Helpful Score: 6
A lyric and resounding family epic, full of prose so descriptive you'll think these characters are real. To me, this was a better-written _Middlesex_. The reader follows the ebb and flow of an American family (from Greek and Italian roots) as they find success in their lives, then as tragedy finds each of them. Highly recommended for lovers of prose and those who have read _Middlesex_.
Helpful Score: 2
The epic tale of three generations fo an American family and the ambition, violence, deceiptions and hard won love that shape their lives
The American dream is exploded in this gritty saga of the Stassos family founded by Constantine and ambitious Greek immigrant and hsi Italian-American Wife, Mary. As Constantine ruthlessly pursues his fortuen, his children are caught between his fierce demands for family loyalty and his volatile temper.
Rich in vivid details, masterfully crafted, and narrated in a voice of great emotional power and sensitivity, this is an unvorgettable, moving and stunning portrait of contemporary America
The American dream is exploded in this gritty saga of the Stassos family founded by Constantine and ambitious Greek immigrant and hsi Italian-American Wife, Mary. As Constantine ruthlessly pursues his fortuen, his children are caught between his fierce demands for family loyalty and his volatile temper.
Rich in vivid details, masterfully crafted, and narrated in a voice of great emotional power and sensitivity, this is an unvorgettable, moving and stunning portrait of contemporary America
Helpful Score: 2
This writer is SO good! In beautiful prose he tells the story of three generations of a Greek-American family. This is a great emotional read. Good writing is the key here, portraits of people exquisitely honed and painted.
Helpful Score: 2
amazing... family saga, but more importantly, goregous writing
Helpful Score: 2
A decent story about a family, from the time the father is a little boy in Greece, to a hundred years later.
It took me a little bit to get into it, but once I did, I couldn't put it down.
It took me a little bit to get into it, but once I did, I couldn't put it down.
From Library Journal
The story of Constantine Stassos freshly examines the American immigrant experience and conflict between generations. He, wife Mary, and three children Susan, Will, and Zoe seemingly embody solid middle-class values. However, Constantine's cruelty, voracious appetites, and questionable business practices poison his marriage and brutalize his children. Through painful quests for independence, personal balance, and community, the Stassos children learn acceptance of themselves and their siblings. Fairly brief episodes, often occuring years apart, recount key moments in the establishment, disintegration, and reconfiguration of the family. Thoroughly realized action, vivid character delineation, and the splendid control of language guarantee both the unity and powerful impact of this successful novel by the author of The Home at the End of the World (LJ 10/15/90). Very highly recommended.
The story of Constantine Stassos freshly examines the American immigrant experience and conflict between generations. He, wife Mary, and three children Susan, Will, and Zoe seemingly embody solid middle-class values. However, Constantine's cruelty, voracious appetites, and questionable business practices poison his marriage and brutalize his children. Through painful quests for independence, personal balance, and community, the Stassos children learn acceptance of themselves and their siblings. Fairly brief episodes, often occuring years apart, recount key moments in the establishment, disintegration, and reconfiguration of the family. Thoroughly realized action, vivid character delineation, and the splendid control of language guarantee both the unity and powerful impact of this successful novel by the author of The Home at the End of the World (LJ 10/15/90). Very highly recommended.
