The City Below

by James Carroll

As the previously inseparable Doyle brothers come of age in Boston during the 1960s, the alliances they forge create a rivalry that no blood tie can overcome

Genres: Fiction

422 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

James Carroll was born in Chicago and raised in Washington, D.C. He has been a civil rights worker, an antiwar activist, and a community organizer in Washington and New York. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1969 and served as Catholic chaplain at Boston University. Carroll left the priesthood to become a novelist and playwright. He lives in Boston with his wife, the novelist Alexandra Marshall, and their two children.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another keeper from the prolific Jim Carroll!

I probably enjoyed his American Requiem more. But this one's still a winner.

In another decade or two, I look fwd to rereading it again. Granted it's over 400 pp. long. So it takes a nice, long chunk of time to digest. But it's well worth the effort in the end.

In many respects, it strikes me like a novelized version of much of the content of Lukas's Common Ground. This one is (more) centered in Charlestown, perhaps; but The City Below also takes us out to Chestnut Hill (B.C.), Cambridge (Harvard) & Weston as well as other parts of Beantown &--mostly--"the Town." (It also spends plenty of time giving even non-Catholic readers a more privileged peek into some of the inner workings, political power plays, and spiritual machinations within "the Church"!)

I took a while to warm up to it. But the final third was pretty fast-paced, rewarding, & intense. Carroll knows how to limn realistic characters. And he has a good sense for including surprising plot twists that never strain credulity too, too much.

Carroll remains among my favorite columnists and novelists. He knows his material cold--academic, journalistic, historical, factual, psychological, etc. So that makes reading his books and columns a genuine pleasure for me....

[Abby · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I found the story engaging since it was about my city, I was often annoyed with the writing style. Each character had more than 1 nickname and the author would often switch back and forth between them, within even the same paragraph! Why? What could that really add to the story? Especially since the 2 main characters have Doyle as a last name. This nagging confusion in the back of my brain really impacted my ability to get lost in the story. Imagine this:

Nick went upstairs.
Doyle followed it with a smoke.
Afterwards, Squire washed his hands.

Do you know what’s happening??? No? Well, it’s the same person! Unless Doyle is referring to the brother, Terry. But Terry is also referred to as Charlie sometimes.

[Kristine Finocchario · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, dragged on a bit at times. The Kindle edition has a ridiculous amount of typos. It was very distracting.

[Linda Dunlavy · Rating 3 out of 5]

But for the ridiculously slow start, would have given this book a 4!

[B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first half of the book was more compelling than the second. Carroll draws his characters carefully and with subtlety. They are mostly very complex, with the visible person being very different than the person within. Sometimes that turns out to be sinister -- for example the one brother whose kindness and friendliness is a front -- and sometimes it points to very real internal conflicts. But the other brother makes changes to his life that become harder and harder to understand -- going from near-priest, to political aide, to real estate mogul. In the end he seems to find his inner strength at the same time that his brother's behavior becomes inexplicable. You know that competition between the brothers is at the heart of the story, but it is very hard to find the real causes of that rivalry, in part because neither brother ever expresses it to himself.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this up by chance at a used book store because I was interested in the historical setting in the city of Boston. Pros: cool references to Boston-area neighborhood histories and geography (and the transit system!), overall readability and exciting plot (I read this most of this book on vacation and on the airplane flights there and back, where it kept me engaged and entertained), and some depth and development in the main characters. Cons: needlessly graphic descriptions of both intimate scenes and violent scenes, excessive use of racial and ethnic slurs (beyond what I feel is justifiable by the story's setting in a different historical time and place), an ending that I didn't find totally satisfying, and what felt to me like a lack of attention to the book's female characters and their perspectives.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very appealing look at the city of Boston, more particularly, its inhabitants. The period Mr. Carroll covers is the Kennedy era and it's very interesting to read the author's ideas about the relationship between Boston's Irish Catholics and this family that they felt somewhat belonged to them.

While the plot was a little sketchy at times, I found the characters wholly interesting and well depicted.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an incredible portrait of Boston - Carroll's characters are as always, stellar, even as the storyline sometimes tends towards over-the-top theatrical (Shakespeare would clearly have set all his plays in Boston if Carroll and Scorsese are to be believed). Great read and an unusual undercurrent theme that looks at the Kennedy family and their effect on their city.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Carroll mixes questions of theology and philosophy of life in the story of two brothers with very different lives. He makes some good points about religion. I enjoyed the book and the mystery part of it was intriquing, also.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe because I live in Boston, but I could totally picture everywhere they were and went throughout Boston. I felt like I was right there with them. Interesting read, especially now that Whitey Bulger has been found and brought back to Boston!

[Marty Greenwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book. The two brothers...(good and evil) are somewhat a blend. Neither Nick (Squire0 is terrible all the time nor Terry good all the time. Good descriptors of mid-century Boston. Especially liked the details of Terry pre-ordination. Give it a 90.

[Eleanor · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a good book. If you know Boston, it would be more enjoyable. I wasn't familiar with the neighborhoods, so I found it a little confusing. The characters were interesting and very dynamic, no wishy-washies here.

[winniecooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

great if you live or have lived in Boston. Lots of local places and stories.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

great read about 2 brothers growing up in Boston . . . one takes the political route, one becomes a crime boss

[D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

boston from 60's through 80's, Irish (southies) against the italians. two brothers one a politician/priest, other involved in mob stuff, enjoyed, recommend

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite readable. A tad too long.

[Mary Spencer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not worth time nor money.