Synopses & Reviews
Legendary writer Trevanian brings readers his most personal novel yet: a funny, deeply felt, often touching autobiographical novel destined to become a classic American coming-of-age story.
The place is Albany, New York. The year is 1936. Six-year-old Jean-Luc LaPointe, his little sister, and their spirited but vulnerable young mother have been abandoned—again—by his father, a charmer and a con artist. With no money and no family willing to take them in, the LaPointes manage to create a fragile nest at 238 North Pearl Street. For the next eight years, through the Great Depression and Second World War, they live in the heart of the Irish slum, with its ward heelers, unemployment, and grinding poverty. As Jean-Luc discovers, it’s a neighborhood of “crazyladies”: Miss Cox, the feared and ridiculed teacher who ignites his imagination; Mrs. Kane, who runs a beauty parlor/fortune-telling salon in the back of her husband’s grocery store; Mrs. Meehan, the desperate, harried matriarch of a thuggish family across the street; lonely Mrs. McGivney, who spends every day tending to her catatonic husband, a veteran of the Great War; and Jean-Luc’s own unconventional, vivacious mother.
Jean-Luc is a voracious reader who never stops dreaming of a way out of the slum. He gradually takes on responsibility for the family’s survival with a mix of bravery and resentment while his mom turns from spells of illness and depression to eager planning for the day when “our ship will come in.” It’s a heartfelt and unforgettable look back at one child’s life in the 1930s and ’40s, a story that will be remembered long after the last page is turned.
Look for these Trevanian classics from Three Rivers Press: Shibumi, The Eiger Sanction, The Loo Sanction, The Summer of Katya, and The Main.
Synopsis
Trevanian's remarkable career has spanned 30 years and several genres, from spy novels to psychological thrillers to westerns. He has mastered them all, sold millions of books, and attracted a cult following thanks in part to the mystery surrounding his identity. Now this beloved and elusive author has produced the work of a lifetime: a beautifully crafted coming-of-age tour de force set in Albany during the Great Depression and World War II. The year is 1936 Six-year-old Jean-Luc, his little sister, and their tough young mother have been abandoned--again--but his con artist dad. As they set up an ad hoc home on Pearl Street, in the heart of Albany's Irish Catholic slum, Jean-Luc observes with beguiling candor and deep sensual acuity his inner and outer life, at home and on the streets--streets that house a remarkable variety of eccentric women. For loyal Trevanian fans, The Crazyladies of Pearl Street is a tantalizing portrait of the artist as a young man. And for anyone who loved A Tree Gows in Brooklyn or Angela's Ashes, it's a wondrous evocation of the classic American experience.
Synopsis
Trevanian, the beloved and elusive author, produces a beautifully crafted coming-of-age tour de force set in Albany during the Great Depression and World War II--a wondrous evocation of the classic American experience offering a tantalizing portrait of the artist as a young man.
About the Author
Trevanian lives in the French Basque region. He is the author of Shibumi, The Eiger Sanction, The Loo Sanction, The Main, The Summer of Katya, Incident at Twenty-Mile, and Hot Night in the City.