Customer Reviews

The edge of sadness

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As I was reading THE EDGE OF SADNESS, I couldn't help but think that in 1961, when this Pulitzer Prize winning novel was published, it must have been rather controversial. It dealt with the humanity of priests, noting flaws but in a respectful manner. While some writers such as Georges Bernanos dealt with such issues in his DIARY OF A COUNTRY PRIEST, American audiences were still used to the Hollywood Big Screen concoctions of Spencer Tracy--Father Flanagan/Bing Crosby--Father O'Malley models of priesthood. While the priest in THE EDGE OF SADNESS may be worthy of the warmth and love given to his movie counterparts, he's hardly perfect.

The novel tells the story of an alcoholic priest named Hugh Kennedy beginning again in ministry in an older, run down parish. Readers get a sense he's not the priest he once was, and throughout the novel we learn of his early ministry, the ramifications of the death of his father, the struggle with alcohol, and the loneliness that is a real part of his life. The book is written in the first person, and we hear the story of his life as he tells of his rekindling of a friendship with the Carmody family: Charlie, the patriarch, his son John the priest, Dan, the ne'er do well, Helen, the outspoken sister married to a doctor and Mary, the daughter who remains at home to care for the aging but still independent and at times ruthless Charlie. We also meet a host of minor characters: Helen's husband Frank, their son and daughter-in-law Ted and Anne, Charlie's longtime friends P.J. and Bucky, Roy, the maintenance man who works at Fr. Kennedy's church, and Fr. Stanley Danowski, the endearing yet naïve and at time nerdy young curate at Fr. Kennedy's parish. As the events of the novel unfold, we see changes in Fr. Kennedy as he discovers his love for God and his vocation.

This is an older style novel in many ways. O'Connor is not short on words and he gives a number of details, yet the novel flows and is a fast read for a volume of nearly 650 pages. The issues of struggles in priesthood, vitality of parishes, older priest verses younger priest, unstated yet real competition between clergy people, and a hunger for God are all present in this book. In some ways if some historical details were changed in the book, it could be about modern day Catholic life. Perhaps this is the power of this book and why it can seem timeless. While it tells a story from an earlier day, it's not an invitation for nostalgia, at least for Catholic readers. Instead it will remind readers of what truly matters in life: the importance of faith, and the importance of having people who love us and people we love in return. While it may seem dated in some ways, readers will agree that the editors at Loyola Press were correct in reissuing this book as a classic.

Edwin O'Connor wrote about the Irish. Not the near mythical folk of the Emerald Isle, but the gritty, down-to-earth, American Irish of which he was one. They say a writer of fiction must write about that which he knows best, and O'Connor has clearly demonstrated in such books as "All in the Family", "The Last Hurrah", and especially "The Edge of Sadness"--my personal favourite--that he knew the Irish immigrant community of Boston as well as anyone.

Parochial American Irish culture and society in the 1950's and 1960's provide the intricately detailed back-drop for all his stories, but this book in particular has much greater depth and applicability. The specific tale of Irish-American Roman Catholic priest Hugh Kennedy is nothing more than the subtext for the broader human search for the meaning of life! In this case compelling Faith (or the disturbing loss thereof) is the stuff of meaning for Father Hugh, and the books tracks his course through callow youth and subsequent middle age as he eventually comes to terms with his religion and its place in his life. Throughout this rambling journey of self-discovery, it's the frequently aggravating, sometimes venal, often blindly prejudiced, and ultimately very entertaining menagerie of ethnic characters that gives context to a drifting existence. (O'Connor comes perilously close to stereotyping much of the time, yet his pure literary virtuosity and unfailing grasp for vernacular Irish dialogue saves him every time!) It is these Irish Americans themselves that ultimately provide the sustenance and direction and support that allows Hugh Kennedy to make his uneasy peace with the world.

The Irish it seems are a sad and melancholy lot. But then aren't we all, if we can't find a place in the universe where we can ultimately find happiness and contentment. Here's to you, Father Hugh, who walked to that abyssal edge of despair and had the courage to draw back and go on living! And here's to you, Edwin O'Connor, who has written a marvellously moving and engaging novel!

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Pure poetry. Edwin O'Conner should be one of our best known, most read and most beloved American authors. O'connor's traditional writing style is powerful and expressive, and the images and characters he creates are so brutally honest and alive; yet he is so incredibly tender in the way he treats the frailness of the human condition. The only problem is that this is a very obscure book to find if you want to own a copy (or even if you don't.) On the recomendation of a friend I went to a local library. One goes to the corner Barnes and Noble or Borders and sees rack after rack filled with Steinbeck and Hemingway, someone from Mars would never know to go searching for Edwin O'Connor, and that is truly a loss.

Every now and again I'm asked to list the 5 best books I've ever read. My list always starts with The Edge of Sadness. O'Connor's story is simple, but beautiful. Most readers will relate to it on some level and will have a better appreciation and understanding of the people in their lives who "are" O'Connor's characters. Don't be surprised if this book has a subtle yet profound effect on the way you perceive and interact with the people in your life. You will most likely understand them and their lonely struggles much better. This book will stay on your bookshelf for many years to come and you will undoubtedly return to its pages often.

This simple but beautiful bittersweet story of life among the Irish-American citizens of an unnamed eastern city is a joyful and beguiling tale. O'Connor's characterizations and dialogues are engaging and from my personal experience utterly authentic. I feel as though I have met all the main chacters and could give them names among family and acquaintances. The set piece of Father Kennedy' battle with alcoholism is tastefully done.

I love this book. Whenever I see a copy, I buy it and give it to a friend. Some words that come to mind are touching, familiar, hilarious and nostalgic. While nothing much happens in the book, O'Connor's ear for dialogue and his sense of the absurd keep you turning the pages eagerly. I felt that I had already met all these improbable characters in real life. I am Irish and a priest and I felt that he knows more about me than I know about myself. This book won't ever be reprinted because of the overt views of his characters on political and ethnic developments as they affected Irish America - so grab a copy if you see one!

O'Connor has written a strongly character-driven, bittersweet novel which explores many very raw human emotions - lonliness, despair, love, frustration, desire to be loved...all themes which are just as modern today as when first written. Which isn't to give the impression that the book is a dry or moralistic account of people's lives - on the contrary, it is fast-moving and very real. It explores the life of Father Kennedy and his own private struggles, and the lives of the Carmody family of his childhood, and by the end of the book, you wish O'Connor would have continued for another 200 pages telling us more about what happens to each character...excellent reading.

I was so glad to see the reviews here. I too read this book some years ago and have never failed to put it in my top 10 best books. The Last Hurrah, by the same author has the same quality that makes you remember it for a long time after you have read it. I have been trying to find similar books that make me feel the same way and nothing has even come close, including recently popular works like Waiting, the Hours etc. This book along with a Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Love in the time of Cholera and The Winter of Our Discontent will always be the best--though I am hoping for something to replace them. Read this book. You will not regret it.

Edwin O'Connor is truly a wordsmith. He takes the reader into the thoughtful world of Father Kennedy, and by the end of the book each character is known and cherished for his or her own individuality. O'Connor recognizes that everyone has redeeming characteristics - the oafish curate is an example of someone who earns our respect for his unflinching honesty and loyalty. I was deeply touched by several characters and their deceptively simple presentation by O'Connor. This is a book that will stay with the reader - its values are timeless.

The "Edge of Sadness" reflects the lives of a family and a recovering alcoholic priest in a undetermined New England city. (Personally I think it's O'Connor's hometown of Providence, Rhode Island.) The priest, Hugh Kennedy, reconnects with a family he knew well before his alcoholism forced him to leave his parish. The patriarch, a conniving man in his eighties, invites Kennedy to a party celebrating his alleged eighty-second birthday. (He's actually eighty-one.) O'Connor masterfully portrays the family during the celebration. Over time Kennedy draws closer to the patriarch and his eldest son, an old friend of Kennedy's. O'Connor also sharply portrays the varied characters in Kennedy's new parish, an old, decaying church in a slum of the unnamed city. O'Connor deftly weaves the tale of Father Kennedy with the unexpected trials and tribulations facing the family. This is a worthy book. It won the 1962 Pulitzer Prize in fiction; O'Connor was the first Irish-American writer to win this prize.