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Cornelius Sky
A doorman at a posh apartment building gets lost in the mean New York City streets, battling his demons as he searches for life’s higher meaning.
Cornelius Sky is a doorman in a posh Fifth Avenue apartment building that houses New York City’s elite, including a former First Lady whose husband was assassinated while in office. It is 1974 and New York City is heading toward a financial crisis. At work, Connie prides himself on his ability to buff a marble floor better than anyone, a talent that so far has kept him from being fired for his drinking. He pushes the boundaries of his duties, partying and playing board games with the former First Lady’s lonely thirteen-year-old son in the service stairwell—the only place where the boy is not spied upon mercilessly by the tabloid press and his Secret Service detail.
Connie believes he is the only one who can offer true solace and companionship to this fatherless boy, but his constant neglect of his own sons and their mother reaches a boiling point. His wife changes the locks on his own door, and he finds himself wandering the mean streets of the city in his uniform, where unlikely angels offer him a path toward redemption. Cornelius Sky is an elegant picaresque that beautifully captures an opulent city on the edge of ruin and recovery.
A debut novel on our Kaylie Jones Books imprint.
Cornelius Sky is a doorman in a posh Fifth Avenue apartment building that houses New York City’s elite, including a former First Lady whose husband was assassinated while in office. It is 1974 and New York City is heading toward a financial crisis. At work, Connie prides himself on his ability to buff a marble floor better than anyone, a talent that so far has kept him from being fired for his drinking. He pushes the boundaries of his duties, partying and playing board games with the former First Lady’s lonely thirteen-year-old son in the service stairwell—the only place where the boy is not spied upon mercilessly by the tabloid press and his Secret Service detail.
Connie believes he is the only one who can offer true solace and companionship to this fatherless boy, but his constant neglect of his own sons and their mother reaches a boiling point. His wife changes the locks on his own door, and he finds himself wandering the mean streets of the city in his uniform, where unlikely angels offer him a path toward redemption. Cornelius Sky is an elegant picaresque that beautifully captures an opulent city on the edge of ruin and recovery.
A debut novel on our Kaylie Jones Books imprint.
- GenresFiction
224 pages, Paperback
First published August 6, 2019
73 people are currently reading
241 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
September 3, 2019
Cornelius Sky, Connie to those who know him, is on a downward spiral. He’s a doorman at an upscale apartment building in New York City in the 1970’s. He usually can only keep a job for about two years, until the tenants or boss have had enough of his drinking. He’s separated from his wife and two sons because they’ve had it with his drinking and cavorting. While Connie is the kind of character you want to dislike because you know you’d be fed up with him, too, there was something about him that made me root for him, care about him. Maybe it’s what we learn about his traumatic childhood or maybe it’s because we know he really loves his family or maybe because at heart we come to know that he’s a good guy, kind in many ways. One of those ways is how he befriends a lonely, thirteen year old boy, John who lives in the building with his widowed mother, Jackie Kennedy.
My heart went out to Connie as he slowly self destructs while attempting to protect young John. This is not a very long book so I’m hesitant to provide any more details. It’s a fascinating, heart touching character study of one man, struggling with the consequences of his alcohol addiction. It’s very well written and I was taken with the story wanting to know if Connie would beat his demons. I’m always interested in the author’s inspiration for a story and I found this written by Brandoff telling us how he came to write this novel :
https://timothybrandoff.com/on-the-wr...
I received an advanced copy of this book from Kaylie Jones Books through Edelweiss.
September 2, 2025
This is another of those coming-of-age-while-adult books that I've bumped up a star after reading about Timothy Brandoff, his inspiration for his character Connie Sky and how he has interwoven elements from his own life into the narrative. NYC in 1974 is a city in change (but really, when isn't it?). Brandoff writes of what he knows, that of being in the service industry and living in the Chelsea projects, an honorable position that other members of his family have held. Connie himself is a recognizable type, self-destructive through his alcoholic haze, but his charm and instinctive honesty help others recognize his worth inside until it becomes too much. His position as a doorman in the building where Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis lives, leading to a friendship with 13-year-old John Jr., seems a bit of a stretch, but it offered interesting plot extenuation. Hats off to Mr. Brandoff for following his dream and publishing his first book. Let's hope there are more.
April 27, 2021
I think this is a remarkable book, with a unique and compelling voice, and a profoundly insightful glimpse into a deeply flawed but wholly credible and sympathetic character. Absolutely beautiful writing, even in the parts that are painful to read.
July 31, 2019
Author and Novel's Backstory
One hot summer's day in 1990, Timothy Brandon sought refuge in the public library. Wandering in the stacks, he discovered the numerous volumes of the New York Times Index.
"I discovered two abstracts concerning family members. The first, from 1937, about my grandfather, contained the startling keyword of suicide. The second, from 1974, about my uncle, offered this highly curious instruction: 'See JFK, Jr.'" After pulling the microfilm and reading the articles, he remembers thinking, "If I could somehow capture the bleak irony and pathos of these pieces."
Thirty years later, having obtained an MFA from NYU, he has crafted his debut novel weaving the reference to JFK, Jr. and suicide into the story. The novel's setting is familiar to him as well; home life in the low-income public housing projects of Chelsea in New York City. A generational workplace as doormen at a posh Fifth Avenue apartment building. The sad history of a few ancestors, parking themselves in pubs, attempting to drown life's sorrows and inequities.
From all these loose threads, he crafted, the one, the only, Cornelius Sky.
Our narrator begins the story in 1974 with Cornelius, henceforth known as Connie, as he stumbles home in the dead of night in his usual manner; three sheets to the wind. With difficulty he tries to insert his key in the door only to discover the locks changed and his marriage over. Connie leaves with no destination or plan in mind. He wanders the streets, his doorman cap askew, his gait staggering, too stewed to know what to do next.
He is currently employed at a ritzy Fifth Avenue apartment building. This job, now floundering, like the many others over the years. His charm gets him in the door. His custodial duties are masterful. He starts each job deliberately with high standards. It is critical that he that makes him indispensable right away because it won't be long before he starts his downward spiral - late to work, drunk on the job, slovenly dressed, and at times, nasty and churlish to the residents.
The firing, when it comes this time, is particularly difficult. He has a developed a friendship with the son of a wealthy resident, a Presidential widow. A thirteen-year-old named John. This friendship seen perhaps as a chance to redeem himself for estranging his own children or just two lost souls finding solace together over a cribbage board in the back hallway.
Connie's tragic story began in his childhood in the low-income Chelsea projects. His father gave up early by committing suicide. His choice to turn on the gas oven and stick his head inside also killed Connie's baby brother as he slept. His mother moved on to an abusive lover that made Connie's life hell. The one place he hoped to find peace, church, was marred by a predatory clergyman. Without a responsible adult in his life, he soon learned self-prescribed doses of alcohol keep everything tolerable.
“I can't picture life without it. He tried to feel out in his mind for an image of himself as a person who did not drink, and nothing came. The construct of a character named Connie Sky who lived a sober life eluded him, terrified him down to the ground. . .”
But not all is doom and gloom. The story begins to feel, after a while, like the narrator is Della Reese and we are watching an episode of Touched by an Angel. We see Connie at his worst, sense his potential, and can't help but beg him to find help. To find the peace that so deep down he wants.
When it seems that he has lost everything including his soul, we sense that "angels" have arrived to steer him back to life and to a future he thought never possible.
I want to thank the publisher, LibraryThing and Eidelweiss for advanced reading copies of the book for my review and honest opinion.
Recommended reading.
One hot summer's day in 1990, Timothy Brandon sought refuge in the public library. Wandering in the stacks, he discovered the numerous volumes of the New York Times Index.
"I discovered two abstracts concerning family members. The first, from 1937, about my grandfather, contained the startling keyword of suicide. The second, from 1974, about my uncle, offered this highly curious instruction: 'See JFK, Jr.'" After pulling the microfilm and reading the articles, he remembers thinking, "If I could somehow capture the bleak irony and pathos of these pieces."
Thirty years later, having obtained an MFA from NYU, he has crafted his debut novel weaving the reference to JFK, Jr. and suicide into the story. The novel's setting is familiar to him as well; home life in the low-income public housing projects of Chelsea in New York City. A generational workplace as doormen at a posh Fifth Avenue apartment building. The sad history of a few ancestors, parking themselves in pubs, attempting to drown life's sorrows and inequities.
From all these loose threads, he crafted, the one, the only, Cornelius Sky.
Our narrator begins the story in 1974 with Cornelius, henceforth known as Connie, as he stumbles home in the dead of night in his usual manner; three sheets to the wind. With difficulty he tries to insert his key in the door only to discover the locks changed and his marriage over. Connie leaves with no destination or plan in mind. He wanders the streets, his doorman cap askew, his gait staggering, too stewed to know what to do next.
He is currently employed at a ritzy Fifth Avenue apartment building. This job, now floundering, like the many others over the years. His charm gets him in the door. His custodial duties are masterful. He starts each job deliberately with high standards. It is critical that he that makes him indispensable right away because it won't be long before he starts his downward spiral - late to work, drunk on the job, slovenly dressed, and at times, nasty and churlish to the residents.
The firing, when it comes this time, is particularly difficult. He has a developed a friendship with the son of a wealthy resident, a Presidential widow. A thirteen-year-old named John. This friendship seen perhaps as a chance to redeem himself for estranging his own children or just two lost souls finding solace together over a cribbage board in the back hallway.
Connie's tragic story began in his childhood in the low-income Chelsea projects. His father gave up early by committing suicide. His choice to turn on the gas oven and stick his head inside also killed Connie's baby brother as he slept. His mother moved on to an abusive lover that made Connie's life hell. The one place he hoped to find peace, church, was marred by a predatory clergyman. Without a responsible adult in his life, he soon learned self-prescribed doses of alcohol keep everything tolerable.
“I can't picture life without it. He tried to feel out in his mind for an image of himself as a person who did not drink, and nothing came. The construct of a character named Connie Sky who lived a sober life eluded him, terrified him down to the ground. . .”
But not all is doom and gloom. The story begins to feel, after a while, like the narrator is Della Reese and we are watching an episode of Touched by an Angel. We see Connie at his worst, sense his potential, and can't help but beg him to find help. To find the peace that so deep down he wants.
When it seems that he has lost everything including his soul, we sense that "angels" have arrived to steer him back to life and to a future he thought never possible.
I want to thank the publisher, LibraryThing and Eidelweiss for advanced reading copies of the book for my review and honest opinion.
Recommended reading.
August 8, 2019
This is a beautifully written book about the tragedy and grace to be found in the life of a doorman to the rich in 1970s New York City.
Connie is an alcoholic who has been clinging to his union-protected job, and his wife and children, though he is in danger of losing both. He makes an unlikely friend in the person of John F. Kennedy Jr., who lives in his building, and with whom he plays cribbage in the back stairwell.
The book is written in a Joycean style of inner monologue, which makes the narration at times funny, touching, and heartbreaking, but also a little confusing, as dialogue is not separated by punctuation marking it as such. There is something vaguely Shakespearean in the character and predicament of Connie, something of a tragic hero, whose flaw prevents him from being the comic or heroic protagonist. It's well written overall.
Connie is an alcoholic who has been clinging to his union-protected job, and his wife and children, though he is in danger of losing both. He makes an unlikely friend in the person of John F. Kennedy Jr., who lives in his building, and with whom he plays cribbage in the back stairwell.
The book is written in a Joycean style of inner monologue, which makes the narration at times funny, touching, and heartbreaking, but also a little confusing, as dialogue is not separated by punctuation marking it as such. There is something vaguely Shakespearean in the character and predicament of Connie, something of a tragic hero, whose flaw prevents him from being the comic or heroic protagonist. It's well written overall.
August 14, 2019
I really wanted to like and enjoy this book more than I did. First of all, the writing was a tad confusing. Some sentences didn't make much sense to me maybe due to a lack of punctuation. I'm not sure. I also found the protagonist, Connie, entirely unrelatable. I had a hard time feeling sorry for him and his situation because he was such an ass of a person. He made selfish choices throughout his life and is now dealing with the consequences of those choices.
Thanks to LibraryThing for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Thanks to LibraryThing for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Read
February 3, 2024who recommended this to me and why did you do that
September 9, 2019
Read my full review here: https://mimi-cyberlibrarian.blogspot....
New York in 1974. Cornelius Sky (Connie) is a doorman in the building where a former First Lady and her son (think JFK Jr.) live. Connie hangs out with the teenage boy, tries to keep him safe from the prying eyes of the paparazzi, and offers him companionship and solace. Otherwise, Connie’s life is a mess.
He has estranged himself from his wife and his two young sons by his alcoholism, and finally his wife changes the locks, and Connie is out on the mean streets of the city—a city that seems to be falling apart right before his eyes. While he prides himself on his job and the great job he does buffing the marble floors, for example, he is haunted by his own past. This may be why he attaches himself to the fatherless boy and ignores his own sons.
Cornelius Sky is a superb character study, with vivid observations of Connie’s tumultuous life and the tumultuous city where he lives. Frankly, I loved Connie, in all his bruised glory. While I didn’t love the way he treated his family, I loved the way others saw the good in Connie and offered him redemption.
Most importantly, the author Timothy Brandoff is an astute observer of the human condition, and I found myself underlining entire passages of brilliant writing that moved my heart. For example, here is a description of the people in the bar Connie frequents:
“Longshoremen, mailmen, factory workers, auto mechanics, truck drivers, the unemployable, a couple of wet-brains, a misanthropic PhD or two hiding behind what they hoped people would consider academic beards of distinction, flabbergasted occupants of Chelsea’s swankier brownstones because their lives still somehow sucked despite impressive curriculum vitae and substantial earning power—all stood and drank at the bar together."
224 pages is a fairly short book but is an absolutely perfect length for Connie’s story. The Kirkus review concludes that “its detailed portrait of a self-destructive character retains a haunting power.” The reviewer is absolutely right about the “haunting power.” I read Cornelius Sky several weeks ago, and it has remained with me.
Timothy Brandoff has an interesting personal history. He wove together details from his own life as he created the character of Cornelius Sky. He is a New York City bus driver and a former doorman, following the career path of his uncle and brother. He suggests, however, that while there are aspects of the book that follow his own life’s path, he hopes that the story is “true to itself.”
I hope that Brandoff will tell more stories of the characters he meets as he drives his bus through the city.
New York in 1974. Cornelius Sky (Connie) is a doorman in the building where a former First Lady and her son (think JFK Jr.) live. Connie hangs out with the teenage boy, tries to keep him safe from the prying eyes of the paparazzi, and offers him companionship and solace. Otherwise, Connie’s life is a mess.
He has estranged himself from his wife and his two young sons by his alcoholism, and finally his wife changes the locks, and Connie is out on the mean streets of the city—a city that seems to be falling apart right before his eyes. While he prides himself on his job and the great job he does buffing the marble floors, for example, he is haunted by his own past. This may be why he attaches himself to the fatherless boy and ignores his own sons.
Cornelius Sky is a superb character study, with vivid observations of Connie’s tumultuous life and the tumultuous city where he lives. Frankly, I loved Connie, in all his bruised glory. While I didn’t love the way he treated his family, I loved the way others saw the good in Connie and offered him redemption.
Most importantly, the author Timothy Brandoff is an astute observer of the human condition, and I found myself underlining entire passages of brilliant writing that moved my heart. For example, here is a description of the people in the bar Connie frequents:
“Longshoremen, mailmen, factory workers, auto mechanics, truck drivers, the unemployable, a couple of wet-brains, a misanthropic PhD or two hiding behind what they hoped people would consider academic beards of distinction, flabbergasted occupants of Chelsea’s swankier brownstones because their lives still somehow sucked despite impressive curriculum vitae and substantial earning power—all stood and drank at the bar together."
224 pages is a fairly short book but is an absolutely perfect length for Connie’s story. The Kirkus review concludes that “its detailed portrait of a self-destructive character retains a haunting power.” The reviewer is absolutely right about the “haunting power.” I read Cornelius Sky several weeks ago, and it has remained with me.
Timothy Brandoff has an interesting personal history. He wove together details from his own life as he created the character of Cornelius Sky. He is a New York City bus driver and a former doorman, following the career path of his uncle and brother. He suggests, however, that while there are aspects of the book that follow his own life’s path, he hopes that the story is “true to itself.”
I hope that Brandoff will tell more stories of the characters he meets as he drives his bus through the city.
December 23, 2020
This book "takes you with it," right from the beginning. You're on a journey with a low bottom alcoholic, yes, but there is zero self-pity, and watching Connie (Cornelius) watch himself is so shocking, heart-breaking and, many times, laugh out loud funny that it is truly difficult to turn away...
Like watching a child struggle to do something basic, something we might take for granted as an adult...
take the lid off a jar, for example.
They scream in frustration.
We ask, "Do you want help?"
"NO!"
We watch.
Bangs lid with a fist.
"Ow!" Stupid jar.
Drag it. Perhaps on the carpet is better.
Roll it, "loosen" things in there maybe?
Pull lid.
Are they stroking it? The jar needs comfort clearly.
It's riveting, hilarious, painful stuff to watch... we stay close, pull out the phone, press record... are drawn closer.
This will go viral.
Even the dog wonders why we don't lend a hand. It's hard not to.
More than once your hand flies to your mouth...
Oh, no, that's gonna... hurt.
"Are you--?"
"I'm fine!"
Really?
A look of shame. That breaks your heart.
In the middle of this... the kid pauses to pet the dog, for whose comfort?... his or the dog's, you wonder...or for a moment will catch their breath and note their own ridiculousness, catch your eye... "What are you lookin' at?", a grin, entertained by your entainment.
You can't not watch... even when in moments you cringe, even when YOU feel a twinge of shame for laughing.
Because you know it is a gift to be offered such truth... such a struggle, it makes you remember... the gravity, the grief of trying to overcome... and also...
there's the hope... maybe the kid, once exhausted, the little arms like rubber, no tools left in their toddler toolbox will look up and say...
"I need help."
Just like that, til the end.. sitting powerlessly by, watching Connie in his powerlessness...hoping 'til the very end, this likeable, broken person can open that jar.
Til the end I hoped.
Like watching a child struggle to do something basic, something we might take for granted as an adult...
take the lid off a jar, for example.
They scream in frustration.
We ask, "Do you want help?"
"NO!"
We watch.
Bangs lid with a fist.
"Ow!" Stupid jar.
Drag it. Perhaps on the carpet is better.
Roll it, "loosen" things in there maybe?
Pull lid.
Are they stroking it? The jar needs comfort clearly.
It's riveting, hilarious, painful stuff to watch... we stay close, pull out the phone, press record... are drawn closer.
This will go viral.
Even the dog wonders why we don't lend a hand. It's hard not to.
More than once your hand flies to your mouth...
Oh, no, that's gonna... hurt.
"Are you--?"
"I'm fine!"
Really?
A look of shame. That breaks your heart.
In the middle of this... the kid pauses to pet the dog, for whose comfort?... his or the dog's, you wonder...or for a moment will catch their breath and note their own ridiculousness, catch your eye... "What are you lookin' at?", a grin, entertained by your entainment.
You can't not watch... even when in moments you cringe, even when YOU feel a twinge of shame for laughing.
Because you know it is a gift to be offered such truth... such a struggle, it makes you remember... the gravity, the grief of trying to overcome... and also...
there's the hope... maybe the kid, once exhausted, the little arms like rubber, no tools left in their toddler toolbox will look up and say...
"I need help."
Just like that, til the end.. sitting powerlessly by, watching Connie in his powerlessness...hoping 'til the very end, this likeable, broken person can open that jar.
Til the end I hoped.
August 4, 2019
Both tragic and uplifting, this is the story of a man who just can't save himself but who is saved by others. Cornelius- Connie - has ruined almost everything relationship and job he's ever had with his drinking and inability to keep on the straight. Most recently, though, he's worked at the building where a former First Lady lives with her teen son John. He's bonded with John in a way few others have, providing the teen some respite from the intrusiveness in his life. Connie's found his wife has locked him out and away from his own daughters because she just can't take anymore so he walks the cold streets of 1974 New York. He finds in a way most of us can't imagine, people along the way who are kind. Brandoff has packed a lot into this well written slim novel. Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC. For those looking for an inspirational read about redemption.
July 7, 2019
Cornelius Sky
by Timothy Brandoff
due 8-6-2019
Akashic Books
4.5 / 5.0
Cornelius "Connie" Sky is making a living as a doorman at a ritzy Fifth Avenue New York, amid the 1970s political power. His alcoholism has estranged him from his wife and 2 sons. They want nothing to do with him. His homelessness and drinking have cost him everything, even his employment is tittering....
Wandering the streets in his doorman uniform, meeting unexpected kindness and understanding help Connie find the resilience and self respect to work toward becoming the man he wishes to be. His sense of humor is his savior.
Cornelius Sky reminds me of the humbleness of humanity, the resilience of self respect and the comedy/tragedy of life
Thanks to Akashic and LibraryThing for sending ARC for review.
by Timothy Brandoff
due 8-6-2019
Akashic Books
4.5 / 5.0
Cornelius "Connie" Sky is making a living as a doorman at a ritzy Fifth Avenue New York, amid the 1970s political power. His alcoholism has estranged him from his wife and 2 sons. They want nothing to do with him. His homelessness and drinking have cost him everything, even his employment is tittering....
Wandering the streets in his doorman uniform, meeting unexpected kindness and understanding help Connie find the resilience and self respect to work toward becoming the man he wishes to be. His sense of humor is his savior.
Cornelius Sky reminds me of the humbleness of humanity, the resilience of self respect and the comedy/tragedy of life
Thanks to Akashic and LibraryThing for sending ARC for review.
September 2, 2019
This short, uneven novel is the story of alcoholic doorman, Cornelius Sky. He works a building where Jackie O lives with her two children, and Connie becomes friends with and protective of John-John, more so, perhaps, than his biological children. Connie’s wife evicts him and has him served with a restraining order. He moves into a rooming house suggested by a new friend. Somehow, through his drunkenness, he finds a girlfriend. Connie has a big heart and is truly empathetic. I wish the novel had been more moving and Sky moved closer to redemption which I suspect was intended . It did have a quiet power that was both moving and interesting about the life of an alkie.
March 12, 2020
I found Cornelius Sky quite enjoyable to read. It is a sincere telling of a less-than-heroic figure that I found myself immersed in and genuinely rooting for. Mr Brandoff merges wit, wisdom, history, emotion, and intellect in his emotional roller-coaster of a book. I very much look forward to reading his his next book.
December 27, 2020
Listened to audiobook.
A great example of a picaresque novel. Cornelius is a person of lower social class who shows little interest in bettering himself. There is less a through plotline and more descriptions of episodes which are not necessarily in chronological order. (These, and other characteristics, define the picaresque genré.) Ultimately, Cornelius's story is one of redemption.
A great example of a picaresque novel. Cornelius is a person of lower social class who shows little interest in bettering himself. There is less a through plotline and more descriptions of episodes which are not necessarily in chronological order. (These, and other characteristics, define the picaresque genré.) Ultimately, Cornelius's story is one of redemption.
July 16, 2019
One of those books that's as beautiful as it is sad. A self-loather struggling with wanting more/better and not willing to acknowledge the truth. An East Coast Henry Chinaski...grittier, but with more heart.
August 18, 2019
Great first book by Brandoff. Book flows nicely.
Read
February 2, 2020My review for this book can be located on my Youtube Vlog at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eO2L...
Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eO2L...
Enjoy!
February 16, 2020
Complete waste of time.
June 9, 2022
Listened to this on scribd. Had a hard time getting into it and liking Connie.
January 19, 2024
Unexpected and raw
Read
February 3, 2025I did not find it in me to finish. Dnf unfortunately.
September 30, 2025
Story of an alcoholic doorman.
Want to read
October 1, 2025DNF, some of this book should’ve remained behind closed doors.
October 31, 2019
I’ve had the pleasure of reading Tim Brandoff’s work over the years and was thrilled that this novel was published. I eagerly gobbled it up. His singular insight to the frailties of the human heart are remarkable in that they leave their imprint on your consciousness long after the book has been put down.
March 31, 2024
Brandoff takes us into the mind of a deeply self destructive individual whose charisma is enough for him to get by until he finally goes too far. I thought the book was well written and the perspective it shows is a very interesting one. Cornelius is at once very self aware and completely lacking in good judgement and self control. His journey is an interesting once, if uncomfortable and frustrating at times.
March 23, 2021
I picked up this book on a whim and was I in for a treat or what?
The main character isn't exactly an upright citizen of New York City, as he has difficulties standing on his own due to alcohol addiction. He does however strive to be, in his own way, a decent human being, with his traumas and weaknesses.
This novel can be difficult to read dealing with alcoholism and its consequences, which are described in unvarnished details. So you are forewarned. But if you aren't skittish, it is a fantastic read about the 1970s New York City, the problems of growing up fatherless, on 5th Avenue or in the projects, of unlikely friendships. It is also a novel of hope that all is not lost.
I highly recommend the audiobook version with B.J. Harrison who did a wonderful job as a narrator. I hope to read more books from this author.
The main character isn't exactly an upright citizen of New York City, as he has difficulties standing on his own due to alcohol addiction. He does however strive to be, in his own way, a decent human being, with his traumas and weaknesses.
This novel can be difficult to read dealing with alcoholism and its consequences, which are described in unvarnished details. So you are forewarned. But if you aren't skittish, it is a fantastic read about the 1970s New York City, the problems of growing up fatherless, on 5th Avenue or in the projects, of unlikely friendships. It is also a novel of hope that all is not lost.
I highly recommend the audiobook version with B.J. Harrison who did a wonderful job as a narrator. I hope to read more books from this author.
October 1, 2019
A sad tale of self-destruction
I enjoyed the book even though it was a little dreary and sad. The writing was good and the characters were well developed. The ending left me wanting more, I felt that the story was incomplete. Quick read, but long chapters.
I enjoyed the book even though it was a little dreary and sad. The writing was good and the characters were well developed. The ending left me wanting more, I felt that the story was incomplete. Quick read, but long chapters.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews