Things as They Are

by Paul Horgan, George Weigel (Introduction), Amy Welborn (Editor)

"Mr. Horgan manages . . . to make the morning of life as pristine as the dawn of creation itself.”— New York Times “A work of rare beauty . . . has a lyrical quality that is rare today.”— Best Sellers “Mr. Horgan writes as a poet and as the biographer of us all.” — Book Week Richard is a young boy growing up in turn-of-the-century upstate New York, sheltered in a loving Catholic family. His happy world consists largely of illusions. These are shattered as Richard learns about “things as they are”—a remorseless succession of encounters with the casual brutality of schoolboys, the faithlessness of adults, the silence of God, and the cruelty in his own heart. Yet Paul Horgan finds courage and beauty in the ruins of Richard’s dream world. Hope is also part of “things as they are,” and Horgan’s subtle, powerful vision makes this classic tale of lost innocence a novel that resonates deeply in the soul.

Genres: Fiction, Catholic, Coming Of Age

408 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1964

About the author

Paul Horgan was an American author of fiction and nonfiction, most of which was set in the Southwest. He received two Pulitzer Prizes for history.

The New York Times Review of Books said in 1989: "With the exception of Wallace Stegner, no living American has so distinguished himself in both fiction and history."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ho...

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every one of these in the Loyola Classics series have been excellent. This one by Paul Horgan has been on my shelf for a long time; were it not for having him recommended in a review on Amazon when I was looking for something quite unrelated, it would be there still.

According to the Introduction by George Weigel, Horgan is one of those great Catholic authors who has been forgotten by modern readers and that is a shame because he is excellent.

This is the story about a young boy, Richard, from his earliest memories of learning about right from wrong through his various encounters with the some of the betrayals which we all collect along the way, but often never talk about. It is at least partially autobiographical. There are also two sequels, Everything to Live For and The Thin Mountain Air which I hope to read.

[Jeff Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am prone to rating inflation on books since I never really know how to properly star them. That being said:

I had picked 1951 novel up earlier this year from Cluny Media after a recommendation from Amy Welborn and just got around to reading it. I don't have the literary chops to analyze why I enjoyed this novel so much. They were parts that just dropped me in my tracks and I would think about later. This is not light reading or just a coming of age story. There are depths here and topics I would not have expected.

[Maura · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is extremely difficult to "rate" as each chapter details a different period in the life of the protagonist--a young boy who begins to understand "things as they are" through personal experience. Some chapters are incredibly touching or relevant, issuing provocative questions, while others are saccharine. The book may be of particular interest to those with a Roman Catholic background as many of the questions raised throughout the story are related to that particular faith.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

First "The Return of the Weed" and now this. I must find more Horgan.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect little jewel of a coming-of-age novel. Beautifully written, beautifully told.

[J T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this wonderful book.

[Hazel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This set of 10 stories is told through the eyes of Richard, a young boy growing up in upstate New York in the early 19oo's. Spanning approximately 9 years ending at the beginning of WWI, Richard grows from a 5-year-old immersed in a lively, imaginative world, to a young man on the brink of adolescence and growing understanding of the adult world of "things as they are." Each chapter deals with a different aspect of life as Richard encounters it. We are reminded that children see and hear a great deal more than adults credit them. Through Richard we see the unfiltered impressions, then the revelation of adult actions and their consequences. The first chapter deals with sin and guilt--Richard has been callously cruel to a kitten. After that, Richard encounters cruelty, hatred, drunkenness, death, betrayal--knocking down the walls of his childhood play to see the world as it is. Even with the sadness of each illusion shattered, we know that this is part of growing up and we will survive. Through it all, he has loving parents who have a strong sense of their Catholic faith.

The edition I read is not in Goodreads list--1964, probably out of print. The book is actually only 240 pages long.

[Graychin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul Horgan (1903-1995) is mostly remembered – when remembered – as a Pulitzer prize-winning historian, but he also wrote fiction. I stumbled on this book by chance but, in my opinion, Things As They Are is an unjustly forgotten gem of American literature.

Richard, Horgan’s protagonist, is a young boy of New York State in the very early 1900s. Each chapter presents an episode in Richard’s education in the sadder truths of human nature – his own nature and that of others. If it’s not exactly a cheery story, it’s still a very beautiful and wise story, and it’s perfectly matched by Horgan’s spare, meditative prose.

Some very good reading here. It’s a book I’m sure to pick up again.

[Isabelle Gelzhiser · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was honestly quite sad to read, the ways society rips away at a child's innocence. But I found the progression of stories to be quite well done, and Horgan throws in these lines that really punch. It's almost bittersweet, it makes you reflect, and highlights the misunderstandings between children and adults.

[Anthony Bracciante · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although this book takes place at the beginning of the 20th century, its tale of wonder, imagination, and loss of Innocence as a young boy grows from toddler to the brink of adolescence has great truth and meaning even now.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was one of the gifts Loyola Press gave me as a result of my recommending The Witness of St. Ansgar's for reprinting. I doubt I would have ever found it otherwise. Now I want to read more of Paul Horgan's work--maybe his biography of the priest whose life was behind Death for the Archbishop and also the second two volumes in this "Richard" trilogy of which this book is the first.

Horgan says that only one of the ten chapters has any basis in an event from his own life. I'd love to know which one it was. Every one of them rings true to me. In most of the chapters, there is an event in which grownups are disappointing or worse. A priest is verbally abusive, a pedophile acts out his desire, a flasher causes hysterical reactions from the adults in his life, a child who is "different" is bullied and rejected by his parents, an adulterous relationship is witnessed--in most of the cases, an element of a child's innocence is lost. Horgan does not preach; he just observes through the eyes of the young boy.

[James Pike · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It is a coming of age/loss of innocence story that shows the protagonist in a scene from each year of his life from 4-13. I found that it read more like a collection of short stories containing the same characters and linked together by the theme of the journey out of childhood. The stories tend to be on the darker side, somewhat similar in my estimation to the stories of Flannery O'Connor. Overall a very good, easy read.

[Maya · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little book. Not much in the way of plot, but the episodes and narration are so genuine, I didn't care.

[paige d · Rating 1 out of 5]

worst book ever.
seriously, what the heck is going on?

[Bell · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is the most boring book i have read in my entire life.

[Megan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly written and utterly depressing.

[Nicole · Rating 2 out of 5]

Coming of age.