Customer Reviews

Life on the Ledge: Reflections of a New York City Window Cleaner

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As I wrote to the author and his publisher: I'm not sure if it's because I was a window cleaner for 10 years and therefore can relate to so much of what you describe ... or if it's because I lived in the Corinthian ... or if it's because I was/am a drummer ... and a writer ... or if it's just a wonderfully told memoir filled with funny and touching stories ... but this was one wonderful read, my brother. I started yesterday morning and finished this morning. Just great fun.

It was and is an inspiring read about a guy with many creative talents working his way through the challenge of life and all the obstacles it seems to put in our way ... this memoir is touching, funny (sometimes hilarious) and always inspiring. Wonderful, wonderful stuff.

What a great read! I couldn't put it down. It was well-paced, with each chapter full of its own tension and beautiful observations. It was painfully and hilariously honest, very informative and felt like a trip to Manhattan without the train fare, the ledge without the risk, and into the mind of a man without the dirty socks. I felt queasy, reading it, afraid I was going to plummet vicariously to the pavement below, or crap my pants, as the case may have been. There are a few areas in the book, mostly toward the beginning, where a stilted, industrial-manualeze takes over, probably for the sake of expediency in describing the technical aspects of the job, which were intriguing in their own right, but during the 98% of the book where Ivor writes in what seems to be his natural storytelling voice - witty, compassionate, confident,poetic - the writing shines! I would have liked a few chronological references in the D.C. sections. I lived in D.C. during the `80s and would have liked to revisit DC Space and 9:30 Club through Ivor's eyes more. Also, I was dying to see inside his 13th Street apartment some more, just out of nosiness. Plus, what's with the bananas? Also, excuse my saying so, but I don't think he should offer his parents a discount on their windows anymore. That windowly rate is way too cheap. I sure hope he writes a sequel about his subsequent adventures. And I think he would make an excellent fiction writer.

Ivor Hanson's "Life on the Ledge" is a very good, enjoyable read--especially for those who enjoy tales of New York City life. [It's sort of similar to the Joel Kostman's "Keys to the City" (the memoir of a NY City locksmith), in that it gives you an inside look at the way New Yorkers live their lives.]
The elements of sex, voyeurism and risk are handled deftly, and Hanson's insightful observations of the people and situations which make New York a people watcher's paradise are a treat.
I would definitely recommend this book to others, and have already sent several copies to friends who are former New Yorkers. And I think that the book has universal appeal--who hasn't watched a window cleaner without wondering, "who would ever do a job like that?"--and will be interesting to people from outside the Big Apple.