The Ballad Of West Tenth Street: A Novel (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
Really enjoyed this book- felt somewhat "To Kill a Mockingbird" esque with all the neighborhood camaraderie, even though its set in present-day New York City rather than small-town Alabama. Admittedly, I was biased since this whole tale is set right in my neighborhood, and it is so fun to envision where it all took place. There are some great moments, like when the young protagonist suggests to his friends "Hey, let's go over to Gray's Papaya. See all the hookers looking tired. They eat six dogs and drink fruit shakes and say really weird things." Or the observation that "for every stack of citizens piled and packed into the buildings of New York there are delis to meet their needs."There are also some good general insights that aren't necessarily NY-specific. "Sometimes, when things seem to be going too well, one gets a feeling of insidious worry that comes creeping along behind, a shadow that must follow even the best-loved thing. But sometimes, contrary to what might seem tainted by too much luck, things actually do go well."OR - "oh my dear, one *lives* to buy pretty cakes. I always say, the prettier the cake, the prettier life is."This is the sort of book that has you laughing out loud while reading it on the subway one minute, and then trying to hide your misty eyes the next. So glad I happened upon it in a small neighborhood bookstore. trite. very few dear moments, but they do exist. dialogue and inner monologue was all but unbelievable. the cliched motley crew of eccentrics play out in my head like the overdramatic and self-indulgent community theater actors. that and the parodic rock and pop stars from get him to the greek. the good characters were very good, and the villains were very bad, and their intentions were shoved relentlessly in the reader's face. flat and with zero complexity. but i finished it. so that's something, i guess.
What do You think about The Ballad Of West Tenth Street: A Novel (2009)?
The characters are as f****ed up as my family's. But, this is very light-hearted reading.
—hunny
Hard to read. The kids go through so much. And a cat is involved, which was hard.
—amyber
The book was fine. An easy read. Language was bad and unnecessary.
—nadiakim
