Sophmores

by Sean Desmond

The late 1980s come alive in this moving and keenly observed story of one boy's unforgettable sophomore year, and his parents' surprising journey alongside him.

It's fall 1987 and life as normal is ending for the Malone family. With their sterile Dallas community a far cry from the Irish-American Bronx of their youth, Pat and Anne Malone have reached a breaking point. Pat, faced with a debilitating MS diagnosis, has fallen into his drinking. Anne, his devoutly Catholic wife, is selected as a juror for a highly publicized murder trial, one that raises questions--about God, and about men in power--she has buried her entire life. Together, they try to raise their only son, Daniel, a bright but unmotivated student who is shocked into actual learning by an enigmatic English teacher. For once, Dan is unable to fly under the radar, and is finally asked to consider what he might want to make of his life.

With humor and tenderness, Sophomores brilliantly captures the enduring poignancy of coming of age, teenage epiphanies and heartbreak, and family redemption.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adult, Young Adult, Literary Fiction, Audiobook, Coming Of Age

374 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 26, 2021

Reviews

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

Dang. I really wanted to love this one. I mean, it has a house cover . . .



(If you aren’t familiar, I will read almost any book if it has a house on the cover.)

Not to mention there were so many great 80s references - The Thorn Birds, Baby Jessica, When Smokey Sings, Benetton rugby shirts, Newhart (“this is my brother Darryl and this is my other brother Darryl”), etc. And the storyline of the actual “Sophomore” which was part Dead Poet’s Society and part Dazed and Confused????



The title, however, is misleading and sadly the crumbling marriage of Dan’s parents, the jury duty and the MS/alcoholism storylines were . . . .



I’m sure there is an audience for this book who will not only relish in the references, but also will get sucked in to the mundane day-to-day goings on of nearly a year in the lives of these characters. Unfortunately I’m simply not that reader.

[Athena (OneReadingNurse) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you so much to the publisher for my giveaway digital ARC of Sophomores!  I don,'t always gravitate towards general / literary fiction but read the last 50% of this one in one night and have no regrets!

Such a great premise.  I latched onto "enigmatic English teacher" and decided to give the book a shot! The book follows each member of the Malone family for about a year, and I think the easiest way to review this one is to give each character/storyline a paragraph!

Let's start with Dan: he is a sophomore in a private high school for boys, smart but not drawing attention to it. His absolutely brilliant honors English teacher sparks a sense of Give-A-Shit into Dan when Mr. Oglesby challenges the class to not be regular rats, but Norwegian rats! It's just something you have to read.  Dan deals with his father's alcoholism and sickness, and the family's overall dysfunction, while navigating sophomore year amongst a group of realistically loveable and ridiculous friends.  I liked having glimpses into their shenanigans and family troubles, and they were funny!

It's not a party til someone shoots a firework out of their ass, right? 😂😂

Anne, the mother, is selected to be a juror in a local high profile attempted murder trial, where a Reverend tried to (allegedly) murder his wife .  I think Anne sees herself and her own suffocation in the victim.  What a life, I can't imagine having a blithering alcoholic husband who loses his job and keeps spending money on alcohol! I would be screaming and picking fights too, but I have to hand it to her for staying in the house.  Anne's unravelling is pretty sad to see

Pat, the father, is an alcoholic like his own father.  He loses his job at the airline after enough people catch him drinking when he should probably be working or available for work.  He knows he's sick, with both MS and Alcoholism, and has an epiphany in the hospital at one point where he and this other alcoholic are just taking up beds for people who might be having real emergencies. Yep, that happens.  I really disliked Pat, I'm kind of surprised he wasn't scared of alcohol after his own childhood.  His point of view served to show the family's history a bit too though and then he became the broken head of a broken  household, trying to break the cycle he was stuck in.

Would Oglesby like that analysis? I wish my AP English teacher cared so much!

Anyway - all of the storylines form well rounded, thoughtful characters.  Dan's hilarious friends and high school life offset some of the tougher themes like faith and broken families.  It is a very real story that spares no feelings whatsoever, and I did read the last 50% in one sitting 😳

My only thing was the absolute number of words I had to look up! I consider my vocabulary pretty well rounded and I was still thankful to be reading on Kindle so I could just click words! So many words.

I would totally recommend for anyone interested in high school nostalgia, literary discourse, football, Irish American slice of life, fiction in general, and family stories!

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t quite remember where I first heard of this book. But I loved the cover and it was blurbed by several authors I loved so I gave it a go. At first, I was all “ugh. So male. So over-written. The pretentious vocab (not to mention the tired trope of demanding (male) English teacher).” But I kept coming back to it and ended up really, really liking it. I loved the character of Ann and her anger felt so authentic and important. Just a lovely, not at all nostalgic, account of a difficult family in the 80s.

[Matthew Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t know if you’ve ever read a book set at your exact high school, with teachers you knew and a house a quarter mile from the one you grew up in but it’s very grounding, in a good way. Really enjoyed this book and have already bought it for my Jesuit alumni buddies.

[Anne Meyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing and ultimately boring. I get it: all three main characters are “wise fools.” The stories seem so disconnected— maybe also part of the point —and in the end I didn’t care what happened to Anne, Pat, or anyone else in the book

[Alison Hardtmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's 1987 and the Malone family is falling apart. Pat has MS and is intent on drinking himself to death. When he is laid off, he has time to really devote himself to drinking. Dan is fifteen and working hard to fly under the radar when he is inspired by an English teacher with unusual teaching methods to excel. He's got a solid group of friends and he really likes this one girl. While his home life is not great, his focus is elsewhere. And then there's Anne, who is doing everything to keep her family going. She works as a substitute teacher and all of the housework, childcare and cooking fall on her, even when her husband sits home all day. When her non-communicative husband loses his job, she works harder, clipping coupons and switching to cheaper brands. When she is called to serve as a juror for a high-profile murder trial, Anne's mental energies are focused on that, and while a juror has a responsibility to do a thorough job, she may have crossed a line when she begins to drive through the Dallas neighborhood where the crime took place late at night.

I found this novel to be a frustrating book to read. His suburban Dallas setting is well-depicted. It's very well-written and Desmond really nails the world of a sullen teenager stuck in bland suburbia and longing for something more authentic. How wonderful it was to hang out with your friends and maybe even talk to that person you like. The simultaneous desire to be recognized and to not be noticed. And his portrayal of an alcoholic unable to look past himself to the family he's destroying is compassionate and nuanced. But the most interesting character in this novel is left one-dimensional. Anne is viewed not only by her family as a cold, nagging housekeeper, but also by the author. There was so much more to be said about this intelligent woman stuck in the role of the faithful and submissive Catholic wife and how being a juror might have changed her, had her character been afforded the same development as Pat and Dan.

[MicheleReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the fall of 1987, Dan Malone is a high school sophomore and this will be a year of change for the entire family. His father Pat has to deal with job pressures, new health issues and his growing alcohol addiction. Dan’s mother Anne, is placed as a juror in a sensational, attempted murder trial where the victim, the wife of a Reverend, remains in a coma. Anne is also trapped in her own existence and the trial impacts her greatly. Dan finds relief in the support of his friends and inspiration from his tough and challenging English honors teacher at the Jesuit Preparatory School of Dallas, David Oglesby.

While fiction, Sophomores is a highly biographical book by author Sean Desmond who, like the main character, was transported from his close-knit Irish Catholic community in the Bronx, New York to North Dallas, Texas. Mr. Oglesby is based the author’s teacher, using his actual name to honor his real-life hero. He must have been quite special as the scenes in the classroom are extremely engaging as Mr. Oglesby pushes his students in creative ways to truly understand the works they are reading while also teaching them life lessons. The struggles of Dan’s father Pat are heartbreaking as he seeks alcohol to resolve his problems, as his own father did before him. And Dan’s mother Anne is the character to feel the most for as she is not finding much happiness in her life. This is a coming-of-age story that will stay with you.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1987 in suburban Dallas, the Malone family struggles to stay afloat both individually and as a uniit. The father, Pat, has MS and is an alcoholic. The mother, Anne, has her hands full keeping everyone and everything afloat as her own dreams diminish, particularly when she is selected for jury duty in a highly-publicized criminal trial. Their only child, Dan, is a sophomore as the story opens. His life is full with friends, school and the duties of the elected newspaper editor; however, his home life is chaos with the unrelenting battle waged between his parents and his witnessing of his father's physical decline. His talents are recognized by an unusual English teacher, who realizes and encourages Kevin's aspirations. Their downward spiral is exacerbated when Pat loses his job and his drinking accelerates. Pat has an interesting interview with Frank Borman, the former astronaut and head of Eastern Airlines at that time. The depiction of Borman is not flattering, to say the least. The ending provides a glimmer of hope for this family.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very disappointed in this book, it took me almost a week to read. I couldn't stay focused. I made myself finish it but wasn't worth the money or the time.😔

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book since it takes place in Dallas . I enjoyed parts of it and parts of it were so boring.

[Terri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sophomores

I could not get into Sophomores. I quit at 8%. Boring as all get out. Hard to follow. Who cares?!

[Lindsay · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know when you read a synopsis and it has ALL the elements of a book you love? 1980s setting. Character driven. Health crisis. Family drama. WE HAVE ALL THE PIECES FOR A FANTASTIC NOVEL? Then what happens?! It falls so, so incredibly flat. I am here to tell you that this novel was one fat disappointment. I kept reading in the hopes that it would redeem itself (and the 80s time period references - apparently I knew nothing about “Baby Jessica” but let me tell you I did a one hour deep dive) and it never did. I had such high hopes for this book but it did NOT deliver. I will admit that Desmond is no doubt a skilled writer - there’s no denying that, but this book was just a mess. The jury trial could have been COMPLETELY left out of the book as it added nothing of value to the story, and I’m saying this as someone who loves a criminal element to a book. I did enjoy the character of Mr. Oglesby, Daniel’s teacher, as he reminded me of my English teachers that pushed me to be a good writer.

🎒 VERDICT: 2.5 STARS ⭐️⭐️✨

Quote I related to. “I’ll be honest-this condition will frustrate you. Some days it will flare up and you’ll think you’re a cripple. And then a few days it will go away. I’m not trying to give you a false hope..it’s not a death sentence. It’s a fight against the decline.” 😭😭😭😭💔💔💔💔

[Shira Udin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this coming of age book set against the backdrop of the 1980s in a sterile Dallas suburban community where the innocence of youth is chipped away at by the harsh reality of family struggles. I laughed, I cried, I related, and I was sad when it ended.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goodreads winner!
Interesting story about family dynamics, feeling trapped, and coming of age.
Dan is coating through school until he gets to his English class. There is finally forced to think and it makes him rethink his family, his behavior, and his future. Anne is overworked, tired, and disillusioned with life. She gets picked for a news worthy jury trial and it gets her thinking about life and her role in it. Pat is sick, but trying to hide it from family and friends. He is also a closet alcoholic. The two are causing issues both professionally and personally. He knows he needs to to turn things around, but can he?
Story starts out strong, lags a bit in the middle, but picks up at the end.

[Maddy Melton · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5 stars. the cover was the best thing about this book tbh :) the writing was okay, but at times pretentious and needlessly descriptive about unimportant situations. i usually love a good suburban drama but every character was surface level and boring—there was nothing engaging about this book at all!!! so many missed opportunities here (HELLO a main character was a juror during an attempted murder trial of a local priest. how does one manage to make that boring???) the author did find it important enough to include a random and unnecessary animal abuse scene involving a cat which was v upsetting to me. got close to DNFing at multiple points and probably should have. skip this one :)

[Peggy Parsons · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was nothing in this book I wanted to read about. Yuck on the topics.

[Fred Urfer · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a vividly told story of 1980s teens, the teachers that mattered, the decade that crushed the working class, and the deference to religious leaders. If you're a kid of the '80s and a Catholic school survivor like I am, you have to check out this book. It's one of the most entertaining, heartfelt, and funny books I've read in a long while.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was an easy and quick read but not fulfilling. Three characters, family, living together but without a shared story other than the father's drinking and even that was a lose tie (the son, Dan, hardly acknowledges or is affected by it). It was as if they didn't really exist in each other's world. I didn't care about the character's because there was no growth and no real resolution to their story. Dan wanted to be a Norwegian Rat (special), but did he really care? I didn't feel as if he did. He was named one, but I never got the feeling he actually had to suffer or work for this goal. The two parents were pretty one deminsional and clichéd. The father an alcoholic and the mother escaping into another world (in this case a murder trial she is a juror on). All of them trying to find purpose in their life but even in failure not really trying. I was just left wanting more than I got from this book. It almost feels as some of this is taken straight from the author's own sophomore year of high school. It is the kind of story that friends and family may look back on and nod knowingly, but the rest of the world doesn't quite get.

[Thomas Bruso · Rating 5 out of 5]

Propulsive and unflinching, Sean Desmond’s “Sophomores” chronicles the lives of a Texas family living in the 1980s. Told from three different perspectives, Desmond tells the story of Pat, Anne, and their son Dan, as each character navigates the heartache and struggles of those turbulent times.

This wildly intelligent novel starts with fifteen-year-old Dan, who escapes his unyielding parents as he attends his sophomore year at Jesuit College Prep. Dan’s story is one of redemption and hope despite his grim home life. His harrowing adolescent years are scarred with uncertainty and pain, mostly from living and dealing with his overbearing parents. He meanders through most of the book, trying to discover his primary purpose. During his academic years, he learns his life calling and identity. It is a powerful discovery.

Most of Dan’s father Pat’s chapters pigeonhole the man as an alcoholic, unlucky, tragic individual. Pat spends most of his days at a bar numbing himself—and his pain. Readers are aware of Pat’s battle with multiple sclerosis early on in the narrative. As the story deepens, readers feel sorry for Pat as his health starts to decline and he makes life-changing choices that alter his future.

Anne has the most powerful story when summoned as a juror for a highly publicized attempted murder trial. Along with Anne’s interest in religion, she disputes the issue of men in power, an internal struggle and ongoing problem she wrestles with at home and in the courtroom. But Anne’s tipping point is the juror’s final verdict, which changes her beliefs about the morality of men.

“Sophomores” conveys the story of a family dealing with the hardships of suburban angst. It is a mature, sophisticated throwback to the 1980s with a rich, bitingly funny, stylistic tenderness.

[Nancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a coming of age story about a family that has moved from the neighborhoods in the Bronx where Pat and Anne Malone each grew up to Dallas of the late 1980’s. Pat was the son of an alcoholic father but after a difficult childhood tried to make something of himself by going to college and then Fordham law school. Anne had planned to become a nun but never felt “the call” and had a bad experience with an attractive priest, so she left the convent and went to graduate school where she met and married Pat. She later went on to get her PhD in counseling but became a stay at home mom when she had their son, Dan. Pat works as an actuary for American Airlines and is transferred to the company headquarters in Dallas. When the story opens, their son, Dan is beginning his sophomore year at the all boys Dallas Jesuit College Prep school where his English teacher, Mr. Oglesby (the name of the author’s real teacher at the school) used the Socratic method to instill learning in his students. When they read a book, he wants them to remedy what they read and to understand the meaning. Throughout the course of the academic year, Dan faces challenges in dating even as he is encouraged and supported by his “crew.” Meanwhile, the father, Pat, has been diagnosed with MS and is trying to hold onto his job until he can get Dan into college and then retire. Unfortunately, Pat has followed in his father’s footsteps and become an alcoholic, so, when the economic downturn hits, he loses his job. Meanwhile Anne, feels subsumed by the men around her. When she becomes a juror on an attempted murder case she finally feels that if she can stand up for the female victim, then maybe she can stand up for all women. Or maybe she just wants to be heard. A lot of people have praised this book but it just keeps going from bad to worse with each of them losing the challenges they face.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This novel beautifully captured life in the 1980s...we get the perspective of the wife/mom (caught up in a jury trial involving a murder; she may be the only one who believes the accused husband is guilty of his wife's murder?), the dad/husband (alcoholic who doesn't want to admit that his drinking is now affecting his relationships and his job) and the son (smart kid who likes the wrong girl and loves his class where he has an excellent teacher who challenges him). While I'm a little older than the son, the author is great at capturing details of life in this time period, including what life in Catholic high school was like (e.g., the mean teacher who draws a circle on a blackboard about two inches above your nose and forces you to stand on tiptoe during the rest of class as a punishment--common practice a the time!). The author notes that "sophomore" is from two Greek words meaning "wise" and "foolish" and all three characters make both wise and foolish choices at times--as do we all!

[Brett Heyman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am typically a sucker for coming-of-age stories, particularly those I can relate to (growing up in the 80s, family turmoil, money troubles, etc.). This story did a fantastic job of bringing to life a particularly time and place, and I felt like I was living in Dallas in the 80s. Unfortunately, the story the author told was nowhere near as interesting and the author clearly thinks it was. Anecdotes kind of stop and start with no real purpose, but it is obvious the author found those moments to be instrumental in the sophomore son's life. Everyone thinks the story of his/her life is worthy of a book or movie, but it may not resonate with the outside world. I think that is the case here. It was a story about a family but the three family members' lives hardly interact. Maybe if there was more connective tissue I would have stayed more engaged. Also, the author seemed to have leaned heavily on a thesaurus at the beginning and slowly tapered it off as the story progressed, but man, did the writing come off as pretentious.

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this one. It's set the year after I graduated from high school, so there is some nostalgia there, I guess. It was interesting to read all three characters different stories, intertwined but so separate from each other, and all three pretty believable. All three in the same house but with such different lives. The author lets us see each character's motivation, and at first, we may not be all in for each one, except maybe Dan. I loved how Dan responded to Oglesby's challenge. As the book goes on, though, I started to root more for each character, especially Anne. We women who grew up post-ERA don't really have a grasp of how it was for women then, even from the way they were raised. Maybe an idea, if you worked in the 80s as a teenager, but not the whole thing. I think this book is probably closer to a memoir than straight fiction, especially based on the author's note and one section of the text in which he seems to fly free with his own thoughts for a paragraph or two.

[Mom · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping tale of three members of the family who are each facing major challenges but seem to have no communication between them to help each other. Dan, the sophomore in high school, is going through basic teenage angst trying to find his place both socially and academically while navigating turmoil at home. His mother, a seemingly devote Catholic, is still struggling with issues that caused her to stop training to be a nun. She is called for jury duty in a high-profile attempted murder case where the defendant is a minister, accused of trying to murder his wife. Meanwhile, her husband is struggling with the onset of MS, addiction to alcohol and the sudden loss of his job. Their stories are told with humor and compassion resulting in a terrific book that you can’t stop reading but don’t want to end.

[Astrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actually 3, 5 ⭐.

Three people, three different universes hardly coinciding, even though the three protagonists are family. "Sophomores" is an observation of their day-to-day lives, their trials and tribulations. Nothing thrilling, nothing too exciting but nevertheless mostly interesting to read how everyday-people carry with their lives while each of them is plagued with guilt, sorrows and their very own temptations.

Found the style a bit pretentious at times and believe that Desmond simply wanted to achieve too much and didn't quite succeed.

I did like parts of this book very much, while I found other parts truly boring. At times "Sophomores" felt almost clinical and the characters did not seem to go in any direction. Whereas sometimes I simply could not wait to carry on reading.

Overall a read that is a tad above the average.

[Tom Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was not an academic kid, and missed much of the Sophomore spirit as my school was on shift and I was only there for 3 hours a day. I was more interested in avoiding Vietnam. Yet, this coming of age novel really worked for me as its wring was well crafted and absorbing Kudos to its portrayal of high school academia and angst and the portrayal of living in an alcoholic family environment, with drunk dad and depressed mother. Plus poor Dan had to deal with a horrific narcissist teacher like Oglesby. The whole Norwegian rat contest just gave me the creeps. It did a great job of taking me back to what might have been in my life! I was particularly captured by Pat and Anne. I did get somewhat bored by the pretentious lessons of teacher Oglesby. There needs to be a book about him, as he is such an annoying individual, I want to know what is he really about. Loved this book!

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

This just never really went much of anywhere interesting. We get stories of a son, a father, and a mother, and while they all live under the same roof, their narratives seem pretty isolated - even if they directly affect other members of the family. The father's alcoholism clearly impacts the son and the mother, but the son's story is more about trying to impress his English teacher and trying not to be so awkward around girls. The mother's perspective ends up focusing a lot more on her jury duty for a sensational murder case. It's not a bad book and there are memorable moments, and I even suspect it draws closely on the author's life so I don't want to trash it, but I didn't get a lot out of it. Picked it up on a whim from a blurb suggesting something along the lines of Catcher in the Rye meets John Hughes (due to its 1980s setting) and this was not that in my opinion.

[Lisa Litz-Neavear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading about dysfunctional families is my favorite genre, and this family truly fits this description. I wanted this to be a 5-star book, but it didn't quite hit that mark. The sophomore in high school, Dan, and his friends were my favorite characters. They seemed way too literate to be 14 and 15-year-olds, but maybe there really are kids like this? Watching the father, Pat, destroy himself with alcohol made me want to reach into the pages of the book and shake him. I still have some questions about the mother, Anne; as one reviewer pointed out, she definitely wasn't as fully developed as the male characters. But even with the issues I had, I really cared about what would happen with these people. So if you like to experience the ups and downs (mostly downs!) of a family living in the 80's, you may want to read this book.

[Kimberly Barnes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sophomores by Sean Desmond is a coming of age story of the main character, Dan Malone. The Malone family has relocated to Texas for Pat Malone’s job. However, Pat ends up losing his job. The story presents the challenges faced by the family including Pat’s struggle with alcoholism and multiple sclerosis, Dan’s struggle with finding motivation and getting through high school, and Anne’s struggle as she faces life with an unemployed, drunk husband. Anne is chosen to a juror on a sensational murder case where a pastor is accused of murdering his wife. This novel tells three different stories in one, those of Pat, Anne, and Dan Malone. This book portrays a coming of age story and follows Dan as he matures and realizes what is going on around him.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.

The main character, Dan, is a sophomore in high school, and given the title, you’d think this would be the most compelling part of the story. It’s not. The portions of the book when Dan is in school are the least interesting to me, with his personal exploits with friends and girls being a little more engaging. Dan’s mother’s storyline as she is a juror for Reverend Raleigh’s trial is the most intriguing element, while I was overall most captivated by his father Pat’s drinking problem. (Also, I expected the episode with Carmen and her daughter to come back at some point later to haunt Pat - maybe they robbed him or he contracted HIV or something, but nothing further ever came of it.)