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Troy Love Story
Compassion, understanding and forgiveness flourish in this taut tale set along the Hudson River.
Craig Hill's death and its circumstances are catalysts for change in the lives of the people closest to him in Troy, New York.
Danielle is left deeply in debt while handling her husband's death, her small children's experience of loss, and guilt from her mother-in-law.
Donny, one of Craig's closest friends, has his own demons to fight and puts his hand through a window at his construction site, starting his downward fall.
Rob, a dutiful son who lives with his elderly parents and is trying to raise enough money to pay for his mother's expensive life-prolonging surgery, grapples with the past and future as he comes to terms with Craig's passing.
Asher, the wallflower musician who performs on stage but off becomes a passive "chore boy" buffeted by the winds of change, gets caught up in the trials of Craig's circle of friends.
Ginny, the hard drinking but lonely drummer in his band, plays him like the straight man in a comic duo.
Jordan, who found fame and fortune in New York, has returned to build her success in her hometown. But this proves harder than she anticipated.
The tapestry of these characters' stories and how Craig's death affects their bittersweet transformations create a vivid exploration of personal dynamics amid upheavals that are difficult to bear.
TROY LOVE STORY speaks to the resiliency and strength of people displaced by societal changes, illuminating the plight of those struggling under the monied class, which uses property and people as fodder for its choice of "economic development" without regard to the tradition and past of the people it affects.
Craig Hill's death and its circumstances are catalysts for change in the lives of the people closest to him in Troy, New York.
Danielle is left deeply in debt while handling her husband's death, her small children's experience of loss, and guilt from her mother-in-law.
Donny, one of Craig's closest friends, has his own demons to fight and puts his hand through a window at his construction site, starting his downward fall.
Rob, a dutiful son who lives with his elderly parents and is trying to raise enough money to pay for his mother's expensive life-prolonging surgery, grapples with the past and future as he comes to terms with Craig's passing.
Asher, the wallflower musician who performs on stage but off becomes a passive "chore boy" buffeted by the winds of change, gets caught up in the trials of Craig's circle of friends.
Ginny, the hard drinking but lonely drummer in his band, plays him like the straight man in a comic duo.
Jordan, who found fame and fortune in New York, has returned to build her success in her hometown. But this proves harder than she anticipated.
The tapestry of these characters' stories and how Craig's death affects their bittersweet transformations create a vivid exploration of personal dynamics amid upheavals that are difficult to bear.
TROY LOVE STORY speaks to the resiliency and strength of people displaced by societal changes, illuminating the plight of those struggling under the monied class, which uses property and people as fodder for its choice of "economic development" without regard to the tradition and past of the people it affects.
328 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 26, 2024
1 person is currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Liam Sweeny
38 books25 followersI was born in a rotted wooden shack by the moonlight on a cold winter's night...
Okay, so I was born in a hospital in March on the nation's bicentennial year of 1976. People were partying and I was unleashing bio-terror on my parents every changing time.
Born and raised in the Capital District of New York, Albany and it's environs, I grew up with the pride of knowing that "going to the city" never meant Albany.
I didn't start writing fiction until I got back from Louisiana after Katrina. It took that to launch me from stanzas to scenes.
I've written three Sci-fi/Fantasy novels, a few collections and novellas, and I drifted to old haunts, to the most fun parts of my life - delinquency. So now I write cops and crimes.
I like making great characters, mainly because I like meeting great characters. My experience is that people will tell you anything you want to know if you're ready to listen. I'm all ears.
Okay, so I was born in a hospital in March on the nation's bicentennial year of 1976. People were partying and I was unleashing bio-terror on my parents every changing time.
Born and raised in the Capital District of New York, Albany and it's environs, I grew up with the pride of knowing that "going to the city" never meant Albany.
I didn't start writing fiction until I got back from Louisiana after Katrina. It took that to launch me from stanzas to scenes.
I've written three Sci-fi/Fantasy novels, a few collections and novellas, and I drifted to old haunts, to the most fun parts of my life - delinquency. So now I write cops and crimes.
I like making great characters, mainly because I like meeting great characters. My experience is that people will tell you anything you want to know if you're ready to listen. I'm all ears.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
November 22, 2024
I recently had the pleasure of reading Liam Sweeny’s newly released novel, Troy Love Story. On several levels it is a very interesting read. I am sharing some comments with you and recommending that you give it a try.
The story takes place in current day Troy, NY, a once thriving semi-metropolis and now…not so much. Many local features and municipalities are represented in a manner beyond that which you might find in press releases and the news. Not being a native or ever a resident of Troy, I was intrigued by the history recited and what are probably little known facts about Troy. I particularly enjoyed descriptions and history of the famous Victorian Stroll Ceremony.
But this isn’t the focus of the story…it is the characters. Though this is a work of fiction, the characters are real life and the author digs deep into their psyches, motivations, fears and emotions. Each chapter focuses on a cast of about ten characters. The main character may be hard to identify but the relationship of Craig and Danielle seems to be the key ingredient of this tasty stew.
Craig has either intentionally or accidentally caused his own death, which leaves his wife, Danielle, and his two young children struggling to get through the funeral and the financial devastation his death caused.
Supported by their friends and concerned acquaintances, Danielle struggles to keep her family intact and still in her home in Troy. She has a mother and a mother-in-law who have their own opinions and agendas that are often at odds with Danielle’s hopes and plans.
The social circle Danielle lives in consists of a possible suitor. A friend who owns a struggling music venue who is herself struggling with the political ambitions of the local bureaucracy. (This is your main sub-plot) As well as various drug users and dealers. Also involved is the music world and a few hangers-on to the scene along with a villain of course; an uncaring insurance company.
All of the characters are deeply explored as to their history, motivations, quirks, expectations and plans to create a meaningful life in what might be called an uncaring if not dystopian society.
Circling back and forth between all of the characters, the author creates a month or so timeline of everyone's involvement in the tragedy and how they cope and come through it all in the group's little society.
Congratulations to Liam on a well thought-out work full of spicy and quirky metaphors and similes, with crystal clear imagery and details…all of the things I like.
Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
The story takes place in current day Troy, NY, a once thriving semi-metropolis and now…not so much. Many local features and municipalities are represented in a manner beyond that which you might find in press releases and the news. Not being a native or ever a resident of Troy, I was intrigued by the history recited and what are probably little known facts about Troy. I particularly enjoyed descriptions and history of the famous Victorian Stroll Ceremony.
But this isn’t the focus of the story…it is the characters. Though this is a work of fiction, the characters are real life and the author digs deep into their psyches, motivations, fears and emotions. Each chapter focuses on a cast of about ten characters. The main character may be hard to identify but the relationship of Craig and Danielle seems to be the key ingredient of this tasty stew.
Craig has either intentionally or accidentally caused his own death, which leaves his wife, Danielle, and his two young children struggling to get through the funeral and the financial devastation his death caused.
Supported by their friends and concerned acquaintances, Danielle struggles to keep her family intact and still in her home in Troy. She has a mother and a mother-in-law who have their own opinions and agendas that are often at odds with Danielle’s hopes and plans.
The social circle Danielle lives in consists of a possible suitor. A friend who owns a struggling music venue who is herself struggling with the political ambitions of the local bureaucracy. (This is your main sub-plot) As well as various drug users and dealers. Also involved is the music world and a few hangers-on to the scene along with a villain of course; an uncaring insurance company.
All of the characters are deeply explored as to their history, motivations, quirks, expectations and plans to create a meaningful life in what might be called an uncaring if not dystopian society.
Circling back and forth between all of the characters, the author creates a month or so timeline of everyone's involvement in the tragedy and how they cope and come through it all in the group's little society.
Congratulations to Liam on a well thought-out work full of spicy and quirky metaphors and similes, with crystal clear imagery and details…all of the things I like.
Available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble
Displaying 1 of 1 review