Roscoe: A Novel

by William Kennedy

291 pages, Hardcover

Published September 30, 2002

About the author

There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

A historical fiction tale of the political machinations and personalities in early to mid 20th century Albany, NY....sounds glum but it's anything but as the colorful characters that ruled the New York statehouse and the mayors office in this story are vivid in their antics and Kennedy's use of Roscoe Conway, a sharp man with a lawyer's wit but a poly's morals, as his storyteller throughout keeps the dense wordings moving quickly. Multiple times I caught myself remembering "oh yea, this is all made up" as I thought "man, the 40's were nuts in Albany". Kennedy notes that while some of it is based on stories from his hometown in the state's capital, all the people and events are fiction.

If interested in the history of politics and the basic "all politics is local politics" edict that seems to be reversed now, this is a great novel that while based in one time and place, really could stand in for many cities throughout much of time.

Definitely not a "light" read although the humor is on almost every page. You'll want to be committed if taking it on.

[Penny Kilen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scandal in politics has always been a thing.