The year is 1954 and Daniel Dorsey learns at the age of eight the intimate meaning of death when his parents are killed in a car crash. Taken in by his colorful, at times mad, and always tender and caring extended family, Daniel learns that even the deepest sorrows and hurt can be healed. Michael Raleigh's In the Castle of the Flynns is about a young boy growing up Irish in a vibrant 1950s Chicago neighborhood. Now grown and looking back on those years, Daniel recalls his bouts with grief and fear of abandonment as he learns to adjust to his new surroundings amidst his oddball family. It is a time of wakes and weddings, conflicts and romance. Above all, it is a time when Daniel comes to understand both his own loss and the dark places in the lives of his loved ones. In the Castle of the Flynns is a poignant, often hilarious story of hope, passions and unforgettable memories.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Booklist
The McCourt brothers can move over. The Chicago branch of the Irish mafia weighs in with a hilarious rendition of an Irish Catholic childhood, circa 1955. Raleigh breaks the mold set by his five previous novels featuring private detective Paul Whelan. His familiar, superior sense of place is here, but he adds an orphan, a family burdened by the love of drink and blessed with the gift of gab, a beautiful and brilliant nun, and a charismatic, slightly dangerous uncle. Seven-year-old Daniel Dorsey has lost his parents in an automobile accident. He is taken in by his grandparents, the Flynns, and his two bachelor uncles, and in the first unsteady months, Daniel ends up feeling sorry for the adults, who seem to have no clue about how to organize his daily schedule. But in the year that follows, through a number of key events in his family--a funeral, a wedding, a Labor Day baseball game--Daniel learns the great lesson of childhood: "They all belonged to me, and I to them." Joanne Wilkinson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
About the Author
Michael Raleigh is the author of five Paul Whelan mysteries. He has received four Illinois Arts Council grants for fiction, and his stories and poetry have appeared in a number of literary magazines. His fifth book, The Riverview Murders, won the Eugene Izzi award. He lives in Chicago with his wife, three children, and a deranged cat.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting new read...candid snapshots about family life,
This review is from: In the Castle of the Flynns (Nova Audio Books) (Audio Cassette)
WOW...this was a great book. It was an easy read and simply delightful with the humorous situations that (working with children/families each day) I can only attest to being true to life.It also captured the sad secrets of families and how difficult childhoods can make us who we are. I simply loved this book and am recommending it to everyone...great for a travel book, it offers enough to keep your attention while still being enjoyable and refeshing. Don't miss it! I would love to see it in a movie!!!
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Of Lost Time,
By
This review is from: In the Castle of the Flynns (Hardcover)
"In the Castle of the Flynns" is a novel that deals with the life-shattering changes a young orphan must adjust to after the death of his parents. When Daniel Dorsey's parents are killed in a car crash, he is taken in by his grandparents and raised by them along with various aunts and uncles, his whole extended Irish immigrant family. The story is set in Chicago during the 1950s, a time when innocence was on the cusp of being lost in an ever-changing city.Michael Raleigh paints a vivid picture of young Danny's life. At age seven, he is an intrepid narrator, eagerly questioning everyone about life. At the same time, however, he is also suffering from losing his parents and his fears that all those whom he loves will be taken away from him as well. During these times the reader recognizes the adult voice in Danny - his childlike perceptions of the adults who populate his world are spiced with the wisdom only age can bring. "In the Castle of the Flynns" is a well-written novel, that often reads as a collection of vignettes involving the Flynns and the Dorseys. Raleigh's characters are realistically voiced and believable. The reader is immediately wrapped up in the happenings of this eclectic Irish-Catholic family who never lose sight of what young Danny needs. At times laugh-out-loud funny, at others bittersweet with sentiment, "In the Castle of the Flynns" is a thoroughly enjoyable read about the bonds of love and family.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful tale of life,
By
This review is from: In the Castle of the Flynns (Hardcover)
This book is so true to life. It highlights the humor in theeveryday personalities and events of family life to the point you will be in tears with laughter. One of the best books I've ever read.
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