Customer Reviews

Jeremy's Version

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This book is a kind of autobiography. Purdy describes the desperate lives of the Fergus family, who are, in fact, the Purdy family, and their great disappointments as they struggled to live in the town of Findlay, Ohio, in the 20's and 30's. He wrote the book three years after the death of his older brother from cirrhosis in 1967 in Toledo, Ohio. His brother was named Richard, called Rick in this novel. Richard was a well-known television actor in New York City during the early 50's who was forced to discontinue acting around 1955 due to his drinking. The book is about dreams thwarted by poverty and lack of a male parent. Rick gets a check for $6000 from is aunt which he plans to use to launch his acting career in New York, but he is swindled out of it by his ne'er-do-well father. Everything Rick wants to do to improve himself and follow his passion dies in the killing atmosphere of Findlay.

This book lacks the scatology of Purdy's other books--it is an essay (which happens to be true)on the unpredictability and essential sadness of life. I found it very interesting, particularly since I knew Richard Purdy and found him absolutely fascinating. Despite all his travails, he did make it to New York, but unfortunately he was already in his 40's and only acted for six years. For more information on this actor, click on <...>.