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Charming Billy
Charming Billy: A Novel | Alice McDermott
13 posts | 14 read | 1 reading | 9 to read
Alice McDermott tells the story of Billy Lynch within the complex matrix of a tightly knit Irish American community, in a voice that is resonant and full of deep feeling. Charming Billy is a masterpiece about the unbreakable bonds of memory and desire. Charming Billy is the winner of the 1998 National Book Award for Fiction.
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review
BkClubCare
Charming Billy: A Novel | Alice McDermott
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Pickpick

Youse guys! I am bawling 😭

Billy is a drunk who drank himself to death. But… really? Is this just a cautionary tale of the perils of alcoholism as a disease or, WHAT? The “what” had me baffled and tbh I am still but wow!!! The ending, the last paragraph was a WHAMMER. Some of it was my own inability to time pages to read with the time available — I was on that “can I read 1 more page?!” with 15 yet to go and circumstances made me wait. 😫 👇

BkClubCare Billy lost the ONE and married another, lived the many years and died a drunk. But why? Why did his wife put up with it? Why did he drink? What was to happen?! 4mo
BkClubCare The upper left is wallpaper downloadable from The Natural Life - a lovely pretty things site; check ‘em out: (edited) 4mo
Ruthiella Your review has me intrigued! 4mo
BkClubCare @Ruthiella - pls, just commit to the bitter end. (The ending is amazing NOT bitter but the path is long? If that makes sense 🤣) (edited) 4mo
40 likes5 comments
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BkClubCare
Charming Billy: A Novel | Alice McDermott
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“… began to scribble a note ✍️ on the corner of his paper place mat, all the while seeming to give the ladies beside us, his undivided attention.” I have been playing with my fountain 🖋️ pens lately, but that is not the coolest 😎 thing about this paragraph. It‘s the author talent to describe the action and the action itself. ✍️ ✉️ 📬

sarahbarnes I‘ve been wanting to read something by McDermott for a long time! 5mo
BkClubCare @sarahbarnes - this was recommended to be a good entry point to her work. 5mo
28 likes2 comments
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BkClubCare
Charming Billy: A Novel | Alice McDermott
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Copper was not in the “pose with a book” mood this morning. Starting this AS SOON AS I finish Wounded, hopefully today. I am beginning an Alice McDermot event. This title was rec‘d as best intro to her work.
#DogsofLitsy

BkClubCare Is “event” the right word? “Focus”? Anyway, hadn‘t read her and not sure I was aware of her. Talk is that her newest is PULITZER. 5mo
Susanita I‘ve not read her yet, but her latest book sounds pretty interesting. She was interviewed on last week‘s The Book Case podcast. 5mo
BkClubCare @Susanita - yeah? I don‘t listen to podcasts very often. Is this a good one? 5mo
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Susanita @BkClubCare It‘s by Charlie Gibson of Good Morning America and his daughter Kate. They have a nice rapport and interview a variety of authors. What I especially like is that they usually also include an interview with an indie book seller. 5mo
BkClubCare @Susanita - ty, I will look for it. I actually ha e become friends with a reader/on-air NPR “personality” and I can‘t seem to remember to listen to her book show 🤦🏻‍♀️ 5mo
Suet624 I remember liking this story. 5mo
BkClubCare @Suet624 - ty. My friend tells me that it sticks with you- she read it years ago. Sign of a good book? 5mo
Suet624 Definitely 5mo
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review
azulaco
Charming Billy: A Novel | Alice McDermott
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Alice McDermott captures the complicated life of an alcoholic and those who loved him. Set in the Irish Catholic community of Queens in the mid-20th century, it‘s a portrait of a culture. Prompt 28 for #52BookClub23, #IncludesaFuneral.

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Cinfhen My bookclub is reading an Alice McDermott book in March - but I think I‘ll be away for the meeting date 1y
squirrelbrain I‘ve never heard of this author. 🤔 1y
Librarybelle I‘ve not read anything by her…this one sounds intriguing 1y
19 likes8 comments
review
paisleyjess
Charming Billy: A Novel | Alice McDermott
Mehso-so

Great use of language but I quickly got bored with the same events being told multiple times for no apparent reason.

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TheSpineView
Charming Billy: A Novel | Alice McDermott
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OriginalCyn620 👍🏻📚👍🏻 4y
57 likes2 comments
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Greenebean
Charming Billy: A Novel | Alice McDermott
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Switching up my reading genre!

Edit: I tried so hard, but unfortunately this book did not hold my interest. I had to bail 😭

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brittanyysunza
Charming Billy: A Novel | Alice McDermott

I can‘t wait to read on my lunch today! 📚❤️

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DivineDiana
Charming Billy: A Novel | Alice McDermott
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“ Not missing the irony of the drinks in their hands and the drink that had killed him, but redeeming,perhaps, the pleasure of a drink or two, on a sad, wet afternoon, in the company of old friends, from the miserable thing that a drink had become in his life.”
#wasted #getmovin #tbr

Cinfhen Another writer I still haven‘t gotten too...makes me wonder what the hell have I been reading?!?!? 6y
DivineDiana @Cinfhen So funny! 😂 Neither have I ! This is my husband‘s book. I do plan to read it, though! 😉 6y
emilyhaldi Lolol @Cinfhen 🤣🤣🤣 6y
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Centique @Cinfhen oh god, I was scrolling through today‘s posts thinking exactly the same thing when I read your comment 😂😂 I‘m sure this book has been on my TBR since 1998 @DivineDiana I thought I had read so many of the “big names” until I came to Litsy - today I‘ve seen so many I haven‘t gotten to! What a book ingenue I truly am 😋😝😝 6y
DivineDiana @Centique We have so much to learn! But as Martha says, “It‘s a good thing!” 😉 6y
Cinfhen I like the company I‘m in @Centique @DivineDiana 💕💕 6y
69 likes2 stack adds6 comments
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SharonGoforth
Charming Billy: A Novel | Alice McDermott
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Paid a visit to Half Price Books earlier today! 📚📚#nosuchthingastoomanybooks #bookhaul

Tamra Which AA novellas are included in the collection? 6y
SharonGoforth @tamra They‘re novels: 1) Clotel, or The President‘s Daughter by William Wells Brown (pub. 1853), 2) Iola Joy, or Shadows Uplifted by Frances E. W. Harper (1892), and 3) The Marrow of Tradition by Charles W. Chestnutt (1901). Chesnutt is the only one I‘ve heard of. 6y
Tamra @SharonGoforth wow, they are new to me! Thanks for posting, I‘ll seek them out. 6y
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SharonGoforth @Tamra You‘re welcome! I hadn‘t heard of them either. 6y
Nat_Reads I loved Clotel when I read it years ago! 6y
SharonGoforth @Nat_Reads Good to know!! 6y
77 likes1 stack add6 comments
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Liberty
Charming Billy: A Novel | Alice McDermott
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Went to see Alexandria Mariano-Lesnevich speak and picked up a few new friends. 📚❤️

TheBookStacker Celine! 💚 7y
161 likes2 stack adds1 comment
review
BrooklynBookGirl
Charming Billy: A Novel | Alice McDermott
Panpan

Beautiful writing, but it went on for far too long with no true resolution. However; I loved the authors detailing of Brooklyn and various parts of the city.

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MES
Charming Billy: A Novel | Alice McDermott
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Perfect way to pass the day: a well written page turner and AC in full force.

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