Born With the Century

by William Kinsolving

Magnus Macpherson, a Scottish immigrant, rises to a position of power and wealth as the leader of America's liquor industry

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction

448 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

After graduating from Stanford, William Kinsolving began his professional life onstage—first at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, playing Richard II, then at The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. Returning to New York, he acted under-, off-, and on Broadway and performed or directed at Stratford (CT), Harvard, Dartmouth, Café La Mama, and the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, where he received the San Francisco Chronicle’s Best Actor of the Year award.
He wrote his first play backstage, earning a Ford Foundation Playwriting Grant and a production at the Stratford Ontario Shakespeare Festival. That success led to decades of work as a screenwriter and script doctor for every major film studio in Los Angeles, London, and Rome—ultimately contributing to more than fifty films.

Kinsolving later turned to fiction, publishing five novels, including a New York Times bestseller and multiple Literary Guild Main Selections. When traditional publishing contracted, he returned to playwriting, with new work presented in theatres across the country. His musical That Week with the Bachs premiered in 2023 at San Francisco’s Grace Cathedral.

Compelled by the tectonic shifts in America today, Kinsolving returned to another time in American history when its social and cultural foundations were rumbling: The Twenties, and a love story that led to a trial that perforated the facades of privilege, sex, race and wealth: Black and White and Read All Over.

Reviews

[Ronda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this old book suggested by a friend about the life of a bootlegger...not my usual genre but totally enjoyable.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this back in 1981 shortly after my marriage. I don’t remember a lot of this book except that I thoroughly enjoyed it. My grandfather was born in 1909 and lived on the water in Long Island, ny. He used to “run rum” during prohibition to help his family survive. He had a lot of stories from those times and was a true character. This book , as I recall, did help me understand gramps better.

[Lynette Lark · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book! As I read it I noticed so much that seemed to predict the future well into the 2000s. So, if you're a history buff, read this book!

[Janet Barclay · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems that this year I've been reading more than ever, and thoroughly enjoying almost every book. It's made me wonder whether I truly lucked out on my choices, or if I love reading so much that I'm not so picky about what I read. I suspect it's the latter, but to explain why, I need to share a bit of background.

My mother was a voracious reader. It wasn't unusual for her to read a book every day. She especially liked big thick novels about generations of families with deep dark secrets, and introduced me to Susan Howatch, Belva Plain, and of course the Jalna series by Mazo de la Roche. When I spotted Born with the Century at a used book sale, I knew it was something she'd have enjoyed.

I was surprised to see that only 29 people have rated it here. The back cover said "Coming soon (it was published in 1979) as a major motion picture" but I couldn't find reference to it anywhere online, so apparently that never happened. All I found was an unfavourable review on Kirkus. So clearly the book was a flop.

Despite that, I really enjoyed it! The MacPhersons were a dysfunctional family if there ever was one, and as awful as some of them were, I couldn't help but get caught up in their story. The backdrop was the liquor industry during and following Prohibition, and Kinsolving used real companies like Seagram's and Smirnoff, as well as figures from organized crime, giving it a feeling of realism.

I see that the only other person who has posted a review also gave it a 4, so I don't feel too bad. :)