Man of the Family [Hardcover]

Kathleen Karr (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

A moving father-son story.

At ten, Istvan Csere is learning from his father all about running the family's chicken farm in South Jersey. The father, a flamboyant, proud character who fled Hungary with Istvan's mother on the brink of the First World War, has great plans for his family and their little farm. And Istvan is increasingly aware of his own responsibilities in helping to realize these dreams. First steps are taken -- money is saved for an electrical generator, seedlings for a fruit orchard are planted. Then something terrible happens and Istvan must suddenly take over as man of the family, having to rely on the lessons learned from his father sooner than he ever expected. Transforming her own family history into compelling historical fiction, Kathleen Karr examines a pivotal year in her father's childhood -- a year that changed his life forever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Karr (The Great Turkey Walk) captures the hopes and trials of a first-generation Hungarian family struggling to build a farm in southern New Jersey after WWI. She characterizes the five siblings and their parents as a tightly knit group yet clearly differentiates their personalities. The novel's greatest strength is the relationship between the 10-year-old narrator, Istv n, and his soft-spoken, industrious father, Apa. As the eldest son describes the events of a single year, he portrays the importance of his father's role and foreshadows events to come. For example, early in the novel, Apa finds work in Philadelphia, and while he's away the family nearly botches their livelihood. But Karr also communicates the family's strength during Apa's stint away; when the mortgage man arrives with a lascivious proposition to compensate for their missing payments, Anya, Istv n's gentle mother, slaps the man. Hence, the author offers readers some reassurance when the characters later must confront Apa's more sustained absence. Historical details abound (e.g., the second son's passionate interest in automobiles conveys their novelty; Istv n and Apa construct their own radio set), yet the childhood themes will be easily recognizable to readers today. They will root for Istv n as he steps into his father's shoes and remember these winning characters long after the final page has turned. Ages 10-up. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Grade 4-8-The man of the Csere family is Apa, a lively and enthusiastic fellow who left Hungary to raise his family in America. He is seen through the eyes of his 10-year-old son Istv n, who narrates this warm tale set in South Jersey in the 1920s. The boy loves his father's energetic and optimistic approach to life, and the humor that comes along with it. Apa lets Istv n watch and learn as he schemes to get rid of a weasel, remove stumps with dynamite, and construct a crystal radio set. While his plans aren't always immediately successful, Apa's magnetic and dauntless spirit comes through beautifully. Istv n shows less enthusiasm, however, when his father declares that he must perform on the violin at a Christmas program. Still, Apa's stern insistence, coupled with Istv n's own inner resources, results in a fine performance and a lesson learned. The episodes are amusing and sometimes fascinating, but the warm relationship between father and son lies at the heart of this excellent novel. When Apa dies from an appendicitis attack, Istv n has to take on the role of "man of the family" far sooner than he anticipated. The sad ending is balanced by the boy's realization that he has learned enough from his father to try bravely to follow in his footsteps.
Steven Engelfried, Deschutes County Library, Bend, OR
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR); 1st edition (September 21, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0374347646
• ISBN-13: 978-0374347642
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,011,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Man of the Family, September 13, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Man of the Family (Hardcover)

Man of the Family by Kathleen Karr is an historical fiction that is somewhat based on the experiences of Karr's father when he was a young boy. The story takes place in South Jersey in the year 1924. Here, an Hungarian immigrant couple are raising their five children on a chicken farm. Once a school teacher in Hungary, the father of this family, named Mihaly, is now forced to rely on farming for support since teaching in the United States requires a better knowledge of the English language than he has. Even though he can't teach in a classroom, Mihaly still spends his time teaching life's lessons to his children, especially to his eldest son Istvan. Istvan at 10 years old takes on many of the responsibilities of the chicken farm as he works alongside his father to make improvements on the farm. Even though Istvan thinks he is only helping his father, he is actually learning a lot about himself. All of these lessons will be recalled for Istvan in the face of a sudden tragedy. This is a very heart-warming, well-written book. It is nice to read a book that emphasizes family values and the influence of a good father on a family. Karr brings her father's life to this book in an eloquent, inspiring way. This book is worth the read for not only children, but for people of all ages!

4.0 out of 5 stars karen 's book review, October 31, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Man of the Family (Hardcover)

Well i like ny book because it talks about a boy at youn age has to rean how to be the msn of the family. He had to learn how to run the chicken farm and he also had to take care of his little baby brothers ans sisters.There was nothing i didn't like about this book every thing was good.The most thing i like about this book it was that they explain every thing detail by detail. I would tell all my friends to read this book becouse is a great book to read. My questions would be is this book base on a true story.My stongest reason i would recommending that this book is so good and maight even make you want to cry.my favorite characteris Istvan becouse he is the boy who had to run the house and the chicken same time. I like this line becouse it remains me of my auncle that said something like that There is no picninc with out a proper bottle of fine bear.(on pg. 132)