Brothers No More [Hardcover]

William F. Buckley Jr. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 1995

Set against the history of the second half of the twentieth century, a novel follows the unlikely friendship between two World War II servicemen--one of them the president's grandson, both of them devoted to the same woman. 75,000 first printing. $75,000 ad/promo.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Danny O'Hara is exuberant, generous, ambitious?and the grandson of the recently deceased Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Henry Chafee is quiet and deliberate, from a pleasant but undistinguished family. The two, former roommates at Yale, are sharing a foxhole on the Arno line in WWII when Henry turns coward and Danny saves his life. So begins this latest novel from Buckley (A Very Private Plot), who won the American Book Award for Stained Glass (1978) but is unlikely to duplicate that feat with this predictable, if glitzy, offering. Long flashbacks fill in the past up to the Arno incident; through these and subsequent passages, it becomes clear that Danny will manipulate people and events whenever he can turn them to his advantage. In adulthood, this blueblood becomes a crooked hotelier and worse, while Henry makes his mark as a journalist, especially during the Vietnam War. Eventually, Henry gets the goods on Danny and must make a difficult decision. Numerous cameos by the real-life rich and powerful enliven the proceedings (Georges Simenon plays a vital role); underneath all the provocative names and places, however, this is just a potboiler, deftly stirred but no match for Buckley's best. Major ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Buckley's newest gripper begins in World War II, when a young man covers for a friend whose courage failed him at the last moment, and ends in acrimony years later.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 294 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (August 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385477945
• ISBN-13: 978-0385477949
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,202,362 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An engrossing and entertaing novel, August 14, 1997

By 

[e-mail] (Conroe, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brothers No More (Hardcover)

Like Buckley's other novels, plot, characterization and moral satisfy. Interesting historical perspectives. This is light fare and easy to read in one sitting

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great settings, characters, and Buckley's style = must read!, May 1, 2001

By 

Kevin Kilpatrick (Sevierville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brothers No More (Paperback)

I am sure W.F.B.'s moniker as "the great conservative thinker" will repell many from this work, but the well developed characters, and romantic settings make for a good work of fiction regardless of your affiliations. This could be thought of as a thinking person's "Talented Mr. Ripley". Maybe not the most thought provoking read you will ever have, but I think it is one of the most entertaining.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting, dramatic novel--not what I expected, June 9, 2009

By 

ironman96 (Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Brothers No More (Paperback)

Although this novel was not quite what I expected, I ended up enjoying it nonetheless. At first, I thought it was going to be a military or CIA thriller. Instead, I found it to be more along the lines of a Greek tragedy where the main character ends up destroying himself due to his own hubris. It is an entertaining and interesting book with compelling characters. Buckley was known to be a talented writer and you can tell when you read this book.