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From a Pulitzer Prize-winning author: The novel of an Irish-American clan whose exploits changed Albany forever. When it was built, the Phelan mansion was the only home on the block. In the decades since, countless tragedies have swept through its rambling halls, but no matter how many times its foundations have been rocked, the old house still stands. Now, in 1958, its sole occupants are the eccentric old painter Peter Phelan and his illegitimate son, Orson, who sees all-but says nothing. show more When Peter invites his remaining family to hear him read his will aloud, it forces the Phelan clan to reckon with the most powerful force in Albany: their own tortured history. Unveiling a series of portraits inspired by family tragedy, Peter takes the Phelans back into the past, as far as 1887, forcing them to come face-to-face with the origins of the family curse. As the raucous narrative unfolds, Orson does his best to grapple with his roots, and the knowledge that the sins of the past can never truly be washed away. William Kennedy's eight-book Albany Cycle is one of the most ambitious projects in modern historical fiction, a kaleidoscopic portrait of a city whose heroes are its corrupt politicians, conmen, and thieves. The Phelans are one of the roughest families in American literature, and also one of the greatest. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
VERY OLD BONES (1992) is, not surprisingly, a damn good book, so I'm not sure why it sat on my shelf for over twenty years, unread. It's one of several novels which make up William Kennedy's "Albany Cycle." Kennedy grew up in Albany, where he attended Catholic high school, and then a Catholic college (Siena), also in Upstate NY. I've read a couple of his Albany books, LEGS and IRONWEED, thirty-some years ago, and enjoyed both, but especially the latter, which won the Pulitzer, and was also adapted into an acclaimed film, with Jack Nicholson as Francis, the wandering prodigal of the large, dysfunctional Phelan clan. BONES is a logical sequel to IRONWEED, set in an Albany twenty years later, in 1958, with Francis making only a brief show more appearance, but still looming large in the family's tragic history. The narrator here is Orson, the bastard son of Peter Phelan, an aging artist only recently gaining fame for his work, much of it derived from family stories and eccentric characters, Francis included. Orson delves deep into family - ancestors, sibling rivalries, Christianity, witches, superstition - as well as his own post-war military service in Germany, where he meets and marries the exotic Giselle and suffers a complete breakdown. We learn too of his unnatural attraction to his aunt Molly, who has her own hidden secrets. And there is Chick Phelan, the former seminarian, and Sarah, the domineering 'virgin' of the family, as well as the brain-damaged Tommy. All of these and more converge on the family home in Albany, for the reading of Peter's will. Oh, and Peter is still very much alive.
Like IRONWEED, this is what I would call a highly literary 'potboiler,' and I loved it. Very, very highly recommended.
- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER show less
Like IRONWEED, this is what I would call a highly literary 'potboiler,' and I loved it. Very, very highly recommended.
- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER show less
An exorcism of Phelan family demons by means of an artistic rendering of a family exorcism. Kennedy brings us through the generations of Phelans - a family filled with its share of difficult times and dysfunctional relationships. In the end there is a path to move forward, though certainly not totally secured. The Albany series as a whole is very well done, with interesting characters that the reader cares about. Sadly, all good things must come to an end.
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Otavan kirjasto (107)
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Very Old Bones
- Original title
- Very Old Bones
- Original publication date
- 1992
- Epigraph
- Any one who has common sense will remember that the bewilderments of the eyes are of two kinds, and arise from two causes, either from coming out of the light or from going into the light...and he who remembers this when he s... (show all)ees any one whose vision is perplexed and weak, will not be too ready to laugh; he will first ask whether the soul of man has come out of the brighter life, and is unable to see because unaccustomed to the dark, or having turned from darkness to the day is dazzled by excess of light. Plato, "The Republic"
- Dedication
- This book is dedicated to the Hard Core (they know who they are) and to certain revered and not-so-revered ancestors of the author (they don't know who they are, for they are dead; but they'd know if they ever got their hands... (show all) on this book).
- First words
- It is Saturday, June twenty-sixth, 1958, the sun will rise in about twenty-five minutes, the air is still, and even the birds are not yet awake on Colonie Street.
- Original language*
- englanti
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
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- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 13
- ASINs
- 4
