∎ [PDF] Free North River A Novel Pete Hamill 9780316340588 Books

North River A Novel Pete Hamill 9780316340588 Books

Download As PDF : North River A Novel Pete Hamill 9780316340588 Books

North River A Novel Pete Hamill 9780316340588 Books

For someone who worked in Customs on the docks of NY-Newark in the early 1970s, this was very familiar, timeframe be damned. I knew the term North River and experienced the still strong ethnic Italian, and to a degree, Irish identities. Hamill's writing is so good, my first time experiencing it outside of the newspapers. His portrait of life during the Depression and before modern medicine is riveting. And, hanging out in Greenwich Village during the 70s, I knew all the locales. He drew them so well. I hated for this book to end, but cheered when Jim and Rose finally were able to trust in their love for each other.


Tags : North River: A Novel [Pete Hamill] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. It is 1934, and New York City is in the icy grip of the Great Depression. With enormous compassion, Dr. James Delaney tends to his hurt,Pete Hamill,North River: A Novel,Little, Brown and Company,0316340588,Grief;Fiction.,Physicians;Fiction.,Poor;Fiction.,American Historical Fiction,Fiction,Fiction - Historical,Fiction General,Fiction Historical,Grief,Historical - General,Physicians,Poor

North River A Novel Pete Hamill 9780316340588 Books Reviews

Mom was a New Yorker in her twenties at the place and period depicted in this novel, so I admit my personal interest. More importantly, I praise this novel because it written clearly with clear characters, clear plots, clear story lines. I never found myself puzzled, saying, "Now, who is that character again, and what is he doing in the story?" The protagonist is a doctor who is willing to risk himself to help others. The twists and puzzles in the story compel the reader's interest forward. The author created believable people, types of which I think my mother met between her father's business on West 14th St., Veronica's church on Christopher St., and NYU. The next time I'm approaching West Street and the North River, I will note the west wind.
I'm sorry to see the book cover on my computer screen, because I read this book on my and had to imagine what the characters looked like - I did not picture them as they appear on the cover. That bit of nonsense is my only criticism and please don't even take it seriously. This book does not have the scope of "Forever," which covers, as the title suggests, a very long time. Instead it takes a mortal slice of life from a period of New York that many of us living today have only read about or seen in movies. Once again the characters are vividly created - there are mobsters, young interns, police and judges, immigrants both legal and illegal, a cozy Italian restaurant, and a toddler. Even the bad guys have a code of honor, and everything that happens makes sense. The story starts where a doctor, whose wife left him and is probably dead, finds a baby left on his doorstep. I would hate to give anything else away. The pleasure of this book lies in the unfolding of the story, and watching the characters grow. And my favorite part, the unlikely love story. Pete Hamill loves New York and he gives it to you on a platter. Clearly he loves and admires women and portrays them with a kind and understanding eye. And he has the ability to create a protagonist that a woman can love, who also has the same kind and understanding eye. This is a great feel-good story.
Pete Hamill writes about New York in a way that only a born and bred New Yorker can. My own family history is rooted in this town and I now live in the very area in which this novel is set. I walk down these streets every day and am familiar with every place he describes. The magic lore of New York during the thirties is alive for me through the stories I've heard from my parents and other relatives. And so I related to every word of this book, feeling its honesty and authenticity. It transported me back to a time and a place before I was born but that rings true in a way that touched me deeply.

The main character is a doctor, a veteran of World War I, who sees patients in his home in Greenwich Village and who mourns for his wife who has disappeared. His grown daughter, who had run away to Mexico to become an artist suddenly returns with a three year old son. She leaves the boy with her father and goes off to Europe to look for her estranged husband. What follows is a tender story of how the doctor warms up to the little boy and how he and the woman who he hires to take care of the boy fall into a romance. All this is told against the backdrop of crime and violence that was endemic at that time. There are mob bosses and murders and corruption. There's Saint Patrick's day and drunkenness and family violence. There are medical emergencies and policemen and even the FBI. This is all part of this doctor's world.

Some of the scenes are set in the places where the common people went to escape the harsh realities of the Depression - Coney Island and the Roseland Dance Hall as well as the local Italian restaurant. It is a fast read that I gobbled up in a very short time, smiling in familiar recognition of the New York landmarks and enjoying the well paced heartwarming story that felt very real to me. Basically though, this book is about love love of the grandfather for his grandson; love of a man and a woman and love of a city that is going through hard times.

I absolutely LOVED this book and know that anyone with a New York background will love it too. And as for the rest of the world, read it and learn about a New York that is no more but will forever live in the a plethora of rich memories.
For someone who worked in Customs on the docks of NY-Newark in the early 1970s, this was very familiar, timeframe be damned. I knew the term North River and experienced the still strong ethnic Italian, and to a degree, Irish identities. Hamill's writing is so good, my first time experiencing it outside of the newspapers. His portrait of life during the Depression and before modern medicine is riveting. And, hanging out in Greenwich Village during the 70s, I knew all the locales. He drew them so well. I hated for this book to end, but cheered when Jim and Rose finally were able to trust in their love for each other.