Synopses & Reviews
A novel by the author of The New York Times Notable Book, Tales from the Irish ClubIt is June 1968: Robert Kennedy has just been murdered, the streets are simmering with discontent, and the Irish community of Oakland Park in Pittsburgh is being swept away by change. Daly Racklin becomes the reluctant leader of a dying neighborhood, culture, and people. He is at once a man torn by his father's omnipotent shadow and the struggles of his own heart, and as his elevated position brings him from one home to another he increasingly discovers the importance of what he sees disappearing. Bing Crosby's Last Song is a hilarious, touching, heartwrenching story of survival and love, a community's demise and a wanderer's rebirth. Full of barroom lore, hard-bitten wisdom, wry humor, and faith tempered by skepticism, this novel will delight readers of William Kennedy and Frank McCourt.
Review
"Goran has produced what we look for in fiction -- a whole world. This novel will be compared to the work of William Kennedy. But it seems that Goran should be linked more to Don DeLillo, another magician who can produce, all of a piece, what John Cheever called 'the enduring past.'" -Ambrose Clancy,
Washington Post Book World"Goran captures the quality of Irish American speech with a light touch. He has a sure grasp of the world of 30 years ago and is keenly aware of what has been lost.... Goran has done readers a service." -San Francisco Chronicle
"Bing Crosby's Last Song keeps the reader entertained and amused.... Consistently wonderful throughout." -Susan Miron, Miami Herald
"There is joy, wonder and sadness to spare in this incisive work.... [A] great success." -Irish Voice
Synopsis
On a spring day in 1968, Pittsburgher Daly Racklin discovers that he has one year to live. An attorney and the reluctant linchpin of a dying Irish neighborhood, culture, and people, he is at once a man torn by his father's omnipotent shadow and the struggles of his own heart. As his elevated position brings him from one home to another, he increasingly discovers the importance of what he sees disappearing.
Bing Crosby's Last Song is a funny, touching, heart-wrenching story of survival and love, a community's demise and a wanderer's rebirth.
About the Author
Lester Goran is the author of seven books of fiction, two story collections, and a memoir. He grew up in Pittsburgh and is currently a professor of English at the University of Miami.