Sophia C. reviewed on 5/31/2010 + 289 more book reviews

Let the Great World Spin literally begins on a high note: on an August morning in 1974, a lone tightrope walker performs between the Twin Towers, transfixing all of lower Manhattan below. Colum McCann gets the rhythm of the city just right, and stays in pitch as he descends into the masses for a series of interwoven stories. He masterfully and effortlessly guides us through the first person narrative of an Irishman visiting his brother living out his monastic vow of poverty in a Bronx housing project to the third person account of the Park Avenue judge assigned to the tightrope walker's case, with many more intricate connecting bits. Taken together it's a portrait of New York City in the 1970s -- grungier, filthier but one in which its inhabitants can and do look up at the gleaming new World Trade Center towers, as opposed to the post-9/11 present. The title reminds us how interconnect we all are; it's from a Tenneyson poem influenced in turn by sixth century Arabic poetry. The prose reminds us of the passion we can feel even in the midst of dirt and loss.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details