoughtful treatment in most American history classes. I felt like I had read a good story and been educated simultaneously, as I tracked down historical figures and background on The Google to get myself up to speed. But it's so much more than just a history lesson -- it's...more

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Sep 03, 2012 Marty rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Heavy reading... literally. My hands still ache from hoisting all 950 pages night after night. Nevertheless, it was well worth it. Sayles has written a brilliant historical novel, with wonderfully human characters and at least one parodic villain. The book is about the congruence of institutional racism and US imperialism, but don't be intimidated by the weighty subject matter. This book was hard to pick up and harder to put down. Sayles resurrects many "forgotten" moments of the unpleasant deca...more

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Nov 12, 2012 David Walsh rated it 3 of 5 stars

A tome. Three books, dozens of chapters, at least 7 locales, a half-dozen major characters, some of whom cross paths, some who do not leave home, some who are shot, some who survive.

Sayles tells great stories. Like great story-tellers, he does not beat the reader over the head with his themes. He lets the story carry the theme through his characters and his settings -- from Wilmington, North Carolina, to Cuba and the Philippines, to New York City. The time is the 1890s and America is expanding,...more

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Jul 11, 2011 Richard rated it 2 of 5 stars

I really admired this book. The topic, late 19th/early 20th century US, is fascinating and highly relevant today's political and cultural landscape and it needs to be examined more closely: the Spanish American War and the resulting occupation of the Phillipines, white southerners re-taking control of government after Reconstruction in an attempt to push back nascent African American political power, labor organization and rebellion as a response to the exploitative relationships inevitable in u...more

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