The City
by Dean Koontz
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"There are millions of stories in the city--some magical, some tragic, others terror-filled or triumphant. Jonah Kirk's story is all of those things as he draws readers into his life in the city as a young boy, introducing his indomitable grandfather, also a "piano man;" his single mother, a struggling singer; and the heroes, villains, and everyday saints and sinners who make up the fabric of the metropolis in which they live--and who will change the course of Jonah's life forever. Welcome show more to The City, a place of evergreen dreams where enchantment and malice entwine, where courage and honor are found in the most unexpected corners and the way forward lies buried deep inside the heart"-- show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Dean Koontz might have to go back on my favorites list after The City. It's the coming-of-age story of a musical prodigy named Jonah, taking place in the 1960s.
It's hard to share much of the plot without diminishing the pleasure of discovering the power of music, art, love, and friendship through Jonah's eyes. All you need to know is that poetic writing, twisting plot, magical realism, and unmitigated terror made this book hard to put down.
It's hard to share much of the plot without diminishing the pleasure of discovering the power of music, art, love, and friendship through Jonah's eyes. All you need to know is that poetic writing, twisting plot, magical realism, and unmitigated terror made this book hard to put down.
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.The City by Dean Koontz is a very highly recommended coming-of-age story about love, friendship and loyalty.
"In our lives, we come to moments of great significance that we fail to recognize, the meaning of which does not occur to us for many years. Each of us has his agenda and focuses on it, and therefore we are often blind to what is before our eyes."
As a much older Jonah looks back on his family and the events that happened during 1967 when he was 9 to 10 years old. It was a year that would change his life. Jonah comes from a long line of musicians. His mother, Sylvia, is a gifted singer while his grandfather, Teddy Bledsoe was a piano man. They loved jazz, big band, and swing music. Jonah himself is a piano man and getting better show more every day. His on and off again father, Tilton, is a loser who is never there and suspect when he is around.
"My name is Jonah Ellington Basie Hines Eldridge Wilson Hampton Armstrong Kirk. From as young as I can remember, I loved the city. Mine is a story of love reciprocated. It is the story of loss and hope, and of the strangeness that lies just beneath the surface tension of daily life, a strangeness infinite fathoms in depth."
The City (which is New York City, although it is not named) is actually personified into a real person from whom young Jonas gets advice and, perhaps, a couple of visions that are meant to save him. "She said that more than anything, cities are people. Sure, you need to have the office buildings and the parks and the nightclubs and the museums and all the rest of it, but in the end it’s the people—and the kind of people they are—who make a city great or not. And if a city is great, it has a soul of its own, one spun up from the threads of the millions of souls who have lived there in the past and live there now."
The story is told from the perspective of an older and wiser Jonah looking back at his childhood, so he naturally gives his younger self more insight into what is going on than most kids his age would have. "I was already an optimist when all this happened that I’m telling you about. Although I’ll reverse myself now and then to give you some background, this particular story really starts rolling in 1967, when I was ten, the year the woman said she was the city. By June of that year, I had moved with my mom into Grandpa’s house."
Koontz's writing is superb and he is a masterful story teller. He had me engrossed in this tale from the beginning to the end. I can say that I loved this book. Jonah is a great protagonist. I loved the character Mr. Yoshioka. Yes, the bad guys are not fully realized characters but, to me, they are as an adult would recall them, looking back armed with more knowledge and recounting the information from the point-of-view of the child he was at the time.
Where I'm speculating that some readers had a problem with The City is because it is not a horror novel, like one might expect from Koontz, and while it has suspense and some moments where you will read as swiftly as possible to find out what is going to happen, this is more of a family drama/novel of suspense where all the action leads up to an event that changed Jonah's life. I was actually hesitant to start reading The City based on the poor ratings/reviews, but, alas, that was to my own detriment.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Random House via Netgalley for review purposes. show less
"In our lives, we come to moments of great significance that we fail to recognize, the meaning of which does not occur to us for many years. Each of us has his agenda and focuses on it, and therefore we are often blind to what is before our eyes."
As a much older Jonah looks back on his family and the events that happened during 1967 when he was 9 to 10 years old. It was a year that would change his life. Jonah comes from a long line of musicians. His mother, Sylvia, is a gifted singer while his grandfather, Teddy Bledsoe was a piano man. They loved jazz, big band, and swing music. Jonah himself is a piano man and getting better show more every day. His on and off again father, Tilton, is a loser who is never there and suspect when he is around.
"My name is Jonah Ellington Basie Hines Eldridge Wilson Hampton Armstrong Kirk. From as young as I can remember, I loved the city. Mine is a story of love reciprocated. It is the story of loss and hope, and of the strangeness that lies just beneath the surface tension of daily life, a strangeness infinite fathoms in depth."
The City (which is New York City, although it is not named) is actually personified into a real person from whom young Jonas gets advice and, perhaps, a couple of visions that are meant to save him. "She said that more than anything, cities are people. Sure, you need to have the office buildings and the parks and the nightclubs and the museums and all the rest of it, but in the end it’s the people—and the kind of people they are—who make a city great or not. And if a city is great, it has a soul of its own, one spun up from the threads of the millions of souls who have lived there in the past and live there now."
The story is told from the perspective of an older and wiser Jonah looking back at his childhood, so he naturally gives his younger self more insight into what is going on than most kids his age would have. "I was already an optimist when all this happened that I’m telling you about. Although I’ll reverse myself now and then to give you some background, this particular story really starts rolling in 1967, when I was ten, the year the woman said she was the city. By June of that year, I had moved with my mom into Grandpa’s house."
Koontz's writing is superb and he is a masterful story teller. He had me engrossed in this tale from the beginning to the end. I can say that I loved this book. Jonah is a great protagonist. I loved the character Mr. Yoshioka. Yes, the bad guys are not fully realized characters but, to me, they are as an adult would recall them, looking back armed with more knowledge and recounting the information from the point-of-view of the child he was at the time.
Where I'm speculating that some readers had a problem with The City is because it is not a horror novel, like one might expect from Koontz, and while it has suspense and some moments where you will read as swiftly as possible to find out what is going to happen, this is more of a family drama/novel of suspense where all the action leads up to an event that changed Jonah's life. I was actually hesitant to start reading The City based on the poor ratings/reviews, but, alas, that was to my own detriment.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Random House via Netgalley for review purposes. show less
"The city changed my life and showed me that the world is deeply mysterious. I need to tell you about her and some terrible things and wonderful things and amazing things that happened....and how I am still haunted by them. Including one night when I died and woke and lived again."
So starts the story of Jonah Kirk and what takes place over a couple of years of his life starting when he was almost 10.I fell in love with Jonah and his innocence, his mother, his grandparents, but especially with his neighbor Mr. Yoshioka. I loved watching their friendship develop into something deeper. It takes place at a time when the country was leaving it's kinder and gentler times and entering into riots and wars. I will say I have been less than show more impressed with The Odd Thomas series so I was hesitant on reading this book. I am so glad I did, it was truly a good story. show less
So starts the story of Jonah Kirk and what takes place over a couple of years of his life starting when he was almost 10.I fell in love with Jonah and his innocence, his mother, his grandparents, but especially with his neighbor Mr. Yoshioka. I loved watching their friendship develop into something deeper. It takes place at a time when the country was leaving it's kinder and gentler times and entering into riots and wars. I will say I have been less than show more impressed with The Odd Thomas series so I was hesitant on reading this book. I am so glad I did, it was truly a good story. show less
Some books we rush through because each page is like a roller coaster, traveling up and down hills and around sharp curves at 90 miles per hour. Other books are subtle, not necessarily slow, but are full of wonderful language, ideas, and characters, and we want to absorb them piece by piece, and then start fretting as we near the end of our journey because we will miss these characters so much.
The City, by best-selling novelist Dean Koontz, is a great combination of the two examples given above. With a mysterious, dangerous plot in play, Koontz moves his book ahead not so much with this storyline, but instead with a deft touch of characterization that will leave you feeling like you want to be friends with Jonah Kirk, Malcolm and Amalia show more Pomerantz, and most certainly Mr. Yoshioka.
There is an air of mystery throughout, and we see young Jonah try to come to grips with what is and isn’t real, and he is visited by a mystical woman who claims to be the City itself. This novel is a joy to read and one that, while you may be tempted to read quickly, was lovingly digested by me one delicious bite at a time. The descriptive language, setting, and personalities leave me with no choice other than to highly recommend it. And if you plan on reading it, I definitely recommend first reading The Neighbor, a 99 cent Kindle short that is set in the same universe. show less
The City, by best-selling novelist Dean Koontz, is a great combination of the two examples given above. With a mysterious, dangerous plot in play, Koontz moves his book ahead not so much with this storyline, but instead with a deft touch of characterization that will leave you feeling like you want to be friends with Jonah Kirk, Malcolm and Amalia show more Pomerantz, and most certainly Mr. Yoshioka.
There is an air of mystery throughout, and we see young Jonah try to come to grips with what is and isn’t real, and he is visited by a mystical woman who claims to be the City itself. This novel is a joy to read and one that, while you may be tempted to read quickly, was lovingly digested by me one delicious bite at a time. The descriptive language, setting, and personalities leave me with no choice other than to highly recommend it. And if you plan on reading it, I definitely recommend first reading The Neighbor, a 99 cent Kindle short that is set in the same universe. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.♫ Dean Koontz Weaves a Tale of Jazz, Friendship, and Murder
This is a complicated book with a profound theme. THE CITY interweaves jazz, philosophy, friendship, and of course, murder. The main character is Jonah Ellington Basie Hines Eldridge Wilson Hampton Armstrong Kirk—or just “Jonah” as he is known. The story unfolds as Jonah tells his story to his jazz friend, “Malcolm.”
Jonah is a young, poor black kid in “The City,” which is a generic moniker for someplace akin to New York City. Jonah was subjected to two terrifying nightmares, filled with scary figures and murder. What is Jonah to make of these visions? A shadowy, but kind visitor, carrying a mysterious purse visits Jonah. Miss Pearl is the personification of The show more City, and the City is worried about the path of history. Miss Pearl will help Jonah—but only a little, and only at rare times.
As he grows up, Jonah gets little clues on what the dreams meant. Along the way, he meets an odd assortment of characters—the Japanese tailor Mr. Yoshioka, a funnily-dressed jazz musician--Malcolm, and Malcolm’s sister. They make an unlikely musical trio, jamming on the piano that suddenly appears in the community center. The whole time, little hints of upcoming disaster play at the edges, reminding Jonah that he plays a special destiny in the City.
The story unfolds, at first slowly, but then suddenly, to a terrifying climax that engulfs Jonah and his friends. The bad dreams come true—or at least some parts of them do, in tragic fashion. Later, Jonah looks back to his visit with Miss Pearl, and his look into her mysterious purse, and he understands not everything—but a little more. Jonah understands that he is not a puppet of fate, and the City is not doomed to disaster.
This is not a simple read--there are no ghosts wandering around, no invisible golden retrievers, no spirit of Elvis Presley seeking closure from a prescient seer. If you are prepared for a complex book, with significant demands on the reader, this one is for you. On the other hand, if you want a superficial, trite work or quick read--look elsewhere.
As a funny side note, I see that Koontz’ love for Robert Heinlein is back, as the main character reads the same Heinlein novels as in other Koontz novels. (I’m really going to have to read “Podkayne of Mars” and “The Star Beast.”)
✔ Recommend! show less
I was given this book by NetGalley as an eARC edition in exchange for a review
I imagine that Dean Koontz fans will think poorly of The City, his latest book. After all, where is the horror-the action-the gore!? It is a shame when writers aren't given a chance to leave their comfort zone to try something new. Personally, I found The City magical. The idea of a city made flesh, in the form of a woman who may one day give you a glimpse into her secrets is one of the central ideas of the book. The main character, a boy of 9 named Jonah Kirk, narrates his life story at the age of 57, explaining how he arrived at where he presently is. His father was a deadbeat dad, who is involved with a domestic, anti-war terror group, like the Weather show more Underground, who are also murderous bank robbers. His mother is a nightclub singer, and his grandfather a piano player who has played with some larger than life Jazz luminaries.
Jonah himself is a piano playing prodigy; a beautiful part of this book is the constant mentions of popular music of the mid 60s, as well as the character's love of big band, and jazz music. The story arc takes place between 1966-1967, and Koontz does not hesitate to provide the reader with a thorough description of the era, from what the #1 song of a certain week was, to the style of bell bottoms girls wore in 1967. This aspect of the book made it extremely entertaining for me. The friendship between Jonah and his quiet Japanese-American neighbor, Mr. Yoshioka was the highlight of the book in my opinion. This relationship was highly detailed, and was built upon as the story progressed; right up until the end-their relationship remained one of trust and understanding, and was one of the most poignant stories within the story.
The City is about coming of age in the turbulent 60s, broken families, fear,racism, domestic terrorism, trust, love, belief and perseverance. Jonah and his friend and sometime neighbor Mr.Yoshioka combine forces, with a small group of Japanese-American veterans of the U.S. Internment camp system. Using clues and connections, they piece together a decade-long trail of murder and deceit involving a cast of characters that includes Jonah's father. There are moments of gut-wrenching sadness, and violence that is portrayed realistically, with an ending that gives one hope for the City and its denizens.
I am not an avid reader of Dean Koontz, and from what I understand, he is mostly known for horror and suspense. I believe that this book had levels of both horror and suspense, although in small doses. What it does possess is beautifully written prose, which at times bordered on poetic with lines such as
"The bright sun painted the pavement with the black shadows of bare-limbed trees, and in the fitful winter wind, those silhouettes twitched underfoot like the many tangled legs of agitated spiders."
Koontz is a brilliant writer, with descriptions of the mundane that turn ordinary moments into masterpieces. Poetry was a big part of the story as well, as Mr. Yoshioka and Jonah would read and recite haiku often, both in English and Japanese, which is yet another of many layers involved within the story.
Something else that struck me was the attention to detail when dealing with different cultures within a major city. I remember living in Brooklyn in the 60s as a child, and there were Chinese, Norwegians, Italians, Puerto Rican, Irish, African-American and Polish immigrants all living within a square mile of my neighborhood. Dean Koontz did a great job in ensuring that this multi-cultural melting pot of urban life was depicted in all of its glory. It made me think of my childhood in 1967 New York fondly; the music and different people with the funky fashions are what make the book The City feel real.
The city is simply a powerful story that speaks of family commitment, the changing social structures of the 60s, music, art, the criminal mind, life-long friendships and a little bit of magic. One of my favorite books of the year. show less
I imagine that Dean Koontz fans will think poorly of The City, his latest book. After all, where is the horror-the action-the gore!? It is a shame when writers aren't given a chance to leave their comfort zone to try something new. Personally, I found The City magical. The idea of a city made flesh, in the form of a woman who may one day give you a glimpse into her secrets is one of the central ideas of the book. The main character, a boy of 9 named Jonah Kirk, narrates his life story at the age of 57, explaining how he arrived at where he presently is. His father was a deadbeat dad, who is involved with a domestic, anti-war terror group, like the Weather show more Underground, who are also murderous bank robbers. His mother is a nightclub singer, and his grandfather a piano player who has played with some larger than life Jazz luminaries.
Jonah himself is a piano playing prodigy; a beautiful part of this book is the constant mentions of popular music of the mid 60s, as well as the character's love of big band, and jazz music. The story arc takes place between 1966-1967, and Koontz does not hesitate to provide the reader with a thorough description of the era, from what the #1 song of a certain week was, to the style of bell bottoms girls wore in 1967. This aspect of the book made it extremely entertaining for me. The friendship between Jonah and his quiet Japanese-American neighbor, Mr. Yoshioka was the highlight of the book in my opinion. This relationship was highly detailed, and was built upon as the story progressed; right up until the end-their relationship remained one of trust and understanding, and was one of the most poignant stories within the story.
The City is about coming of age in the turbulent 60s, broken families, fear,racism, domestic terrorism, trust, love, belief and perseverance. Jonah and his friend and sometime neighbor Mr.Yoshioka combine forces, with a small group of Japanese-American veterans of the U.S. Internment camp system. Using clues and connections, they piece together a decade-long trail of murder and deceit involving a cast of characters that includes Jonah's father. There are moments of gut-wrenching sadness, and violence that is portrayed realistically, with an ending that gives one hope for the City and its denizens.
I am not an avid reader of Dean Koontz, and from what I understand, he is mostly known for horror and suspense. I believe that this book had levels of both horror and suspense, although in small doses. What it does possess is beautifully written prose, which at times bordered on poetic with lines such as
"The bright sun painted the pavement with the black shadows of bare-limbed trees, and in the fitful winter wind, those silhouettes twitched underfoot like the many tangled legs of agitated spiders."
Koontz is a brilliant writer, with descriptions of the mundane that turn ordinary moments into masterpieces. Poetry was a big part of the story as well, as Mr. Yoshioka and Jonah would read and recite haiku often, both in English and Japanese, which is yet another of many layers involved within the story.
Something else that struck me was the attention to detail when dealing with different cultures within a major city. I remember living in Brooklyn in the 60s as a child, and there were Chinese, Norwegians, Italians, Puerto Rican, Irish, African-American and Polish immigrants all living within a square mile of my neighborhood. Dean Koontz did a great job in ensuring that this multi-cultural melting pot of urban life was depicted in all of its glory. It made me think of my childhood in 1967 New York fondly; the music and different people with the funky fashions are what make the book The City feel real.
The city is simply a powerful story that speaks of family commitment, the changing social structures of the 60s, music, art, the criminal mind, life-long friendships and a little bit of magic. One of my favorite books of the year. show less
I am sure I am far from the only person to note this, but “The City” is nothing like the other Dean Koontz books that I’ve read. This puts me in mind of “Bag of Bones” by Steven King – the book in which a writer takes a different path and starts to focus more on the art of writing than the craft of storytelling.
The main character, Jonah, is a boy far older than his years. His is an otherworldly, almost angelic voice. He still feels and experiences things in the way a child does, but the results and implications resonate within him in a mature and wise manner. "What is easy to forget, however, until you apply yourself to the task of memory, is that childhood is a time of fear, as well; some of those fears are reasonable, show more others irrational and inspired by a sense of powerlessness in a world where often power over others seemed to be what drives so very many of our fellow human beings. In the swoon of childhood, the possibility of werewolves is as real as the schoolyard shooter, the idea of vampires as credible as the idea of a terrorist attack, a neighbor possessing paranormal talents as believable as a psychopath." (Sometimes these observations dance right up to the edge of being too much for a 9-year old boy – but because Jonah is telling the story as an adult – it works.)
The story and characters are compelling. Even though some of them are a bit stock, the reader believes in them, and they are fleshed out well. Jonah’s mother is a strong, compassionate and determined woman – she and Jonah’s grandfather are Jonah’s heroes. They give him love and life – and the gift of music. “Without thinking to ask if my mom knew it, I ham-handed my way into it, and she sang along so beautifully that I sounded way better than I was. When I noticed that some of the gray-haired ladies had tears in their eyes, I understood for the first time why music matters so much, how it reminds us of who we are and where we came from, of all of the good times and the sadness, too.”
Other people in Jonah’s life shape his character as well – teaching him a great deal about what is involved in being human. A neighbor who experiences a great loss: “She was racked by the kind of grief that is part horror, when the mourner suddenly knows death to be not just a profound loss but also an abomination, and the wretched sounds that came from her made me tremble and raised in me a feeling of absolute helplessness and uselessness unlike anything I’d felt before.”
Another neighbor who becomes a major part of Jonah’s life teaches him about quiet strength instead of the noisy bravado often seen in movies and on TV: “After you have suffered great losses and known much pain, it is not cowardice to wish to live henceforth with a minimum of suffering. And one form of heroism, about which few if any films will be made, is having the courage to live without bitterness when bitterness is justified, having the strength to persevere even when perseverance seems unlikely to be rewarded, having the resolution to find profound meaning in life when it seems the most meaningless.”
“The City” tells Jonah’s story but also seeks to tell a larger story. What it is to be part of the human race. What people are capable of – both good and bad. Much of what happens has to do with the evil of which humans are capable - murder, prejudice, terrorism…but there is the other side to the coin here. The beauty which humans are able to create. Through music and art and architecture – but also through interaction with and care for other human beings. "One of the many wonders of this world is that, if we allow it to happen, anyone newly met can all but overnight become a central figure in our lives, hardly less essential to us than air or water. Although we've made it a world of hatred and envy and violence, the preponderance of evidence proves to me that it is a world created to inspire friendship and love and kindness.”
This book is about the wonder of a life, and about all life. “Creation moves and astonishes if you let it. When I realize how unlikely it is that anything at all should live on this world spun together from dust and hot gases, that creatures of almost infinite variety should at night look up at the stars, I know that it’s all more fragile than it appears, and I think maybe the only thing that keeps the Earth alive and turning is our love for it.”
It is far more than I expected from Dean Koontz and I hope that it is the first step down a path that may yield even more wonder. show less
The main character, Jonah, is a boy far older than his years. His is an otherworldly, almost angelic voice. He still feels and experiences things in the way a child does, but the results and implications resonate within him in a mature and wise manner. "What is easy to forget, however, until you apply yourself to the task of memory, is that childhood is a time of fear, as well; some of those fears are reasonable, show more others irrational and inspired by a sense of powerlessness in a world where often power over others seemed to be what drives so very many of our fellow human beings. In the swoon of childhood, the possibility of werewolves is as real as the schoolyard shooter, the idea of vampires as credible as the idea of a terrorist attack, a neighbor possessing paranormal talents as believable as a psychopath." (Sometimes these observations dance right up to the edge of being too much for a 9-year old boy – but because Jonah is telling the story as an adult – it works.)
The story and characters are compelling. Even though some of them are a bit stock, the reader believes in them, and they are fleshed out well. Jonah’s mother is a strong, compassionate and determined woman – she and Jonah’s grandfather are Jonah’s heroes. They give him love and life – and the gift of music. “Without thinking to ask if my mom knew it, I ham-handed my way into it, and she sang along so beautifully that I sounded way better than I was. When I noticed that some of the gray-haired ladies had tears in their eyes, I understood for the first time why music matters so much, how it reminds us of who we are and where we came from, of all of the good times and the sadness, too.”
Other people in Jonah’s life shape his character as well – teaching him a great deal about what is involved in being human. A neighbor who experiences a great loss: “She was racked by the kind of grief that is part horror, when the mourner suddenly knows death to be not just a profound loss but also an abomination, and the wretched sounds that came from her made me tremble and raised in me a feeling of absolute helplessness and uselessness unlike anything I’d felt before.”
Another neighbor who becomes a major part of Jonah’s life teaches him about quiet strength instead of the noisy bravado often seen in movies and on TV: “After you have suffered great losses and known much pain, it is not cowardice to wish to live henceforth with a minimum of suffering. And one form of heroism, about which few if any films will be made, is having the courage to live without bitterness when bitterness is justified, having the strength to persevere even when perseverance seems unlikely to be rewarded, having the resolution to find profound meaning in life when it seems the most meaningless.”
“The City” tells Jonah’s story but also seeks to tell a larger story. What it is to be part of the human race. What people are capable of – both good and bad. Much of what happens has to do with the evil of which humans are capable - murder, prejudice, terrorism…but there is the other side to the coin here. The beauty which humans are able to create. Through music and art and architecture – but also through interaction with and care for other human beings. "One of the many wonders of this world is that, if we allow it to happen, anyone newly met can all but overnight become a central figure in our lives, hardly less essential to us than air or water. Although we've made it a world of hatred and envy and violence, the preponderance of evidence proves to me that it is a world created to inspire friendship and love and kindness.”
This book is about the wonder of a life, and about all life. “Creation moves and astonishes if you let it. When I realize how unlikely it is that anything at all should live on this world spun together from dust and hot gases, that creatures of almost infinite variety should at night look up at the stars, I know that it’s all more fragile than it appears, and I think maybe the only thing that keeps the Earth alive and turning is our love for it.”
It is far more than I expected from Dean Koontz and I hope that it is the first step down a path that may yield even more wonder. show less
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.Members
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Dean Koontz was born on July 9, 1945 in Everett, Pennsylvania. He received a degree in education from Shippensburg State College in 1967. A former high school English teacher as well as a teacher-counselor with the Appalachian Poverty Program, he began writing as a child to escape an ugly home life caused by his alcoholic father. A prolific writer show more at a young age, he had sold a dozen novels by the age of 25. Early in his career, he wrote under numerous pen names including David Axton, Brian Coffey, K. R. Dwyer, Leigh Nichols, Richard Paige, and Owen West. He is best known for the books written under his own name, many of which are bestsellers, including Midnight, Cold Fire, The Bad Place, Hideaway, The Husband, Odd Hours, 77 Shadow Street, Innocence, The City, Saint Odd, and The Silent Corner. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The City
- Original title
- The City
- Original publication date
- 2014-07-08
- People/Characters
- Jonah Kirk
- Epigraph
- Hold every moment sacred. Give each clarity and meaning, each the weight of thine awareness, each its true and due fulfillment.
-Thomas Mann, The Beloved Returns - Dedication
- This novel is dedicated with affection and gratitude, to Jane Johnson, who is one continent and one sea away.
And to Florence Koontz and Mildred Stefko, who are one world away. - First words
- MALCOLM GIVES ME A TAPE RECORDER. (Prelude)
My name is Jonah Ellington Basie Hines Eldridge Wilson Hampton Armstrong Kirk. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"By then I'll be able. Talking it the first time is what will kill me." (Prelude)
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)No matter what happens, disaster piled on calamity, no matter what, everything will be okay in the long run. - Disambiguation notice
- Do not combine with the book containing the bonus short story The Neighbor since they are not the same work. ISBNs 0345545958, 034554594X (ebook) contains the bonus story.
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