Customer Reviews

A Christmas Wedding (O'Malley Novels (Forge Hardcover))

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I want to be adopted by the Catholic Chicago O'Malley's - a big warm-hearted, supportive, forgiving family. Charles Cronin O'Malley is called "Chucky Ducky" by Rosemary, the love of his life, and they were practically raised in the same house, following the death of her mother. She is his best buddy and confidante, and their marriage seems inevitable to everyone around them, except Chucky himself. When he finally realizes how important Rosemary is to him, he is swept along into the planning for a Christmas wedding when they are still in college, but he continues to doubt the wisdom of the marriage right up until they enter the church. Rosemary, normally gregarious and optimistic, is sometimes haunted by memories from her past, and falls into bouts of despair and drinking.

Just before the marriage, she admits to Chuck that her father sometimes molested and raped her, and her mother did nothing to defend her. Chuck thinks he can cure her by loving her and providing the stability and warmth that she never received as a child. She is Chuck's confidante, coach and agent, and encourages his photographic career. He eventually becomes a famous, world-traveling photographer, but there are many stormy, tense periods during their marriage, and they gradually drift apart.

Set in the early 1950's throughout the 1960's, the book gives a fascinating and probably accurate picture of the choices facing women in terms of career, family-planning and their place in society. The ending also sets you up for the sequel, and I'm looking forward to hearing more from the O'Malley clan.

Second Springtime was my first initian into Greeley's novels and the Saga of Chucky O'Malley. Thus, I was inticed to return to the beginning of the Saga with Younger Than Springtime. I couldn't wait to read Christmas Wedding to find out what happened between Chucky and Rosemarie. I personally think it is the best of the the Saga as it highlights the magnaminous character of the hero Chucky in taking on Rosemarie for his wife, an enormous risk with explosive reactions. I think this book of Greeley's illustrates the true committment in a loving relationship for "better or for worse" in the truest sense of the vows. Once a couple really live this commitment they can then enjoy the fruits of a true lasting love that Greeley follows up in September Song. A definite read for those involved in a lasting relationship!

I am a true fan of Mr Greeley, but this book left me very disappointed. I felt I was reading a mixture of past books with only their names changed.

Any one who has read Fr. Andrew Greeley before will not be disappointed. This is a beautiful love story not only about romance but relationships as well. The characters pull you into the story and you can not wait to turn the next page to see what happens to them. Well done!

A Christmas Wedding should be reqiured reading for marriage. It is wonderfully writen and talks about difficalt subjects with heart renching pain and momments of delightful humor and loving appeal. Andrew Greely's carecters are so real. You feel you know them.

I eventually enjoyed the book; this being my first try at the "O'Malley" series by Father Greeley (thought it is the 3rd book in the series). As other reviewers have suggested there may be much that is redundant in this book from the previous two, but being that this was my first I obviously did not experience that. Having said that, I will not go back, but forward in the series (and catch up with the first two later) which will give you a clue that I liked this enough to want to read more.

Andrew Greeley's novels can be both entertaining, and slow, and this has less of the former and more of the latter, but though there is a lot of "soap opera" elements to the story in re: the relationship between Charles "Chucky" and his wife Rosemary the story kept me engaged enough to keep reading and (as I have already alluded) to prepare for the next novel in the series. I almost gave up on this though because of the pacing. Greeley can sometimes take a while to build the story enough where he finally indicates where he is going with it and that is the case here. You really just have to stick with it and read in order top get the payoff.

As to the title...frankly I read this one because I like (in December) to read "Christmas" (i.e. "holiday") themed books, and this is NOT one of those. The Christmas in the title refers only to the day the couple gets married (very early in the book) and the season is not really a factor. There is a nod to "It's a Wonderful Life" later (in spirit) but that is not highlighted so much that this could not be read at any other time of the year.

So, in summary, this is not Greeley's best...but it is good. If you are fan, you will like it enough, if not you may want to begin with another novel as your first.

A Christmas Wedding Andrew Greeley

In a Greeley story, usually the romantic part of a novel is mostly about the chase, once married, the couple, while not carefree, lives happily. For example, in a typical Nuala Anne McGrail story the Coynes have problems but they work on them together. In Christmas Wedding the focus is much more on the difficulties of marriage, the strife between man and woman, and the progress toward a more serene and loving partnership.

All of their friends and family accepted that Charles (Chucky) O'Malley and Rosemarie Clancy would fall in love and marry. Most people saw this when Chucky was but a puerile boy. Somehow these two seemed made for each other. Eventually they married while students at the University of Chicago.

The struggles the O'Malleys face are serious. They struggle, among themselves and their loved ones, with: abuse of alcohol, rules of the Catholic Church, child abuse, and threats of scandal. At the same time they grapple with deciding upon a career and beginning to raise a family. The narrative of Charles and Rosemarie's life reveals a marriage that is often archetypal, but always interesting. The manner of Chuck's stumbling ways leads to some humorous situations.

This is a fine story of family life. The O'Malleys, although called the "crazy O'Malleys by those who know them, are an open, accepting, and fun family. They are "crazy" because they are often able to set aside their inhibitions, reach out to other people, and entertain those they encounter.

I recommend this novel because of its open view of family life. I like Greeley's ability to portray marriage and family life as a beautiful state in life. Greeley sees marriage as truly Christian and sacramental.

I had read all the other books in the Chuck and Rosemarie series, but not this one. It made several things clear that had been puzzling me in the saga. It is a typical Greeley book, and if you like his style, you'll like this book.

In this 3rd installment of the CCO'M series, Chucky and his family and friends are plopped into nearly as many historical situations as Forrest Gump - contriving almost to the point of breaking the suspension of disbelief. As I repeatedly state in my reviews, I dislike book reviews that give it all away. (What, then, is the point of getting the book and reading it if someone has already told you everything(!) So, I will not tell you the foreshadowing that we get at the end of this one, but it seems as though the next one is going to do the Forrest Gump plop again.

I eagerly anticipate new novels from Father Greeley, but this one has gone beyond the familiarly comfortable Quixotic tilting at Roman windmills to long rants about secular 20th century history. For example, here he is mid-rant on Ike's "I shall go to Korea: "

"The promise was a clever but petty public relations gesture - though more honest than Nixon's "secret plan" twenty years later to end the Vietnam War. Eisenhower could have buried poor, hapless Adlai Stevenson anyway, because the public was fed up with the war and the seeming corruption of the Truman administration. (The Communism in government issue, like the abortion debate years later, attracted much attention from the press but never much affected the way people voted.)"

OK. Father Greeley is a Roman Catholic priest and a sociologist - not a political scientist. I think he is way off base saying that people don't vote the right to choose issue. It is mirrored in our voting decisions from the President of the United States (who nominates United States Supreme Court Justices,) to United States Senators (who vote to confirm or reject those nominees - remember Clarence Thomas?) to our State Senators and Representatives. If Reed and his cronies get their President in, he will nominate Justices intent on overthrowing Roe v. Wade, and if the US Senate confirms those nominees - then there goes the U.S. Constitutional protection of a woman's right to choose (at least until the composition of The Court changes again.) It will then be up to each State to determine a woman's right to choose - so we consider that when voting at the State level, too.

I'm giving this book three stars - when it stays with the story of the O'Malley circle, it's a fun advancement of the epic.
reviewed (and editted - that's how I lost the hyperlink) by mbmlaw

I think that this is the most poorly written book that I have ever read. A mixture of Chatechism, (romantic) handbook, and U.S. history with some Forest Gump thrown in. I kept trying to figure out how a kid could graduate from High School, serve time in the Army at the end of WW2 and get a college degree by the time he was 22. It took him a couple of more years to win a Pullitzer. If you like REALLY light reading you MAY enjoy this.