Younger Than Springtime (O'Malley Novels (Forge Paperback)) [Mass Market Paperback]

Andrew M. Greeley (Author)

Book Description

Series: O'Malley Novels (Forge Paperback) | Publication Date: September 15, 2000

The bestselling author of A Midwinter's Tale returns with a heartfelt sequel

Father Andrew M. Greeley returns to the saga of the O'Malley family with his signature blend of humor, classic American values and heart-rending storytelling.

Charles "Chucky" Cronin has come home to Chicago in one piece after a chaotic tour in post WWII Germany. And though his family thinks he's "become a man," Chucky knows he still has a lot of growing up to do. Anxious to attend Notre Dame and get his life back on in order, Chucky is quickly sidetracked by the beautiful, raven-haired, haunting (and haunted) Rosemarie, a girl as fresh-faced and clever as she is doomed. Conflicts with a mob boss and a tendency to ruffle the feathers of those in charge combine to land Chucky in even more hot water. Luckily, a quick wit and an old fashioned sense of right and wrong (along with a dose of Heavenly help) save him when tensions reach the boiling point. Can Chucky come of age in a difficult and heady time, holding on to his integrity while discovering the secret to love?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The leisurely, enjoyable sequel to Greeley's A Midwinter's Tale again follows the O'Malley family of Chicago. Here he chronicles the romantic and spiritual fortunes of returned soldier Chuck O'Malley, who comes home in 1949, having been stationed for two years in postwar Germany. Enrolling in Notre Dame, he finds himself chafing against the narrow intellectual limits of the curriculum, and he also struggles mightily, even self-mockingly, with the sin of lust. The conversational, reflective first-person narration sets a relaxed tone as Chuck, admiring the two-piece bathing suits newly in vogue, develops a passion for photography. The central image, bookending the novel, is a snapshot Chuck takes of beautiful Rosemarie Clancy, the troubled alcoholic daughter of Chuck's father's best friend. The photo of Rosemarie, in d?shabill?, gets Chuck into trouble at Notre Dame and concatenates his search for spiritual meaning within the strict prohibitions of the Church. Chuck and Rosemarie's lifelong mutual attraction permeates the novel, with Greeley shifting focus in the middle of the book to Chuck's father, John. The elder O'Malley tells of how he met Chuck's mother, and the part Rosemarie's father, Jim Clancy, played in the eventual union. John O'Malley's story is deftly set in the center of Chuck's saga, creating correlative resonances that would be less graceful and harmonious in a single plot line. Greeley conveys a palpable nostalgia, as if each story of love won and lost is simply the latest echo of an earlier story, itself the echo of another. He captures, with signature expertise, both the essence (torturous guilt over sexual longings and transgressions) and the evocative details (students forbidden to read Ulysses, descriptions of women's fortresslike undergarments) of growing up Catholic in the late '40s. By the end, where Greeley skillfully ties up one plot line as he keeps the other aloft for the next book, readers may discover that they, too have been romancedAby an expert storyteller. $100,000 ad/promo. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

"Chuck" Cronin O'Malley is back, safe in Chicago after his tour of duty in post-World War II Germany. But then he finds himself in conflict with a mob boss even as he falls in love with lovely Rosemarie.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books (September 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812590260
• ISBN-13: 978-0812590265
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,209,655 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great follow-up to A Mid-Winter's Tale, March 22, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Younger Than Springtime (Hardcover)

Sorry but I disagree with Lombard, Illinois-this was a very fast read-I finished it in 2 days. The pages couldn't turn fast enough for me to keep up with Chucky & the rest of the O'Malley family. The 2nd half of the book, John's Love Story was really moving-how Chuck's father, John The Evangelist O'Malley(yes, it was his middle name)met & fell in love with the good April, who it turned out was supposedly "engaged" to Jim Clancy, who would become the lowlife father of Chuck's true love, Rosemarie. John's Story takes place from 1918-1925 & is an integral part of the O'Malley legend. If you've already read A Mid-Winter's Tale, scoop this one up fast & you'll be caught up in it in no time. Can't wait for the next installment, which I've no doubt should be out sometime next year.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars YOUNGER THAN SPRINGTIME, March 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Younger Than Springtime (Hardcover)

JUST FINISHED THIS BOOK FINALLY! FOR MR. GREELEY THIS WAS A VERY SLOW READ. A MIDWINTER'S TALE WAS MUCH MORE INTERESTING. I WILL HOWEVER LOOK FORWARD TO THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF THE CRAZY O'MALLEY'S.

4.0 out of 5 stars Multiple Love Stories, August 16, 2008

By 

W. Easley "Opa" (Colorado Rocky Mountains) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Younger Than Springtime (O'Malley Novels (Forge Paperback)) (Mass Market Paperback)

Younger then Springtime is the second novel in the "O'Malley series by Andrew Greeley. This story is really two love stories, one for Charles, the other for his father John.

Charles, now home from the military attempts to get his life together. He makes friends with fellow veterans, gets a job at an accounting firm and prepares to go college. He does well with his new friends, his job and his classes at college. With women, however, he is in trouble. Somehow his family and friends know more than he does about what Chucky needs to do to be happy and well adjusted. Chuck's "love" story is frustrating for him as he often is reluctant to admit his feelings. Chuck establishes his own barrier to his courtships by trying to reason his way through his relationships with women.

The other "love" story concerns John, Chucky's father. The story is told through Chucky reading his father's journal about his life thirty years before. John has many barriers to love. He has a vision of the "right" woman and delays courtship until he can find her. John thinks he has found her when he meets his best friend's girl. The tension between John's love and his "honor" to his friend makes a fascinating tale.

As a love and courtship story, this is one of the better of Greeley's novels. There are no detailed sexual images. The relationships are realistic but show appreciation for the interactions between the genders. Younger than Springtime is a family story. The O'Malley family are people who seem to respect and love one another. Their life together is filled with humor and self regard. This novel provides a positive example of family life, not idealistic like "The Cosby Show", or "The Brady Bunch", but authentic and loving - a family with problems they handle with love and respect. The O'Malleys are people that listen to one another and accept each other. This is a fine novel that I recommend for the family life alone.