A Kid from Marlboro Road: A Novel

by Edward Burns

An Irish-American family comes to life through the eyes of a 13-year-old boy in this debut novel by actor-filmmaker Ed Burns, the first book in a trilogy.

Immigrants and storytellers, lilting voices and Long Island moxy are all part of this colorful Irish-Catholic community in 1970s New York.

A Kid from Marlboro Road opens at a wake, as our twelve-year-old narrator, an aspiring writer, takes in the death of his beloved grandfather, Pop, a larger-than-life figure to him. The overflowing crowd includes sandhogs in their muddy work boots, old Irish biddies in black dresses and cops in uniform, along with the family in mourning. There’s an open casket, the first time he’s seen a dead person. Later, at the bar across the street, he tells a story to the assembled crowd about the day his dad proposed to his mom, and how he almost got beat up by her brothers for it, and then how Pop made him propose twice.

His mom calls him “Kneenie,” and with her husband and older son Tommy lost to her, he’s the best thing she’s got. He sees her struggling with depression and is worried his parents might get divorced, but doesn’t know how to help—since like his brother and father before him he knows he’ll also abandon her soon enough.

Stories cascade between the prior generation’s colorful origins in the Bronx and the softer world of the of Gibson, the town on Long Island where the family lives now. There are scenes in the Rockaways, at Belmont Race Track, and in Montauk. Out of individual struggles a collective warmth emerges, a certain kind of American story, raucous and joyous.

Includes black and white photographs from the author's family history.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Coming Of Age, Family, Historical, New York

224 pages, Paperback

Published December 16, 2025

Reviews

[Pat Trattles · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am conflicted on this one. The story was Ok, but the writing was subpar. I should have known that a Hollywood icon does not know how to write a story without filling it with foul language. There was quite a bit of swearing in the story but resorting to the F-bomb? First of all, this is historical fiction and during the time period this was taking place the F-bomb was not in vogue as it seems to be today. But more importantly, this is a MIDDLE GRADE novel. What’s next? Will we begin seeing it in picture books? 2.5 out of 5 stars. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Marisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I’ve read all year. This book is filled with love, adolescence, life lessons. I felt like I was transported to this time and place and just let myself escape.

I’ve been a big Ed Burns fan from the beginning. I love all of his movies and still laugh every time brothers McMullen is on. This book had that feel. A true coming of age, slice of life novel that had me laughing out loud at some parts, crying at others and just really enjoying the reading experience.

I listened to a majority of this book and hearing Ed Burns read his words I believe added to the experience but also loved the style of writing

This book reminded me of Maeve binchy due to the Irish storytelling, the Wonder Years for the voice of the main character and coming of age, and A TREE GROWS BROOKLYN for the connection I felt with the main character. I’m super excited to hear it’s going to be a trilogy and believe this book will stay in my heart forever

[Lisa Burgos · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Long Island Irish Catholic boy portrays his life through his last summer before he turns thirteen. A flash back to a time that held a special place in the author's mind.

[Nursebookie · Rating 5 out of 5]

TITLE: A Kid from Marlboro Road: A Novel
AUTHOR: Edward Burns
NARRATOR: Edward Burns
LENGTH: 4h 45m
PUB DATE: 08.27.2024

Edward Burns’s buoyant first novel is a bildungsroman. Out of one boy’s story a collective warmth emerges, a certain kind of American tale, raucous and joyous.

THOUGHTS:

Nostalgic
Coming of age
Entertaining

I devoured this book and absolutely enjoyed it. Glad I also gave this a listen with Ed Burns narrating - it certainly made this book even more enjoyable. The story is told through the eyes of a young boy named Keeney from an Irish American family - through keen observations and hilarious antics, you are taken back to a past of poignant sweet summer memories.

This is the first book in a three part series and I cannot wait for more.

[Graham Connors · Rating 5 out of 5]

Magic! My book of the year! I loved reading this; it's a short book, not quite a novella but not quite a novel either. This book kept me company on a recent hospital visit. I was in to have a spinal injection to relieve the pain in my back, but I kinda didn't want the nurses to come get me, despite my pain, as I was so engrossed in this book.

I loved how Burns told this story, a very autobiographical tale just with a few names changed. He commands the readers attention (at least he commanded mine) through a year of his young Irish American protagonists life (just coming up to his 13th birthday, where he's afraid he's "going to become an asshole any minute now") with his touching and succinct storytelling. It was so evocative and visceral in places, and I could hear it in my head in Burns's distinctive hoarse rasp of a voice.

Would I recommend this book. Yes, this is essential reading. Go get it now. I loved it, every paragraph!

[Carm · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Today is my birthday. I’m thirteen. Now a teenager. I guess I’m due to turn into an asshole any minute now.”

This one’s a charmer. Burns writes with this warm, casual style that made the whole thing feel like hanging out with someone you’ve known forever. The family stories, the neighborhood details, the Irish Catholic nostalgia of it all... for better or worse. And having an adolescent boy at the center gives the whole thing a sweetness and authenticity that really works. It’s sentimental without being cloying and sincere without trying too hard. A genuinely enjoyable read, the good kind of sentimental hangover.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Kid from Marlboro Road is Edward Burns's first novel, and draws heavily on his Irish Catholic, Long Island upbringing. Set during the summer in which his protagonist turns 13, it's hard not to listen along as though Burns is narrating his own life. While the book is written with the briefly backwards-looking perspective of a still young boy, Burns's voice gives the impression of a much older man reminiscing nostalgically for a lost era (much as the character's mother reminisces about the Queens of her youth). This makes for an enjoyable listen, particularly for fans of Burns's husky New York accent, but it's not clear that this is the same impression given by reading the print book. Ultimately, it's a short, wistful slice of life of a Gen X childhood, which is clearly grounded in plenty of authenticity.

[Dogsandbooksanddogsandbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this tale of an Irish family circa 1970's told through the eyes of a 12-year-old boy. Soon to be 13, Kneenie is acutely aware that things are changing around him. Death has come, his older brother has changed as a teenager, his mother is fighting depression, and he figures he will change too, once he hits his teens.

There is a gentleness and nostalgic feeling as the boy tries to be there for his parents in a child's role. But he can feel the tug, the pulling away that will come. There are some pretty funny moments as well. The entire book which wasn't long, was filled with stories that were repeated often throughout the boy's life, something many of us can relate to.

As part one of a planned trilogy, the ending was both sweet and a set-up for things to come.

Thank you to Seven Stories Press for an advance readers copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

[Larry Fontenot · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the viewpoint of a twelve-year-old kid, lots of things in life are mysteries or foolishness or just dumb. Burns' portrayal of this slice of life period is derived from his own childhood, and it is a fine narrative. The characters are definitively written, and all the kid's bewilderment at his mom's sadness is intertwined with the simple joy of playing with the kids in the block and visiting his relatives. Burns has successfully excavated the fears and dreams and everyday thoughts of a kid whose look at life is sometimes funny and sometimes sad. A good book.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this charming novel, based on the author’s life. It’s the first book of a trilogy which I didn’t know until I came to this site today. I’m happy about that news! It rang so true to me, the granddaughter of Irish immigrants, raised just across the Hudson. My late husband spent his summers in Rockaway Beach, a character in this book itself, and his parents returned there as empty-nesters. The book rang true in every respect while it’s tone was completely believable as being a boy on the edge of adolescence. Highly recommended. ( Both my husband and I won the Catholic Daughters of America poetry contest in separate NJ counties. We didn’t know that until years after we we were in a relationship. I loved how it was mentioned in this delightful book).

[Daniel Kukwa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's an old-fashioned, ethnic-immigrant-legacy story that is familiar to most Euros who established communities in North American cities in the last 150 years, but it's well-written and full of nostalgia, tinged with a slightly jaundiced eye. It's the kind of comfort literature that I haven't read in a while, and it feels like a meeting an old friend I haven't seen in quite some time.

[Relyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the late 90s my husband and I loved The Brothers McMullan and She's the One. Ed Burns wrote and starred in both of them. So, I was pretty tickled when I found this audiobook memoir written and narrated by Ed Burns. (I have always loved his voice, by the way.) I love memoirs, and I really love how well Ed Burns places us in a particular time and location. This was fantastic.

[Susan Y. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook.
Enjoyable story. Like the author, I think many of us were trying to figure out life’s complexities when we were 13, especially when it came to figuring out our parents and other adults in our lives.

[Colleen Chi-Girl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this last year and missed reviewing it. I enjoyed Eddie Burns writing talents and his view and story about his family and upbringing. He’s fun and funny, and his story moved me in a way that only honest family bios can do.

It felt genuine but Burns is a writer by trade and hit this audience/reader deeply.

[Cassandra Joseph · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not sure what I was getting when I started this book, but it wasn’t just autobiographical stories. He did have good stories and since I was clueless about the actual content of the book…I was like hey I know that voice, well yeah it is narrated by the author who is an actor!

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audible. Quick entertaining read. Loosely based on a summer before he turns 13. Narrated by the author. Laughed out loud in parts.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book-a more modern coming of age story from the 80’s akin to “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.”

[Patty Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

How could I not love a coming of age story by a kid from my hometown, Valley Stream, NY!
I have been interested in him since seeing the ad for “The Brothers McMullen” in 1995. I know that doesn’t seem like that long ago but it’s almost 30 years! Jeez. Anyway - good job, Marlboro Road boy!
You charmed me once again.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did a great job of capturing how a 12 year old boy would picture his world, but the tone was so morose, I couldn’t really enjoy it.

[Silver Screen Videos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every adult who has ever read or seen a coming-of-age story recognizes a significant difference between the fictional tale and their own youth. Most coming-of-age stories culminate in a major life-changing event that shapes the protagonist’s personality and sets them inevitably on the path to the adult they become. However, such climactic life-changing events are almost non-existent in the real world. So, it came as a pleasant surprise to me when reading “A Kid from Marlboro Road,” Edward Burns’s tale of a 12-year-old boy in Long Island in the summer of 1980, that there is no such life-changing event in the book. Instead, as in real life, many small moments guide the protagonist closer to adulthood.

"A Kid from Marlboro Road” is the story of Kneeney, who turns 13 on August 31, 1980, the day the book ends. (The author doesn’t mention specific dates but refers to John McEnroe beating Bjorn Borg at the U.S. Open after losing to Borg earlier that summer at Wimbledon. Those tournaments took place in 1980.) Kneeney comes from a not-atypical Irish-American family. His father is a cop and the son of a small-time hood who got in permanent trouble with the mob a few decades earlier. His mother works at JFK Airport. Kneeney has a 17-year-old brother who usually acts like a jerk, stays out late at night, and drinks a lot. Kneeney’s maternal grandfather, Pop McSweeney, dies that summer, an event the book references several times.

Besides Pop McSweeney’s death, little of note occurs in “A Kid from Marlboro Road.” Kneeney and his father go camping several times in the backyard or on more distant Long Island beaches. He plays Little League baseball (which he likes) and still serves as an altar boy (which he doesn’t). He attends a Catholic school where the nuns believe in corporal punishment, and he rough houses with his friends who believe in mutual bruising. Overall, it’s a typical summer for a typical boy on the verge of adolescence. If I were to write the story of my own 12th summer, the events I would describe would probably be like Kneeney’s (although even the adult me wouldn’t tell them nearly as well as the author does).

What makes “A Kid from Marlboro Road” so fascinating isn’t what happens, but how the author describes them. Kneeney already knows that his parents’ marriage is on shaky ground, and as the book progresses, he reveals many minor details showing how depressed his mother is and his father’s inability to help the situation. Kneeney’s father has also pretty much given up on guiding the boy’s older brother, so the summer becomes more of a bonding experience between father and son. He grows closer to his mother as well. “A Kid from Marlboro Road” imitates real life here. There is no magic moment in which the parents resolve their issues; instead, life goes on, with Kneeney caught in the middle. (This book is supposedly the first volume of a proposed trilogy, so some of these plot points may be resolved in subsequent books.)

“A Kid from Marlboro Road” has a lot of humor, but it’s mainly of the chuckling variety, not the laugh-out-loud, bizarre set pieces often found in coming-of-age tales. The most significant event occurs when the family runs out of gas late at night because Kneeney’s brother had taken the car out for joy rides and never refilled the tank (the car’s gas gauge doesn’t work). Their father lays down the law (over Mom’s objections), forcing the older brother to walk to the nearest gas station with a gas can to refill the car.

The book contains a lot of period detail and references. Some of these, like the mentions of the New York Yankees (who were in the middle of a championship run), bring back my own memories of the era. Kneeney also describes how the Rolling Stones gave him an appreciation for rock music, another shout-out for classic rock fans. “A Kid from Marlboro Road” contains many geographic references to Queens and Long Island, such as a trip to the world-famous Fulton Fish Market. I’ve never been there, but the author’s descriptions made the places come alive for me.

Besides the empty gas tank moment, most of the book’s humor comprises wry observations by the author through the person of narrator Kneeney. The author avoids the mistake of narrating the book with an adult’s insight and life experiences. Instead, it sounds like what a 12-year-old would write. When Kneeney’s mother gives him some Eugene O’Neill books to read (the boy won a poetry prize the year before), he says. “Looking at the titles, the O’Neill books look really boring except maybe ‘The Hairy Ape.’ But ‘Long Day’s Journey into Night’ sounds like a tagline for the most boring story ever told.”

Author Edward Burns is almost the exact age of the fictional Kneeney, and his early life story is like Kneeney’s in many ways (Burns’s father was also a cop, and he attended the same school as Kneeney). Under those circumstances, it’s natural to wonder how much of himself Burns put into this story. In any event, the book sounds quite authentic. While that’s a strength in many ways, it also means there’s a lot of repetition, with Kneeney revisiting the same events multiple times. “A Kid from Marlboro Road” is short, but it also feels padded in spots to get to the length of a short novel.

Those expecting a traditional coming-of-age novel may be disappointed by “A Kid from Marlboro Road.” For Kneeney and his family, life goes on without significant life lessons or disruptions. But the author demonstrates that there’s a lot worth remembering in this coming-of-age story, even if there aren’t a lot of memorable events. Instead, readers can spend time with a typical Irish-American family of that period, not perfect or terrible, but entirely human and believable.

NOTE: The publisher graciously provided me with a copy of this book through NetGalley. However, the decision to review the book and the contents of this review are entirely my own.

[Dubi · Rating 5 out of 5]

One gets the sense that the narrator of A Kid From Marlboro Road, whom his mother affectionately calls Kneeney, is a quiet twelve-year-old. After all, he seems to spend his entire life listening to everyone else's stories of their life, sometimes over and over, not that he minds at all. But he seems to be a listener, an observer. That is to say, an aspiring writer, although he doesn't know it yet, not explicitly.

But as he writes about his observations and feelings on an old typewriter his father gave him, words and sentences and paragraphs and chapters just gush out of him. Stream of consciousness in the tradition of his Irish heritage. Run on sentences in the tradition of a young boy who just can't wait to let it all out, unable to rein in the free association (thankfully for us).

His story in organized in chapter-long vignettes centered around a particular topic. A fishing weekend in Montauk is the vessel on which he tells us about his father, a chapter on playing ball on the streets and in the sandlots is reminiscent of my own childhood doing those same things, his discovery of the Rolling Stones opens a window on his mother's depression. Excellent narrative structure.

Ed Burns must have had a blast drawing on his memories of his own family and his own upbringing in suburban Long Island in the 1970s. If you know him from his movies, you can hear his voice, no shyness in sight, overlaid on the inner monologue of a quiet kid waiting for the end of summer vacation, when his thirteenth birthday augurs an end to childhood.

I remember seeing Burns's debut film The Brothers McMullen, which unexpectedly propelled him to indie cinema celebrity, at a pre-release preview back in 1994 or 95. Loved it. His next couple of movies weren't as well received but I liked them, I liked his style. I lost track of his own efforts as writer-director since then. But I can hear his unique voice in this book just as I remember him from his early films.

I look forward to the ensuing entries in this series, reportedly a trilogy. I can't wait to see how this shy humble introspective middle class Irish-American suburban kid grows to help save Private Ryan and marry a world-famous supermodel. Thanks to NetGalley for an advance reading copy.

[Fets · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alright, I love Ed Burns so I knew going into this, it was highly probable I was going to give this book 5 ⭐️. I went back and revisited “She’s the One” and “Brothers McMullen” to contemplate just what it was that made me fall for him and his movies in the 90s. I think it was his boy next door charm and willingness to be vulnerable; all while surrounded by a zany group of over the top characters; the creativity that comes with low budget independent film; the subtle humor. I felt the connection of also knowing my immigrant relatives. I loved how his stories were “adjacent” to his true life, and it left you guessing what was real and what was fiction. Well, this book was totally on brand. And, as a mom of boys, with my youngest having recently turned 13, the timeliness of me reading this book couldn’t have been better.

The narrator (Kneenie) is a 12 year old boy during the summer right before he turns 13, the year is 1980. He’s feeling the impending transition to teenagerdom. His parents aren’t getting along and his older brother Tommy has gone from being the favorite, to coming home drunk and being totally dismissive to the rest of the family. Kneenie’s close with both his parents, fishing with his dad, listening to the radio cuddling with his mom in her bed. His mom is excessively nostalgic, she’s watching the New York she grew up with fall into disrepair, feels disappointment that she ended up married to a cop rather than living as a wealthy person near Central Park, her sons are no longer little boys, and her dad Pop McSweeney has died.

The Irish American roots are strong. Catholic school, blue collar jobs, all the neighbors have a ton of kids, both grandfathers alcoholics (one abusive, one a happy singing drunk). They’ve lived in various boroughs of New York over the generations. Hell’s Kitchen, the Bronx, Rockaway Beach and now Long Island (Marlboro Road.) Kneenie’s parents want him to go to college and are pressuring him to read. I’ve only been to NYC twice (both times Manhattan as a tourist), so I enjoyed reading about a regular family with strong roots all over the city.

The overarching vibe of the book was quite melancholy. The mom was adored by those around her, but her depression was affecting them all. Kneenie hated seeing her sad and avoided any situation or conversation that might bring this about. He still tried to have a good time with his friends playing baseball and seemed optimistic about his future, even though he knew he couldn’t make him mom happy by stopping the growing up process. I love stories with empathetic male characters.

Spoiler alert - the book’s climax comes when Kneenie asks his dad if they are getting a divorce, his dad reassures him that they aren’t, but his mom is packing a bag. Suddenly they get the call that Pop McSweeney has died, and the book loops back to the opening scene (his funeral). This causes mom to take a pause, and you get the sense that they will be okay.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for allowing me a copy of this audio book in return for an honest review.

This coming of age story follows twelve year old Kneenie through the ups and downs of his Irish American childhood in the late 1970’s. Peppered with the family tales passed down from his parents, Kneenie starts to realise his family may not be as solid as he once thought.

Edward Burns narrated his own novel, as he’s an actor he obviously knows how to bring the characters to life. I did occasionally forget we were supposed to be listening to a twelve year old tell the story in present tense and not an adult reminiscing, but for the most part it worked well.

What I liked: So confession time, I originally requested this book as I thought it was an autobiography by the Irish comedian Ed Byrne (I didn’t read the description beyond Irish and childhood), but as mistakes go, this was a good one. I immediately loved the first person, present tense narrative. Kneenie, is a sweet, perceptive boy trying to hide all signs of softness from his friends. His oft times naive observations cleverly allow the reader to see deeper into the family dynamics without losing the innocence of our narrator. All the characters were brilliantly developed and the stories that tied the plot together were all entertaining, some funny, others heart-rending.

What didn’t work for me: Occasionally I lost my sense of time, in fact I didn’t realise the beginning scene was a flash forward to later in the summer until the chapter where it happens. This may have been due to me missing an obvious clue, but it happened a bit throughout the book. I did find the ending abrupt but I see on Goodreads that this is the first of a trilogy so I’m assuming the book concluding how it did will work for the overall story.

Final thoughts: A beautifully told coming of age story filled with heart, humour and a slight sense of trepidation.

Who would enjoy this: It reminded me a bit of a cross between “The Wonder Years”, and “Angela’s Ashes” for some reason, so fans of nostalgic childhood stories. I would say it’s for adults even though the narrator is a kid.

[Seamus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is pitched as a novel but reads very much like a straightforward memoir of growing up in and Irish-American Catholic on Long Island in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Rooted in his grandfather's wake and funeral, a young Queens-born, Long Island-raised boy recounts his life through the lens of the last summer before he turns thirteen and becomes a teenager. It's very much a love-letter to a time that was by no means perfect but that holds a special place in the author's mind.

He's seen his seemingly perfect family fracturing - his grandfather dies, his beloved older brother is a moody and troublesome teenager who's coming home drunk, his mother seemingly unhappy all the time at the nature and pace of change, and his father who's - by turns - angry, sad, and distracted. Throughout that summer his life is one long series of trying to be all things to everyone in his life - his father, his mother, his grandparents, his friends, his neighbors - and in the process he's missing what should be a very happy time. He also lives in constant terror that the second the clock strikes midnight on his birthday that he'll instantly turn into his brother and he can't stand to be that person in relation to his mother and father.

Through the events of that summer we learn the family history going back a couple of generations and how an Irish-American childhood unfolded during the 70s and 80s. I know a lot of Irish-Americans of Edward Burns' age and I would say that it's a really fine capturing of what it was like to be an Irish-American kid growing up at the time - torn between the old country ways and the very different NY/American ways. Summers spent in the Rockaways or Breezy Point, close family ties and the tensions that emerge as the ties to Ireland and those off-the-boat relations' way of life begin to weaken and break.

Lovingly written with a strong sense of reality, poignancy, and a deep love for a people, place, and time.

[Andy Weston · Rating 3 out of 5]

A while ago I read a few good reviews of this and had high hopes, though my bar American coming of age novels is set too high, I now realise, based on the likes of Stuart Dybek’s Childhood and Other Neighborhoods: Stories, John Fante’s Wait Until Spring, Bandini, and Barry Gifford’s The Roy Stories.

Here, in 1970s New York, the protagonist is 12 years old, on the cusp of adolescence, and fearing it, as he assumes that as it made his older brother Tommy into an argumentative and sullen teenager, it will do the same to him. His family is Irish Catholic and have moved who have moved from Queens in the city to Gibson, a Long Island suburb, due to a downturn in financial circumstances.

Burns’ young narrator relates family history and personal obstacles that afflict him during the months leading up to his thirteenth birthday, his grandfather’s funeral, a deterioration in his parents’ relationship, and trying to win approval amongst his peers at school despite winning a poetry contest.

It is an appealing and perceptive story, entertaining enough, but way below the standard of those I mentioned above. A part of the problem is that there is supposed to be a comedic element to the anecdotes, but too often they fall flat.

[Susie Chocolate · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this at 4.5 hrs read by the author himself, Edward Burns who I have always liked as an actor and I’m sure I liked this book as much as I did because of his great voice and story telling style.

This is a coming of age novel and is Mr. Burns’ first novel
based on his childhood memories and the Irish American communities of the Bronx and Long Island.

The narrator remains nameless but his background is markedly similar to the author’s own and apparently the printed book has pictures in it from his own family albums.

Just a few wonderful story narrated by an unnamed narrator in the summer before he turns thirteen observing his parents, derelict older brother, his aged grandparents, both sets immigrants and from Ireland and the neighborhood his parents grew up in compared to the feel of the neighborhood now.

Below from THE GUARDIAN…

Before this dreaded transformation occurs – and there are twinges of it whenever his mother holds his hand in the street or his dad tries to foist Hemingway on him – he sets about documenting his life using a typewriter inherited from his grandfather. He records recent fishing trips and neighbourhood baseball games alongside older childhood memories and family anecdotes going back decades. The layers of nostalgia threaten to become overbearing at times but Burns’s plain, unfussy style keeps a lid on it. We’re left with a vivid snapshot of a time that’s already receding into the distant past – a tender-hearted complement to the Irish-American stories that Burns captures in his films.

Great storytelling and a very good audiobook.

.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edward Burns, who wrote, directed, and produced a number of independent films from the mid-1990s on, and also played significant roles in such important films as "Saving Private Ryan" has published his first novel, and it's a good one.

His hero (who seems to be likely based on himself) is a sensitive boy going on thirteen, living in a working-class suburb of Long Island, that is a hop, skip, and a jump from Queens – just over the border from the city's edge. His Roman Catholic Irish-American family has roots in The Bronx, what was once called Hell's Kitchen in Manhattan, a later phase in the Woodside section of Queens, as well as in the old country itself. His world is centered around his street, Marlboro Road, where his family, a policeman father, an often "sad" mom with a job at nearby Kennedy Airport, and his sullen and rebellious older brother share an environment of tension and sadness, with infrequent bright spots of joy. It is the late 60s/early 70s era.

Burns relates family anecdotes of funerals, fishing in the local waters, his hero's unexpected first and successful literary outing, and his gradual awakening to the important novels of the 20s, 30s, and 40s.

This novel will have strong appeal for New Yorkers old and new, Irish Catholic or not, who will recognize many of the touchstones of local geography and institutions that Burns mentions. It shows a lot of potential – he has something in common with the great Pete Hamill, who so beautifully captured the Irish-American experience of earlier decades. Looking forward to Burns's next installment...

[Colleen Rahill-Beuler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a delightful story - quick book - highly recommend audio version which is narrated by Ed Burns, well known actor who is also the author.

Don’t read/listen to this story if you are wanting deep thoughts, sophisticated writing or mind bending descriptions. But read/listen to this book if you want to be transported back to growing up the 60s and 70s.

The story follows one 12-year-old Irish Catholic boy and his family. It begins with Pop McSweeny’s funeral (grandfather to our protagonist). The young lads observations of life are what this “historic fiction” novel is all about. And Burns has written this book in keeping true to the language and experiences of a kid growing up in this heavily Irish Catholic arena.

If you are highly sensitive to swearing, or feel oddly protective of Catholic education and educators, this book is not for you. But if, like me, you are Irish Catholic- and not overly sensitive to these two issues, you will find yourself laughing, crying, nodding, remembering, right along with this story.

If I had one complaint it is that the ending felt unexpected (listening to a book vs reading it) and sudden and sharp. I wasn’t ready for it. Other than that, I loved listening to Burns’ narration and the conglomerate of tales he weaved into this 5 hour book.

[Zibby Owens · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Kid from Marlboro Road is a poignant debut novel from actor-director Edward Burns. This bittersweet coming-of-age story is set during the last days of the summer of 1980 and is about an Irish-Catholic boy on the verge of adolescence as he turns thirteen. His parents appear to be on the brink of divorce, and he realizes he needs to distance himself from his mother to assert his independence.

The best way to describe this book is bittersweet, not just about the story, but because it’s a great way to describe this time in a person’s life when they’re trying to gain independence from their parents. There’s such a sense of nostalgia in the characters, the setting—New York City—and the neighborhoods. Regardless of how old you are, we all experience that time when our relationships with our friends, siblings, and parents change, and Burns handles that expertly in this book. A Kid from Marlboro Road is a wonderful read for kids and grownups alike. With vivid scenes in places like the Bronx, Hell’s Kitchen, and Montauk, this is a multi-generational story of resilience, cultural pride, and the unspoken bonds that define us.

To listen to my interview with the author, go to my podcast at:
https://zibbymedia.com/blogs/transcri...

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ed Burns narrates his book, A Kid form Marlboro Road. The book is a work of fiction, but seems to so closely link to his own upbringing, it leaves you wondering where fact ends and fiction begins. This is the coming of age story told through the eyes of a 13 year old Irish, Catholic boy coming up in 1970s New York, He expeirinces the loss of his beloved grandfather,, seeing his first dead body, the depression and struggles of his mother. He sees that his father and brother have mostly left his mother on her own to deal with life. He also knows that he will likely follow in their footsteps.
As this is the first book of a planned trilogy, the story is more about getting to know the family, their immigration from Ireland and more recently their movements beteen the Bronx and Long Island, Heartfelt and honest, it brings you in. I listened to the audiobook and had the advantage of Ed Burns' voice to guide me through the the events,. I am not sure if the impact woudl have been the same with just words.
This is a quick, wistful emaotional read, One which I enjoyed, I look forward to the next installments,

My thanks to Netgalley for the ALC of this book in exchange for my honest review.