Tag Archives: Alice McDermott

The Books: Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink; edited by David Remnick; ‘Enough’, by Alice McDermott

Posted on September 14, 2013 by sheila

Next up on the essays shelf: Secret Ingredients: The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink, edited by David Remnick Secret Ingredients is a collection of food writing from The New Yorker. I love these collections. So far, we have … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Happy birthday, Alice McDermott

Posted on June 27, 2010 by sheila

From an interview with novelist Alice McDermott: It’s been said that, to some extent, every novelist writes the same book over and over. Many reviewers have noted how much your novels share: middle-class Irish Catholic characters, and that Long Island … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, On This Day | Tagged , , | 8 Comments

That Night, by Alice McDermott: The Beginning

Posted on May 1, 2008 by sheila

I’m now reading That Night: A Novel, by Alice McDermott – author of the wonderful and National Book Award-winning Charming Billy: A Novel (Picador Modern Classics) (my post about it here). McDermott often writes from the point of view of … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged | 6 Comments

The Books: “Charming Billy ” ( Alice McDermott)

Posted on February 27, 2008 by sheila

Daily Book Excerpt: Adult fiction: Charming Billy: A Novel (Picador Modern Classics) by Alice McDermott Alice McDermott writes about Irish-American life and the Irish-American experience (straddling Vatican II into now) – like nobody’s business. Charming Billy is almost creepy to … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Alice McDermott: Charming Billy

Posted on February 20, 2007 by sheila

I read and loved Alice McDermott’s book Charming Billy (I babbled about it a bit here) – and there are a couple of her other books on my shelves that I have yet to get to. Charming Billy is about … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , | Comments Off on Alice McDermott: Charming Billy

Waiting for Godot: Waiting, In General

Posted on October 5, 2006 by sheila

I like this question a lot: What books or stories can you think of that importantly feature absent characters? The answers in the thread are cool, too. The first one that comes to mind, for me, is Ulysses – where … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , , | 35 Comments

“To sail, gracefully and in tandem, across the abyss.”

Posted on March 20, 2005 by sheila

An excerpt from Charming Billy, a lovely novel I just finished this morning. The excerpt below made me think, immediately, of one of Big Dan’s most recent posts, which pretty much debunks the over-used phrase: “When you’ve got your health, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , | Comments Off on “To sail, gracefully and in tandem, across the abyss.”

Excerpt from Charming Billy

Posted on March 19, 2005 by sheila

Charming Billy, by Alice McDermott. . Here we get a glimpse of Billy Lynch as a young man – running into his cousin Dennis on the subway. It would take an act of will to picture him now as he … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , | Comments Off on Excerpt from Charming Billy

Saturday Snapshots

Posted on March 19, 2005 by sheila

— Up at the crack of dawn. Three loads of laundry. I do try to take time to revel in simple pleasures. And this morning, sitting in the laundromat, it wasn’t even 9 a.m. yet … staring at the white … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Book Notes: Alice McDermott’s Charming Billy

Posted on March 18, 2005 by sheila

I just started Alice McDermott’s novel Charming Billy this morning. I’ve had it for years, since it won the National Book Award, and just now, on impulse I picked it up. Too much non-fiction recently, and the last novel I … Continue reading →

Posted in Books | Tagged , | Comments Off on Book Notes: Alice McDermott’s Charming Billy