Bread Upon the Waters

by Irwin Shaw

What happens to a loving, self-reliant family when a rich and influential man intercedes on their behalf is revealed in this story of sudden temptations and misguided benevolence

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Contemporary, Literature, Literary Fiction, Novels, Audiobook

480 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

About the author

Shaw was born Irwin Gilbert Shamforoff in the South Bronx, New York City, to Russian Jewish immigrants. Shaw was a prolific American playwright, screenwriter, novelist, and short-story author whose written works have sold more than 14 million copies. He is best known for his novels, The Young Lions (1948) and Rich Man Poor Man (1970).

His parents were Rose and Will. His younger brother, David Shaw (died 2007), became a noted Hollywood producer. Shortly after Irwin's birth, the Shamforoffs moved to Brooklyn. Irwin changed his surname upon entering college. He spent most of his youth in Brooklyn, where he graduated from Brooklyn College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1934.

Shaw began screenwriting in 1935 at the age of 21, and scripted for several radio shows, including Dick Tracy, The Gumps and Studio One.

Shaw's first play, Bury the Dead (1936) was an expressionist drama about a group of soldiers killed in a battle who refuse to be buried. During the 1940s, Shaw wrote for a number of films, including Talk of the Town (a comedy about civil liberties), The Commandos Strike at Dawn (based on a C.S. Forester story about commandos in occupied Norway) and Easy Living (about a football player unable to enter the game due to a medical condition). Shaw married Marian Edwards. They had one son, Adam Shaw, born in 1950, himself a writer of magazine articles and non-fiction.

Shaw enlisted in the U.S. Army and was a warrant officer during World War II.He served with an Army documentary film unit. The Young Lions, Shaw's first novel, was published in 1949. Based on his experiences in Europe during the war, the novel was very successful and was adapted into a 1958 film.

Shaw's second novel, The Troubled Air, chronicling the rise of McCarthyism, was published in 1951. He was among those who signed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review the John Howard Lawson and Dalton Trumbo convictions for contempt of Congress, resulting from hearings by the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Falsely accused of being a communist by the Red Channels publication, Shaw was placed on the Hollywood blacklist by the movie studio bosses. In 1951 he left the United States and went to Europe, where he lived for 25 years, mostly in Paris and Switzerland. He later claimed that the blacklist "only glancingly bruised" his career. During the 1950s he wrote several more screenplays, including Desire Under the Elms (based on Eugene O'Neill's play) and Fire Down Below (about a tramp boat in the Caribbean).

While living in Europe, Shaw wrote more bestselling books, notably Lucy Crown (1956), Two Weeks in Another Town (1960), Rich Man, Poor Man (1970) (for which he would later write a less successful sequel entitled Beggarman, Thief) and Evening in Byzantium (made into a 1978 TV movie). Rich Man, Poor Man was adapted into a highly successful ABC television miniseries in 1976.

His novel Top of the Hill, about the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid in 1980, was made into a TV movie, starring Wayne Rogers, Adrienne Barbeau, and Sonny Bono.

His last two novels were Bread Upon the Waters (1981) and Acceptable Losses (1982).

Shaw died in Davos, Switzerland on May 16, 1984, aged 71, after undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.

Reviews

[Viktor Stoyanov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Прилично предложение!

Сещате се за популярния филм от 90-те, нали? Той всъщност е по книга на Енгелхард, но май топ кастът от актьори във филма правят повечето от историята. Това ми беше първият паралел като знам за какво става въпрос в "Хляб по водите" и ... о, колко далеч бях от истината. Тук няма нищо неприличино, дори е въпрос на блогодеяния и как те могат да окажат непоправимо зло, но и това е твърде плоско, за да се твърди еднозначно. Дори и ако прочетете анотацията, според мен няма да разберете нищо за същността на романа. А каква е същността:

Семейство Странд е типичното (вероятно в долния регистър на средната класа) американско бяло семейство - любящо се и хармонично, но без особени възможности. Един инцидент ще докара на масата им влиятелен богат адвокат, който "ще им завиди за семейството" - това са негови думи. И ще се намеси така да им помага, че трансформацията пред очите ни, постепенна и сигурна, ще ни смае и в същото време ще е напълно достоверна. И не десетилетия (като в Богат, беден), вскичко ще се случи за година!

Прочелите 'Богат, беден" ще са подготвени за тематиката и психологията при Шоу. Съветът ми е тя да е преди тази. Тук действието и психологическото напрежение се развива много бавно, но за сметка на това ми достави огромно удоволствие като читател. Или може би точно за това. В съвременната романистика (от този век имам предвид, '81 също може да се води съвременна) няма нищо подобно - то е препускане, екшън, магизъм, цинизъм, изкуствена драма и какво ли не, но темпото е убийствено бързо сравнение с постепенното изграждане, на което току що станах свидетел. През цялото време се чудех, какво се иска, за да напишеш такава книга и отговорът е на първо място - Зрялост. Освен всички писателски качества. От книгата лъха на зрялост, на познание за това как функционира съвременното общество, семейство и индивид. Нужни са десетилетия наблюдения и прозорливост отвъд фасадите. Фасадите на общностите, на професиите, на капитализма, най-вече на семейните отношения и на индивидуалните щения.

Какво всъщност иска човек и как ще се развие, когато го получи?
Отколешен и вечен въпрос в литературата.

Добре е да се правим на добри, или да сме истински?
Вечен поведенчески проблем.

Подрастващите да си чупят главата, но да са щастливи, че са по техния си път? Или да живеят според консервативната представа на родителите им?
Вечна проблематика във всяко семейство.

Тези въпроси са вечни, защото нямат универсален верен отговор. Дори да се изпробват емпирично всички варианти - кой се наема да каже кое е по-добре? Ами по-добре ли е за един младеж от пуерторикански прозиход да се откъсне от гангстерската си среда, за да се превърне в достопочтен джентълмен, само защото притежава качества? Между другото образът на Хорхе Ромеро няма как да не стане симпатичен. Бунтарите с принципи са най-важни в литературата. Те казват много - обикновено само с действиията си.

Това е книга за семейство Странд - такова, каквото ще го видим в началото и такова, каквото ще го видим в края. Баща - стожер, свестен мъж до крайност. Всеотдайна, красива, съобразителна майка. С трите им деца, които са в началото на строежа на собствения си живот. Но това е книга и за всяко едно семейство. Ако на корицата пишеше, че е биографична - за Алън Странд, да речем, или за богатия благодетел - то нямаше да се усъмним в истинността ѝ. Поведението на всеки един от героите е неподправено. Поне пред читателя, съместното подправяне между тях си е част от сюжета. Тънкият хумор при общуването между членовете от семейството също беше чисто удоволствие. Смятам, че е необходимо и задължително условие в реалния живот. Развитието на героите е най-ценното, което да се проследи в книгата.

Тези, които не обичат по-бавното темпо, може да не им хареса колкото на мен. Но я препоръчвам дори и на тях. Дори и само, за да видят един блестящ пример на по-бавно, зряло писане от късния Шоу.
Блестящи цитати има, но предпочетох да ви оставя сами да ги откриете.

[Lorraine Cobcroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shaw at his brilliant best! It made me feel dreadfully inadequate as a writer, but I couldn't put the book down, and, having read it, I know it's a book I'll come back and re-read.

Shaw moralizes some in this story, but he exposes irrefutable truths about life, money, aspirations, priorities, parenting, families, the class structure, and the differences between generations.

It's a book I wish I'd read some years ago, before I made some of the mistakes I regret in communication with my offspring. It's a book I'll remember when I'm tempted to be judgmental, or to mourn the demise of a society now guided and governed by a younger, more permissive generation.

Shaw took me into the homes and lives of his characters. I got to know them, to understand them, and to love them - warts and all. I felt Alan's pain keenly, and I wept for him, and then I cheered his wisdom and courage as he accepted the harsh realities of his life and committed himself afresh to the profession to which he believed he was born... determined to make a difference in young lives; to fulfill his own ambitions, while - despite the pain of separation from one he loved so dearly - allowing his wife the freedom to pursue her dreams.

A beautifully crafted story that is simultaneously moving, educational, and entertaining; full of wisdom, but, happily, devoid of preaching or pontification... told in the inimitable Shaw style and richly deserving of the success all Shaw's novels have enjoyed.

[Елвира · Rating 5 out of 5]

Страхотен фен съм на Ъруин Шоу, той е един от любимите ми писатели. "Хляб по водите" е седмият негов роман, който чета и който притежавам. Както винаги: отнесе ме, остави ме без дъх! Снощи стоях будна в треска до 02,30 ч., защото не можех да се откъсна от него, без да го дочета докрай. 💗
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"Да вкусиш от разкоша, е част от възпитанието на всеки интелигентен човек"
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"Всяко нещо си има своята цена, която невинаги съответства на стойността му."
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"Не знаеше дали да се гордее с благоразумието си, или да се презира за малодушието си."
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"Аз сбърках природната интелигентност с културното държание."

[Nina Draganova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Обреченост, това лъха от поредната прочетена книга на автора. Това открих и в предишните. Много увлекателно пише, сигурно ще прочета и други негови преведени книги.Но понеже съм по-скоро оптимист и малко ме натоварват този тип истории. Уви, това е живота. Не подбира кого да удари. Дори милионерът не може да си купи любов и семейство.
"Всички сме тайни грешници..."
"Имало ли е някога властен, амбициозен човек, който да не е прескачал рамките на закона тук таме,било от гордост, чувство за справедливост,убеждение, нетърпимост към бюрокрацията или желание да получи признание и какво ли не още?"
"Аз мога да бъда песимист по отношение на света и егоистично оптимистичен спрямо себе си."
"Шансът е нож с две остриета."

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an ambitious attempt to chronicle the social entropy that can pull even loving people away from each other. The story follows Allen Strand, a New York City public high school history teacher, as he tries to negotiate the formidable challenges that circumstance visits on him. At the outset, his family unit is tightly knit--his 17 year old daughter, Caroline, still lives at home and the other two (slightly older) children, Jimmy and Eleanor, are in close contact--and Strand harbors a rather Utopian vision of both his family and his future.

A powerful lawyer-businessman named Russell Hazen comes into their lives after Caroline wards off an attack on him by some young thugs in Central Park. Taking advantage of the professional opportunities that connection with Hazen create, all of the children make choices that separate them--geographically and emotionally-- from the rest of the family. Jimmy's initial successes in the music business prompt him to move to California and to make some dubious moral choices that cause Strand to lose respect for him. Eleanor's journalistic "opportunity" lands her in serious physical danger. And Caroline's opportunities, which allow her to improve her appearance and attend college in Arizona, work changes in her that complete the fragmentation of the family.

On top of all of this, Strand suffers a sudden health blow (I won't give away the specifics) which greatly impacts his career and his relationship with his wife, Leslie. Her own new opportunities combined with Strand's changed circumstances cause a new kind of distance between them.

The book is, in some ways, an Eden story. Hazen appears to be offering opportunity--like the Serpent--but ultimately provides options that shatter the idyllic family unit that the Strands had enjoyed for so long.

This brings up the question of whether it is desirable or even possible to create an insular world that resists the intrusions of the larger universe. Hazen himself tries to do this by maintaining a mansion in the Hamptons and by cultivating a set of friends who will surround him whenever he is not working. In this respect, he calls to mind Jay Gatsby.

The gambit doesn't work for Hazen, however, any more than it does for Gatsby. We discover that his own family life is in shambles and the liaisons created between the different people in Hazen's social circle inexorably pull them all apart.

Ultimately, the reader senses that Shaw views insularity as an impossibility, especially in a modern universe where "wild cards" like Hazen, thugs and stress-related illnesses cannot be eliminated. Hazen is less a villain than the messages of a crass, commercial culture and the rise of a kind of individual ambition that seeks personal transcendence over communal cohesion.

It is not clear, though, how much of this indictment is Shaw's judgment and how much of it is Strand's. There is some authorial distance there, which suggests Shaw may view Strand with a both love and pity. Indeed, for most of the book, Strand looks like an anachronism who cannot adapt to the world he's just started to see with clarity.

Yet, at the end, Strand does find a way to deal with the dizzying entropy of his social web, deciding to recommit himself to the urban children he left (for private school) when his health problems arose. It seems as if Shaw is saying that this is all that's left to us, to find our own sources of meaning in what can be a lonely universe. The implication is that individualism in a technological age can take us anywhere, and thus the likelihood that a group of hearts--no matter how close--will pull in similar directions is very small.

It's a rather bleak view of human existence and while it is legitimate, it is arguably the paramount function of art to help us live better in our own skins. I'm not sure the book accomplishes that. While Strand and Leslie are still married at the end of the book, their relationship is greatly attenuated and it feels to the reader as through Strand is now embarking on a solitary quest. If Shaw's ultimate advice for living in a fragmented world is "if you can't beat them, join them"--in other words, just follow your own path for that's all that's left--it's pretty unsatisfying.

Such analysis may, however, give short shrift to the depth of Shaw's vision. Shaw's objective may be to show a man who ultimately is making moral choices--such as returning to a harder teaching environment for the chance to affect children who need him more than his prep school charges--with the full knowledge that providing opportunities can prompt the beneficiaries to move in unpredictable and even dangerous directions. By the end of the book, Strand has failed in his own experiment as a benefactor--having facilitated, with Hazen's help, private school attendance for an angry, but brilliant student Strand taught in New York, only to see the boy expelled for attacking a fellow student with a knife-- and yet, Strand does not submit to cynicism. "I have failed with one," he writes in his diary, "but perhaps it has taught me how not to fail with others."

Looked at in this way, the book is more hopeful, suggesting that even in the face of outrageous fortune and with reason to doubt the outcome of our efforts, we can choose to do what's right and noble. Shaw may be saying that in those moments, we achieve our closest connection to God, who by dint of free will, can only offer chances to us but not control the outcome of our choices. That is an inspiring possibility, although the overall vision of transcendence still seems disturbingly solitary.

The book suffers from some writing flaws which detract from the reading experience. For example, the changes in emotional dynamics in the story often happen too fast and we are told that they are happening more than shown them. Furthermore, the prose is rarely lyrical or beautiful.

Still, the book does a good job of showing how stunningly complex human relationships can be and how difficult it is to stay true to individual principles when one achieves a certain level of power. Hazen breaks rules and suffers mightily for it, Caroline flaunts the power she achieves with her new appearance, Leslie separates herself geographically from Strand when she discovers the power of her artistic talent and Jimmy discards "old" moral values when his music opportunity arises.

The idea that unchecked individualism plus the power to realize our dreams lead us to be lonely "successes" is not exactly new, but the notion that there is a value equal to self-actualization is probably an important one for America in 2008. For that reason, and Shaw's achievement in chronicling the social entropy that befalls the Strand family, I felt the book merited four stars.

[Адриана К. · Rating 5 out of 5]

„Не е щастлив човек, но затова пък е нещо изключително рядко – той е добър човек. “

Великолепен роман - книга, която те доближава до голямата литература и носи онова усещане, че си получил нещо специално, неизмеримо, но толкова важно от страниците ѝ…

Ъруин Шоу е истински познавач на човешката душевност, психологията на отношенията, на нравствените ценности и слабости на характера.
Една история за семейните връзки и умението да общуваш, за възпитанието на децата, тяхното порастване и изборите, които правят, определящи посоката на живота им. Колко е трудно за един родител да приемe, че те вече са големи хора, носещи отговорност за решенията и постъпките си. За предизвикателството да се разделиш с представите, които си имал и да приемеш реалността такава, каквато е… За тежестта на времето, компромисите, изпитанията и личните трагедии, които ни променят необратимо, за случайните срещи, които могат да преобърнат всичко, да отнемат сигурността на ежедневието, с която така удобно сме свикнали. За приотитетите и стойността на щастието, за нуждите и празнотата в душата, която не може да бъде запълнена въпреки материалната свобода. Има ли граници за доброжелателността и може ли тя да навреди повече, отколкото да помогне някому?

Заглавието е частица гениалност, а мотивът за щедростта и цената, която трябва да заплатим за нея поражда толкова пространство за размисъл и осъзнаване. Наистина ценен роман.

Цитати:

„Любовта изоставяше всички други задължения. “

„Жените са щастливи, помисли си той… Могат да плачат.“

„Има най- различни начини да бъдеш човек.“

„Откри, че изкуството води неизбежно до същото самовглъбяване като болестта. "

[Mariya Mincheva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Впечатлена съм от дълбоко психологическо звучене, загатнатия дух на Ню Йорк през 70-те години – време на промени, несигурност и лични кризи. Романът преплита съдбите на герои от различни социални прослойки по неочакван начин, като загатва идеята, че дори най-малките жестове на доброта могат да променят животи – метафората за „хляб по водите“ придобива както религиозен, така и екзистенциален смисъл.
Много ми допада как ироничните дистанцираност и диалогичност подчертават абсурдността на амбициите, самотата и моралните компромиси. Описанията са направо кинематографични – градът пулсира, хората са живи, а детайлите рисуват социалния контекст с документална прецизност. Въпреки че действието е ситуирано в конкретна епоха, темите за личния избор, случайността и човешката свързаност звучат универсално и болезнено актуално и днес. Стилът на писане е достъпен, но и многопластов, с фина критика към американската мечта. Обикнах този роман заради впечатляващата му човечност и тихата сила на съпричастността.

[Вени · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Zoya Dimitrova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Харесвам стила на Шоу, неговите герои и начина, по който се променят техните съдби. И тук, както в романа “Богат, беден” основна тема са парите и как те променят живота на хората. Отварят много врати, дават неподозирани възможности, но същевременно и отнемат много. Заслужава ли си да се поддадеш на изкушението и къде е границата, когато трябва да спреш, за да не загубиш свойте ценности и душевност…

[Petya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Книгата ми попадна в много подходящ момент. Явно ми се четеше точно такова нещо! Хубавите ми впечатления от сериала "Богат, беден", който съм гледала като дете по време на соц-а, бяха на практика единствената ми представа за автора. И в "Хляб по водите" Ъруин Шоу разглежда любимите си теми, познати от "Богат, беден" - за материалното преуспяване в живота и неговата роля и значение за щастието на човек; за семейството, взаимоотношенията и тяхната роля за оценка качеството на живота на човек. Теми, които вълнуват всички. С лекота заживяваме с героите на книгата и техните стремежи. А в "Хляб по водите" всички те живеят в един свят на неограничени възможности от материална гледна точка. Дадена им е възможността да развиват потенциала си в каквато посока им хрумне и да имат лесен достъп до най-доброто в избраното направление. Ние, хората, се стремим към това, но дали постигането му би довело до исканото чувство на удовлетвореност? Тази тема експлоатира Шоу и го прави определено добре. Друг много ценен аспект, лично за мен, от прочита на тази книга, беше развиването на взаимоотношенията родители - порастнали деца (най-малкото дете в книгата е на 17). Малко такива книги съм чела. А темата започва да ми става интересна. ;) Давам 4 звезди, а не 5, тъй като има известна доза наивност и едностранчивост от страна на автора (типично по американски), но на практика оценката е повече 4,5, отколкото 4.

[Елиана Личева · Rating 5 out of 5]

История на един човешки живот, истински, просто живот лишен от излишни изкуствени емоции. Човешки чувства, емоции, преживявания. Отново съм очарована от Шоу. Уникален автор и с уникална способност да ни представи преживяванията през очите на геройте, като дотолкова разбираме постъпките им, че дори не може да ги съдим, защото това е просто живота и всички се опитваме да се нагодим към заобикалящата ни среда в стремежа към щастие (под каквото и форма да го търсим).

[Cherisa B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Family of modest means with rose colored glasses worn by the father on one side and an economic titan of questionable ethics who befriends them on the other. Morality play that's a nice read but has little real substance underneath.

[Valantin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Имам двупосочно мнение за тази книга и съзнавам, че основната причина за това е, че я прочетох през 2020-та година, в зряла възраст.
Шоу описва капиталистическата действителност в САЩ в началото на 80-те години, противопоставяйки я на стандартното американско, градско, бяло семейство от това време.
"Пущай хляба си по водите, защото след много дни пак ще го намериш."
Само, че Шоу ми внуши, че хлябът не е един и същ за успелите и обиграни в корпоративни, съдебни и политически битки хора и тези с ежедневните битки за морал, съпричастност, сътрудничество, отношения между хората, възпитание, образование, чувства, семейство.
Струва ми се, че Шоу е пророк, и до ден днешен този модел на поведение в двете прослойки вместо да се стопира, той се е усъвършенствал и превзел целия свят. Мога да приема, че описва и това как се появяват терористите...
Всеки се проваля според възможностите си. Включително (или най-вече) когато е обзет от добри намерения.

[Nevena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Традиционно добре написан роман, но не ми хареса колкото "Богат, беден". Авторът е показал добре как се развиват отношенията между героите, как самите герои бавно и постепенно се променят. Обаче имах впечатлението, че това е добре изпълнено занаятчийство. Професионално писане, но някак равно – липсваха ми силните моменти, моментите на кулминация. Такъв един момент в "Богат, беден" беше бягството на стария Джордах с лодката – много силен. Е, в "Хляб по водите" не открих такъв. И май не открих вдъхновение у автора.

[Kalin Nikolov · Rating 5 out of 5]

**4.7**

[Pam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Bread Upon the Waters: A Novel is by Irwin Shaw. I found it amazing that this book was written in 1981m because it is so contemporary in spirit. It is well-written; but comes across as dull and boring. I generally don’t find myself hoping a book will end soon; but I felt while reading this one.
This book is about a dysfunctional family who hits a streak of good luck. The Strands are a normal middle- class family of five. Allen is a school teacher and Leslie is a music teacher and gives private lessons. The eldest daughter, Eleanor, has her job in computers and her own apartment. She is planning a get-away with her boyfriend to Greece. Jimmy is a musician- wannabe. He spends evenings at various bars listening to or performing. The youngest, Caroline, is in high school and plays tennis. Caroline helps Mr. Hazen, a millionaire, when he is attacked in the park. She takes him home where her family takes care of him because it is the right thing to do.
Grateful for what they have unselfishly done, Mr. Hazen begins to take an interest in their lives and attempts to make them much easier to live in. However, they fail to
see that the gifts he gives them, open themselves to being beholden to him. Everything comes with a price. What will their price be?
I didn’t like this book. I really It was very slow and laborious to read

[Стоянка · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful and thoughtful read. Full review later.

[MM Suarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Our imperfections are the bonds that hold us together. We might as well recognize them."

As usual Irwin Shaw doesn't disappoint, at least not me, this is the story of the Strands, a fairly well adjusted family dealing with the repercussions of a chance meeting between their youngest daughter Caroline, and a rich, powerful man who becomes their benefactor which brings on unintended consequences. This novel seemed to me darker and more introspective, and perhaps darker than some of Shaw's other works.

[Checkman · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Shaw's last novels. It's a simple story about a middle-class family that unexpectedly finds itself with a wealthy benefactor. He showers them with gifts ,of one type or another, and it essentially ruins the family.

As has been pointed out by another reviewer this novel is heavy with the feeling of mortality and end of life issues. Shaw died in 1984 - just three years after this novel was published. Was he already ill when he wrote this book? I don't know. Was he just aware of his own approaching (inevitable)demise? Possibly. Whatever was going on in his life at the time he wrote this book the mood is pervasive. It makes for an effective if not altogether happy story.

I am unable to determine if Shaw was writing a morality tale or a cautionary tale. Shaw was a wealthy man. Perhaps in this story we see a tinge of envy for those who live the "simple" life and a warning for those same people to beware of his economical peers. They aren't happy with all their riches. Don't let them try to buy your happiness - it will simply lead to disaster.

However the family isn't perfect either. There are problems and small, but noticable cracks. Problems that might have eventually caused fissures anyway. Though perhaps the lack of financial freedom gives the family a strength that money only serves to weaken.Why try to stick it out when you can afford to go somewhere else? There are no answers provided. It's up to the reader to come to his or her's own conclusion.

Bread Upon the Waters is a well written dramatic novel. Professional and smooth ,as is to be expected from a writer of Shaw's caliber and decades of experience. It's a serious novel, but not depressing. The action is in the character development, observations, and progression of the story. Dramatic with a nod to The Great Gatsby. It is also very much an adult novel - not in terms of sex or violence, but content and ideas. That alone earns it the fourth star.

It's no secret about the type of fiction that I prefer. Just look at my review history. I don't usually read novels like Bread Upon the Waters. But ,now and again, I do find myself wanting something a little more realistic and less dramatic and thrilling. This was a good book to turn to when I tired of gunfights, explosions, espionage, thrills and chills.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

SPOILERS starting with 4th paragraph...

I re-read this for the first time since its original publication in the 1980s. At that time, I was very impressed with it.

Why? Well, as someone who felt great love for New York City (particularly Manhattan) and had aspirations of being wealthy, I experienced particular resonance with this novel.

Irwin Shaw, best known for World War II novels and multi-generational epics such as Rich Man, Poor Man,
was making something of a departure. This, and Acceptable Losses, were his last two novels; he died shortly after they were published.

Re-reading it more than 30 years later, it is obvious to me that this novel is almost hopelessly dated. And I'm recalling my unease with the main character of Allen Strand. If he is a projection of Irwin Shaw's personal worldview, then I have a particular problem with him. I can only describe him as a passive prig, endlessly surprised by even the most commonplace departures from his overly bland, complancently middle-class expectations. The entire novel centers around his innocent naivete, and only in the last few pages does another character reveal that Strand's entire family understands and conspires to protect it, especially after Strand is felled by a heart attack that renders him semi-invalid for months.

Russell Hazen, the family's accidental benefactor, is the character that Shaw seems to have the most trouble with, at least as refracted through Allen Strand's view. I would really love to know more about him. Shaw tries desperately to paint Hazen as an amoral aristocrat, all the while reminding us that Hazen never had an ordinary family like Strand's and mourns this loss. There's something terribly cliched about Shaw's portrait of Hazen.

Shaw does not let us see much of the character of Strand's daughter Caroline, except through Strand's narrow, biased vision. One gets plenty of hints via conversations and letters, but it would be nice if Shaw would follow the standard "show, don't tell" dictum of writing. Instead, we are restricted to the 1950s-style "Gidget" caricature.

I think the fact that only through Strand's very limited understanding do we get to see any of the characters is what makes Bread Upon the Waters something of a yawner. The narrative is strong: We know Hazen's introduction to the family is going to play a key role, especially after he begins showering the Strand family with tokens of gratitude, which soon escalate to life-changing largesse. So we watch to see the impact of each new encounter.

But I really can do without the abundant stereotypes: The defiant Latino student who "wastes his brilliance." The good-natured black football player at the prep school (he describes his upwardly mobile family. They sound interesting, so let's meet them! But nooooooo...). The borderline grungy, cynical teenage musician. The homophobia is probably inevitable in a 1980s novel by a mainstream author, but the slurs and assumptions make me cringe nonetheless.

I suspect this novel was a 70-year-old author's cry of bewilderment with a world that was changing quickly before his eyes. But other than Russell Hazen (who would have been brilliantly portrayed on screen by David Ogden Stiers, if only M*A*S*H hadn't drafted him first for the same role), the characters he drew to express this are just mildly likable paper-doll cutouts.

[Shannon Oxley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first introduction to Shaw. This book was good on the surface, but the parts that were believable were boring, and the parts that were not boring, weren't believable. Like, set in New York. Okay, but visiting all the usual places, like the Guggenheim; Central Park. You have a high school teacher who works in the city; he isn't that interested in much going on around him, except his wife. For a man to sleep with his wife so much is probably fictional, in itself. I suppose Shaw had to present them As overly sexual in order to make the transition to no contact at the end, more stark. However, a beautiful woman, talented pianist, lives in New York, just not that exciting. As an older book, it also uses blatant racist terminology. But that aside, the story just didn't thrill me. The characters didn't do anything that changed them for the better; no one really learned anything. The rich man bestowing gifts and friendship, just not that believable. The ending seemed unresolved.

[Деница Райкова]

Well, it was actually the second time I read this book. The first time was maybe fifteen years ago. And, of course, it's different now. Maybe it's strange but the first time I liked it more. When I first read it I viewed it just as an interesting book by a great author. Now it was interesting again because I had forgotten some things; but I also felt some unexpected sadness and bitternes. I still liked it but in a different way.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd give it 3.5 stars if I could. Written in 1981, I was hoping this would be one of those old gems. Interesting characters and good writing, but parts were slow and boring. The ending made it slightly better, but it's still not a satisfactory ending. Overall, I enjoyed it but I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to a friend.

[Emanuela · Rating 3 out of 5]

the entire book is very easy to read and quite interesting, but I'd preferred a focus on the character of Russell Hazen instead of the Strand family, in order to understand better his problems and circumstances that brought to his death.

[Veselina Bakalova-Mihaylovska · Rating 5 out of 5]

История, абсолютно актуална и днес. Какво става с ценностите и морала ни, когато имаме достъп до повече пари и блага? Губим ли себе си и дали сме по - щастливи? Шоу разказва за едно семейство, което наглед получава безброй възможности, но дали те водят до по - добър живот?

[Lauren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Why does a book (C) 1981 sound more dated than the 1912 Edith Wharton book I just?

[Annette]

Another classic read. As a young adult I read Rich Man, Poor Man and enjoyed Shaw's writing style. This story- a family of solid working class folks in NYC (he's a teacher at an inner city school, she teaches piano at home) and their three children. The oldest is in an entry level job, the middle son is trying to break into the music biz and the youngest is still in high school.
An event in Central Park brings a rich lawyer into their lives and slowly he changes each of them, until they realize that their sheltered lives kept them from the craziness of the world.

The characters are well developed and you wonder where they each are headed. The essential question is does money and all the perks with it change us?

[Bistra Ivanova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Разкошен роман от доброто старо време, когато човек уютно потъва в реалността на историята, която се разгръща бавно и спокойно. Ню Йорк, едно семейство, наглед перфектно, обичащи се родители и три добри умни деца. Случайна среща с човек, който има ужасно много (пари, власт, успех, положение), но и няма ужасно много (топлина, любов, разбирателство). Тази среща преобръща живота на всички и задава някои от вечните въпроси за мисията на човек, компромисите, приятелството, порастването... Книгата ми достави огромно удоволствие! Обичам този автор!

[Vesela Daskalova · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am glad that I have finally came across the genius that Irvin Shaw is. A very catchy story, family values that I wish were still valid.

[Yeliz YILDIRIM · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 ⭐️