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Eine Geschichte von Liebe und Tod
Vidamia Farrell, half Puerto Rican, half Irish, sets out in search of the father she's never known. Her journey takes her from the affluent suburban home of her mother and stepfather to Manhattan's Lower East Side, where her father, Billy Farrell, lives with his second family. Once a gifted jazz pianist, Billy lost two fingers in the Vietnam War and thereafter shut himself off from the music he loved, tormented by guilt for having allowed his Marine buddy Joey to die.
Vidamia is determined to bring her father back to jazz. Along the way, she gains a new understanding of herself, particularly through her blond half sister - Cookie, a sassy, street-smart homegirl, and Fawn, a lonely young poet plagued with a secret - and through Billy's wife, Lurleen. Vidamia's connection to her new family troubles her mother, Elsa Santiago. The estrangement between mother and daughter deepens as Vidamia becomes involved with Wyndell Ross, a young African-American jazz saxophonist who provokes in her an awareness of her complex roots. In forging her identity, Vidamia must ultimately confront a harrowing vortex of violence whose devastating consequences threaten the family harmony she has sought.
- GenresFiction
Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
January 10, 2017
Američka je bre, tako je prokleto američka do srži, do ispod srži, do krvi, ma do ispod krvi, ako ima gde ispod. Otuda to samopouzdanje sa naslovnice, trebalo je da znam i pre čitanja. Ponosno nošenje vrlina i mana podjednako, isticanje i jednih i drugih, ali uvek sa ljubavlju, uvek. Američko društvo s kraja prošlog veka, nikad prevaziđeni rasni problemi, ratne traume, nasilje i muzika. O, tako mnogo muzike.
Odsustvo lirike u načinu pisanja, odsustvo viška reči, odsustvo viška misli, odsustvo ikakvih stilskih figura, odsustvo skrivenih značenja, kotrljajući sirova realnost koja piše samu sebe. Do kostiju ogoljena proza koja se ne citira, na sedam stotina strana. Usput i galopirajuća enciklopedija najslobodnije i najčudnije od svih muzika. Džezerska je totalno.
https://bezimenaknjizevnazadruga.word...
Odsustvo lirike u načinu pisanja, odsustvo viška reči, odsustvo viška misli, odsustvo ikakvih stilskih figura, odsustvo skrivenih značenja, kotrljajući sirova realnost koja piše samu sebe. Do kostiju ogoljena proza koja se ne citira, na sedam stotina strana. Usput i galopirajuća enciklopedija najslobodnije i najčudnije od svih muzika. Džezerska je totalno.
https://bezimenaknjizevnazadruga.word...
August 23, 2007
i hate hate hate hate hate this book. the writing itself is fine. i believe the author was a playwright and this was his first novel, and it's entertaining for sure. it's all exciting and something or other if you live on the lower east side now that gentrification has come and shat itself down. you can read all about how you wouldn't have survived for 13 seconds in your neighborhood just a short while ago. it is, however, too long. and too intro-to-___________ (black studies, critical race theory, feminist theory, sociology, urban studies, economics...any intro class offered that has any relevance).
the protagonist is intolerable because Yunque has her holding the entire weight of his very heavyhanded lessons. she is a half-puerto rican, half-irish woman who goes to find her (brilliant jazz musician, vietnam vet, bluecollar) white dad and ends up making his new white family (with a hermaphrodite youngest sibling, a "jive-talking" older sister and an irish barmaid grandmother) hers while falling in love with a black jazz musician. oh, and her mom is a self-loathing wealthy puerto rican who lives uptown and disapproves of everything vidamia does. i liked her stepmom, who seemed as stoned and mellow throughout the whole novel as i wish i had been. though, to his credit, the author does make the book go by much faster than the girth would suggest.
after you've gotten to the end of this 4 bajillion page book and can't figure out why you've done it, you are slammed with one of the most intensely violent, horrifying, disgusting, brutal events imaginable. which is incredibly realistic and devastating. the author has spent the appropriate amount of time introducing you to the lives of the perps, and while there is still no questioning the reaction yunque wants from his reader, for the first time in the novel he has earned it.
BUT THEN...he wraps it up in the next chapter all happy-like. i was so upset by the violence and so angry at the ending that i actually physically put this book out on my fire escape for three nights. it rained, which is why i no longer have a copy that i'd be willing to sell/swap. sorry!
the protagonist is intolerable because Yunque has her holding the entire weight of his very heavyhanded lessons. she is a half-puerto rican, half-irish woman who goes to find her (brilliant jazz musician, vietnam vet, bluecollar) white dad and ends up making his new white family (with a hermaphrodite youngest sibling, a "jive-talking" older sister and an irish barmaid grandmother) hers while falling in love with a black jazz musician. oh, and her mom is a self-loathing wealthy puerto rican who lives uptown and disapproves of everything vidamia does. i liked her stepmom, who seemed as stoned and mellow throughout the whole novel as i wish i had been. though, to his credit, the author does make the book go by much faster than the girth would suggest.
after you've gotten to the end of this 4 bajillion page book and can't figure out why you've done it, you are slammed with one of the most intensely violent, horrifying, disgusting, brutal events imaginable. which is incredibly realistic and devastating. the author has spent the appropriate amount of time introducing you to the lives of the perps, and while there is still no questioning the reaction yunque wants from his reader, for the first time in the novel he has earned it.
BUT THEN...he wraps it up in the next chapter all happy-like. i was so upset by the violence and so angry at the ending that i actually physically put this book out on my fire escape for three nights. it rained, which is why i no longer have a copy that i'd be willing to sell/swap. sorry!
July 26, 2009
So far I love this! I am completely sucked in, the women are very well written and rounded (I was surprised when I realize the author's a guy!) and everyone is so fascinating that when it jumps from character to character I don't even play favorites and wish for the next jump--I am totally engaged with all of them. Too bad I'm only about 150 pages in and it's already overdue to the library....
UPDATE: I don't know what happened to old Edgardo, but about halfway through he forgets how to write good dialogue, and the whole thing deteriorates into a melodramatic mess. No longer recommended.
UPDATE: I don't know what happened to old Edgardo, but about halfway through he forgets how to write good dialogue, and the whole thing deteriorates into a melodramatic mess. No longer recommended.
April 11, 2015
Another loved one!! Read for an English course and couldn't put it down. It seriously consumed my every break, passing classes, while I sat and waited for classes to start, well you get the point. A worth read because of how the author captures and sucks you in......
October 23, 2008
I was drawn to this book for it's many references to the Lower East Side where I live, but it's an incredibly engrossing book even if you don't give a crap about the setting.
February 22, 2013
It is an eighties West Side Story with jazz.
October 15, 2021
I don't remember why I added this book to my TBR, but it was my challenge to read my longest book so I buckled down to tackle this monster.
At first, it drug on and on. I couldn't figure out who was who or what was going on. But once it finally clicked I enjoyed it very much. I loved the cultural and racial discussions and disparities between characters, the inclusion of an intersex character (though spoiler they are brutally assaulted and murdered, so be wary of trigger warnings), and the sweeping of years of this families life and growth together and apart. Poignant and will stick with me for a long time.
At first, it drug on and on. I couldn't figure out who was who or what was going on. But once it finally clicked I enjoyed it very much. I loved the cultural and racial discussions and disparities between characters, the inclusion of an intersex character (though spoiler they are brutally assaulted and murdered, so be wary of trigger warnings), and the sweeping of years of this families life and growth together and apart. Poignant and will stick with me for a long time.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2017
He was super heavy handed with Vee and her struggles with race and defining herself, everything about Elsa, a lot of things. The violent scene was way too much. The metaphors just didn't do it for me.
But I made it through 782 pages so that's gotta be worth a star or two. Some of the characters were good, I liked Lulu who only made two appearances, Maud should have had more time...some of them were absurd. The way Cookie spoke. The way Lurleen was constantly sweetness and thoughtful light but completely checked out. Wasn't worth the shoulder strain of carrying around, all in all.
But I made it through 782 pages so that's gotta be worth a star or two. Some of the characters were good, I liked Lulu who only made two appearances, Maud should have had more time...some of them were absurd. The way Cookie spoke. The way Lurleen was constantly sweetness and thoughtful light but completely checked out. Wasn't worth the shoulder strain of carrying around, all in all.
January 28, 2018
Just noticed Wikipedia lists a 'genre' for Bill Bailey as 'family saga, jazz fiction'. That would have made Edgardo crazy! He insisted that 'fiction' is a genre. Poetry is a genre. He would have called a designation like 'family saga' within fiction a category. And he took those words very seriously.
March 15, 2025
It took me forever to find this title. I remember it as one of my all time favs & gave to nan as arc from sq bks. I remember the almost jazzy riffs of writing style. And heartbreaking quality of story. How a young girl tried to hold her family together in ghetto odds. Was lengthy but well worth the read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2020
The story was great but very detailed. Loved the main character Vidamia. Too much swearing and blaspheming which wasn't necessary to tell the story. But it's a book worth reading if you can get passed the bad language.
March 19, 2022
Thought about writing a long review detailing all the problems I had with this book (and acknowledging the few aspects I did like) but I think my general feeling can be summed up with the following question: who on Earth is this book for?
September 2, 2017
I loved this book. Every improvisation (exploration of race, jazz, ptsd) as masterful of the jazz greatest named.
February 5, 2012
This has to be one of the most amazing books I have ever read! Sprawling in scope, yet it kept my interest throughout its entire 790 pages. The story of Vidamía, Billy Farrell and their life and family was actually quite simple and probably could have been told in a lot less pages, but it definitely would not have been the same experience.
I guess some would say the story rambled – it provided detailed histories of many of the lesser characters and seemed to jump all over the place at times. However, Yunqué pulled this off brilliantly. I really loved these histories of the characters, especially some of the details of Southern rural life as seen through the eyes of Pop Butterworth, Buck Sanderson, and Lurleen’s family. Some of the Buck Sanderson story was also very erotic including his early sexual encounters! Then there was the constant overlay of music and jazz in particular with guest appearances by Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, etc.
I also loved all the information about New York Puerto Rican culture and the discussions about race and color (especially the arguments between Vidamía and Wyn about the meaning of being black and people of color). There was also the irony of how Vidamía learns more about her Puerto Rican culture by hanging out with her white half sister than from her Puerto Rican mother and stepfather.
As I was reading, I knew that the story was leading to a tragic conclusion but I was still shocked by its outcome. I thought the scene where Billy finally regained the memory he lost in Vietnam, the true story of why his friend was murdered and what led up to it was overwhelming. I was hoping that everything would work out for Billy and his family but the story reminds us that tragedy and pain can always intervene in life.
I guess some would say the story rambled – it provided detailed histories of many of the lesser characters and seemed to jump all over the place at times. However, Yunqué pulled this off brilliantly. I really loved these histories of the characters, especially some of the details of Southern rural life as seen through the eyes of Pop Butterworth, Buck Sanderson, and Lurleen’s family. Some of the Buck Sanderson story was also very erotic including his early sexual encounters! Then there was the constant overlay of music and jazz in particular with guest appearances by Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, etc.
I also loved all the information about New York Puerto Rican culture and the discussions about race and color (especially the arguments between Vidamía and Wyn about the meaning of being black and people of color). There was also the irony of how Vidamía learns more about her Puerto Rican culture by hanging out with her white half sister than from her Puerto Rican mother and stepfather.
As I was reading, I knew that the story was leading to a tragic conclusion but I was still shocked by its outcome. I thought the scene where Billy finally regained the memory he lost in Vietnam, the true story of why his friend was murdered and what led up to it was overwhelming. I was hoping that everything would work out for Billy and his family but the story reminds us that tragedy and pain can always intervene in life.
October 20, 2014
I do not recommend but if you do read, I hope you enjoy the first 150 pages because after that the story goes down hill, the writing becomes incoherent and the sentences run on longer (like this one) and the characters become caricatures of themselves.
To give you a snippet of how bad it got, here is a paragraph from page 456 of the hardcover edition.
That night she made love to Barry wildly, devouring his mouth with such ardor that, although he enjoyed himself, he wondered what had come over his wife. She rode him violently and when her orgasm took over she bit him and pounded his arms and chest with such force that he grabbed her and shook her until she was crying, and then he raped her brutally. He apologized but she was lost in her world. He got up, turned on the lights, and asked her what was the matter.
The husband didn't rape her and than ask what was the matter. This had to have been a typo and there are so many of lines like this one that makes you scratch your head and wonder if they author was drunk, high or losing his mind when he was writing this book.
To give you a snippet of how bad it got, here is a paragraph from page 456 of the hardcover edition.
That night she made love to Barry wildly, devouring his mouth with such ardor that, although he enjoyed himself, he wondered what had come over his wife. She rode him violently and when her orgasm took over she bit him and pounded his arms and chest with such force that he grabbed her and shook her until she was crying, and then he raped her brutally. He apologized but she was lost in her world. He got up, turned on the lights, and asked her what was the matter.
The husband didn't rape her and than ask what was the matter. This had to have been a typo and there are so many of lines like this one that makes you scratch your head and wonder if they author was drunk, high or losing his mind when he was writing this book.
February 25, 2010
This diabolical account of an Irish/Puerto Rican youngster growing up in NYC with her mom and step dad. I'm drawn into the story by the references to early jazz history. Vidamia's real father, a permanently injured (physically and emotionally) Vietnam veteran, finds himself face to face with this young but oh so wise daughter who insists, but nicely, on getting to know the father whom she was told abandoned her in utero. As Vidamia seeks connections with her absent parent, she also appears to be teaching her overbearing and discontent mother how to achieve human sensitivities.
Although the references to PTS make this reader sad, the book has also given me cause to re-think some of my own life's experiences and question what has made me tick for all of these years. I love when a book asks me to re-invent myself.
I must thank my son, Matthew, for this goodread!
Although the references to PTS make this reader sad, the book has also given me cause to re-think some of my own life's experiences and question what has made me tick for all of these years. I love when a book asks me to re-invent myself.
I must thank my son, Matthew, for this goodread!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 10, 2012
Interesting book. Although, I felt the author over-wrote. By midway thru, I found myself reading the book like a textbook: first sentence, last sentence, skip....get to the point! I also think that the subplots would have made this a better trilogy or series than a single tome. Language of some of the characters didn't see authentic...the Spanglish was captured well tho. Worth the read if only for the ending. Unfortunately, you have to sludge thru 500+ pages of literary loquacity that's inconsistently compelling.
October 4, 2007
Its 782 pages. Deal with it.
There is so much going on in this novel, it's hard to even think about where to start. Most of the book takes place on the LES and revolves around Vidamia, a real pistol of a teenager. Life is not easy for most of the characters--the narrative emotionally intense, romantic about old New York (and jazz) and makes you really miss the characters as soon as you're done reading it.
I <3'ed it--a good vacation book along the lines of THE BROTHERS K
There is so much going on in this novel, it's hard to even think about where to start. Most of the book takes place on the LES and revolves around Vidamia, a real pistol of a teenager. Life is not easy for most of the characters--the narrative emotionally intense, romantic about old New York (and jazz) and makes you really miss the characters as soon as you're done reading it.
I <3'ed it--a good vacation book along the lines of THE BROTHERS K
December 7, 2008
When I first picked up this book, I thought I'd never get through it, but the story and the characters grabbed me immediately. While sometimes Vidamia's conflicts felt a little like teen angst, the rest of the story, characters and setting are so engrossing and well written that it's overshadowed. I also enjoyed the references to music and the portrayal of the lifetime musicians who do it because they love it but never 'make it.'
August 25, 2011
Man, this was beautiful, except during that bit toward when it painfully wasn't, and the fact that it was in significant part about individual identity in multicultural contexts didn't even irritate me. Plus, it made me listen to a whole bunch of classic jazz and like it. You know how a book can do that for you, like it's lending you a whole facility for aesthetic appreciation that you never had before? Yeah, like that.
February 25, 2008
I heard him read at the 92nd St Y and was moved to read this book that goes back 150 years to after the Vietnam War. Parts are not as well written as I would like but it is truly a memorable book set in NY, both Scarsdale and the lower east side. It will stay with you
July 7, 2009
Great story that weaved together the histories of multiple generations. Lots of character development for multiple characters made for a complex and rich story that sucks you in. Loved it, though very heart-breaking and violent at moments.
July 12, 2012
Found it really interesting for the first part - but had to stop by Goodreads to see if this long-winded style kept up through the rest of the book.
Honestly, I dont know yet if I like it or not, but its hard to put down :)
Liked the story of an Irish/Puerto Rican girl, very unsually written.
Honestly, I dont know yet if I like it or not, but its hard to put down :)
Liked the story of an Irish/Puerto Rican girl, very unsually written.
May 17, 2013
Beautiful, painful, wise, sprawling, and gripping all at once -- a masterfully done sweeping tale hung not on its grandeur but on the vividness and humanity of the interconnected stories of the full characters he creates.
March 17, 2016
I picked up this book because it was the longest one I could find and I wasn't dissapointed. The descriptions of music are good. Caution, some of the violence is not for the faint of heart.
November 26, 2007
This book is terrific tale of identity, family and American music. Also features one of the longest titles in American literature.
January 11, 2008
It is really good-- a lot of digressions and wandering prose, but fascinating. Good for people who like Jazz and experimental fiction.
May 6, 2008
I love this book! Vidamia is so unforgettable. Great family saga about multicultural America.
August 26, 2008
Just wonderful.
July 22, 2010
Really long but interesting look at life in the US.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews