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Answer as a Man
All his life, Jason Garrity has had to battle intolerance and injustice in his quest for power, money, and love. His new hotel will give him financial security, the means to support a loving family and become an upstanding citizen. When family secrets and financial greed combine to destroy his dreams, his rigid moral convictions are suddenly brought into question.
445 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1980
398 people are currently reading
540 people want to read
About the author
Taylor Caldwell
152 books554 followers Also known by the pen names Marcus Holland and Max Reiner.
Taylor Caldwell was born in Manchester, England. In 1907 she emigrated to the United States with her parents and younger brother. Her father died shortly after the move, and the family struggled. At the age of eight she started to write stories, and in fact wrote her first novel, The Romance of Atlantis, at the age of twelve (although it remained unpublished until 1975). Her father did not approve such activity for women, and sent her to work in a bindery. She continued to write prolifically, however, despite ill health. (In 1947, according to TIME magazine, she discarded and burned the manuscripts of 140 unpublished novels.)
In 1918-1919, she served in the United States Navy Reserve. In 1919 she married William F. Combs. In 1920, they had a daughter, Mary (known as "Peggy"). From 1923 to 1924 she was a court reporter in New York State Department of Labor in Buffalo, New York. In 1924, she went to work for the United States Department of Justice, as a member of the Board of Special Inquiry (an immigration tribunal) in Buffalo. In 1931 she graduated from SUNY Buffalo, and also was divorced from William Combs.
Caldwell then married her second husband, Marcus Reback, a fellow Justice employee. She had a second child with Reback, a daughter Judith, in 1932. They were married for 40 years, until his death in 1971.
In 1934, she began to work on the novel Dynasty of Death, which she and Reback completed in collaboration. It was published in 1938 and became a best-seller. "Taylor Caldwell" was presumed to be a man, and there was some public stir when the author was revealed to be a woman. Over the next 43 years, she published 42 more novels, many of them best-sellers. For instance, This Side of Innocence was the biggest fiction seller of 1946. Her works sold an estimated 30 million copies. She became wealthy, traveling to Europe and elsewhere, though she still lived near Buffalo.
Her books were big sellers right up to the end of her career. During her career as a writer, she received several awards.
She was an outspoken conservative and for a time wrote for the John Birch Society's monthly journal American Opinion and even associated with the anti-Semitic Liberty Lobby. Her memoir, On Growing Up Tough, appeared in 1971, consisting of many edited-down articles from American Opinion.
Around 1970, she became interested in reincarnation. She had become friends with well-known occultist author Jess Stearn, who suggested that the vivid detail in her many historical novels was actually subconscious recollection of previous lives. Supposedly, she agreed to be hypnotized and undergo "past-life regression" to disprove reincarnation. According to Stearn's book, The Search of a Soul - Taylor Caldwell's Psychic Lives, Caldwell instead began to recall her own past lives - eleven in all, including one on the "lost continent" of Lemuria.
In 1972, she married William Everett Stancell, a retired real estate developer, but divorced him in 1973. In 1978, she married William Robert Prestie, an eccentric Canadian 17 years her junior. This led to difficulties with her children. She had a long dispute with her daughter Judith over the estate of Judith's father Marcus; in 1979 Judith committed suicide.
Also in 1979, Caldwell suffered a stroke, which left her unable to speak, though she could still write. (She had been deaf since about 1965.) Her daughter Peggy accused Prestie of abusing and exploiting Caldwell, and there was a legal battle over her substantial assets.
She died of heart failure in Greenwich, Conn
Taylor Caldwell was born in Manchester, England. In 1907 she emigrated to the United States with her parents and younger brother. Her father died shortly after the move, and the family struggled. At the age of eight she started to write stories, and in fact wrote her first novel, The Romance of Atlantis, at the age of twelve (although it remained unpublished until 1975). Her father did not approve such activity for women, and sent her to work in a bindery. She continued to write prolifically, however, despite ill health. (In 1947, according to TIME magazine, she discarded and burned the manuscripts of 140 unpublished novels.)
In 1918-1919, she served in the United States Navy Reserve. In 1919 she married William F. Combs. In 1920, they had a daughter, Mary (known as "Peggy"). From 1923 to 1924 she was a court reporter in New York State Department of Labor in Buffalo, New York. In 1924, she went to work for the United States Department of Justice, as a member of the Board of Special Inquiry (an immigration tribunal) in Buffalo. In 1931 she graduated from SUNY Buffalo, and also was divorced from William Combs.
Caldwell then married her second husband, Marcus Reback, a fellow Justice employee. She had a second child with Reback, a daughter Judith, in 1932. They were married for 40 years, until his death in 1971.
In 1934, she began to work on the novel Dynasty of Death, which she and Reback completed in collaboration. It was published in 1938 and became a best-seller. "Taylor Caldwell" was presumed to be a man, and there was some public stir when the author was revealed to be a woman. Over the next 43 years, she published 42 more novels, many of them best-sellers. For instance, This Side of Innocence was the biggest fiction seller of 1946. Her works sold an estimated 30 million copies. She became wealthy, traveling to Europe and elsewhere, though she still lived near Buffalo.
Her books were big sellers right up to the end of her career. During her career as a writer, she received several awards.
She was an outspoken conservative and for a time wrote for the John Birch Society's monthly journal American Opinion and even associated with the anti-Semitic Liberty Lobby. Her memoir, On Growing Up Tough, appeared in 1971, consisting of many edited-down articles from American Opinion.
Around 1970, she became interested in reincarnation. She had become friends with well-known occultist author Jess Stearn, who suggested that the vivid detail in her many historical novels was actually subconscious recollection of previous lives. Supposedly, she agreed to be hypnotized and undergo "past-life regression" to disprove reincarnation. According to Stearn's book, The Search of a Soul - Taylor Caldwell's Psychic Lives, Caldwell instead began to recall her own past lives - eleven in all, including one on the "lost continent" of Lemuria.
In 1972, she married William Everett Stancell, a retired real estate developer, but divorced him in 1973. In 1978, she married William Robert Prestie, an eccentric Canadian 17 years her junior. This led to difficulties with her children. She had a long dispute with her daughter Judith over the estate of Judith's father Marcus; in 1979 Judith committed suicide.
Also in 1979, Caldwell suffered a stroke, which left her unable to speak, though she could still write. (She had been deaf since about 1965.) Her daughter Peggy accused Prestie of abusing and exploiting Caldwell, and there was a legal battle over her substantial assets.
She died of heart failure in Greenwich, Conn
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
August 29, 2025
If you have not read a book by Taylor Caldwell, you should, especially if you enjoy historical fiction, family sagas and BIG books. With a career that spanned five decades, she wrote forty novels many New York Times bestsellers. She was born in England in 1900, then her family immigrated to the USA in 1907. This book Answer as a Man, her last novel, was written in 1981. I loved the story and admired and strength and perseverance of the protagonist Jason Garrity in all the ups and downs of his life. This book has a few unlikeable characters as well which always adds interest. The other Caldwell book I loved was Captain and the Kings, but may try her 1938 book Dynasty of Death next.
June 27, 2015
Like in Captains and the Kings published in 1972, (see my review here), Taylor Cadwell wrote another magnificent novel on the "American Dream."
By telling the story of Jason Garrity's family, showing how a poor Irish community who emigrated to America managed to become healthy and rich people.
However, some family and hidden secrets combined with financial troubles due to the approach of World War I, makes Jason to revise his moral convictions since his dreams will be shortly destroyed by a destiny's faith.
4* The Arm and the Darkness
5* A Pillar of Iron
4* Dear and Glorious Physician
4* The Earth Is the Lord's: A Tale of the Rise of Genghis Khan
4* The Final Hour
5* Captains And The Kings
2* The Romance of Atlantis
3* The Late Clara Beame
3* Ceremony of the Innocent
4* Answer as a Man
TR Dynasty Of Death (The Eagles Gather, The Final Hour)
TR The Wide House
TR Testimony of Two Men
TR This Side of Innocence
TR Glory and the Lightning
TR Never Victorious, Never Defeated
By telling the story of Jason Garrity's family, showing how a poor Irish community who emigrated to America managed to become healthy and rich people.
However, some family and hidden secrets combined with financial troubles due to the approach of World War I, makes Jason to revise his moral convictions since his dreams will be shortly destroyed by a destiny's faith.
4* The Arm and the Darkness
5* A Pillar of Iron
4* Dear and Glorious Physician
4* The Earth Is the Lord's: A Tale of the Rise of Genghis Khan
4* The Final Hour
5* Captains And The Kings
2* The Romance of Atlantis
3* The Late Clara Beame
3* Ceremony of the Innocent
4* Answer as a Man
TR Dynasty Of Death (The Eagles Gather, The Final Hour)
TR The Wide House
TR Testimony of Two Men
TR This Side of Innocence
TR Glory and the Lightning
TR Never Victorious, Never Defeated
October 21, 2013
OK. This was my second Taylor Caldwell novel. When done, I knew it would be my last. A friend at work suggested I read it. They loved it. So... I ready it. Story and plot, very well constructed. Yet, I could not get past the fact the author has to be so descriptive, so very, very descritive. I get it, she likes detail but c'mon there is no need to go on and on so. Gave it 3 stars b/c the author is brilliant in her storyline but can't go further b/c reading her stories make me very tired and I feel it is work to read.
August 30, 2019
Taylor Caldwell Revisited
I read almost all of Taylor Caldwell’s books years ago. You could say I was obsessed! I remembered this book as being a particular favorite, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it again. I’m always challenged to learn new words from her books, so I find myself checking the meaning of words periodically. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
I read almost all of Taylor Caldwell’s books years ago. You could say I was obsessed! I remembered this book as being a particular favorite, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it again. I’m always challenged to learn new words from her books, so I find myself checking the meaning of words periodically. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.
February 6, 2017
This is the second Taylor Caldwell book I've read. She has a habit of inserting her political ideas into her novels, in a hit one over the head way, but it is easy to skim these diatribes about international conspiracies because hr characters are so well drawn that in this novel they are captivating.
Of course in Answer as a Man, the characters are Irish immigrants who live in the small town of Belleville near the coal mine where most of them will go to work when they come of age. The story starts in the early 1900s and involves two families, the Garritys and the Nolans. Jason Garrity the oldest kid is 14 and his best friend Lionel Nolan is a little younger. The Garrity family came to America to escape the oppression and the famine, and found oppression and hard work and hunger.
As most young they dream of money and warmth and food and security and love....but like most youth who they are attracted to or put off by is based on infatuation or childish disdain.
It is a tale of hard work, self delusion, tragedy and family. It does have a slightly sloppy ending, but is still worth reading as a romantic period novel.
I read several remarks by younger readers who could not stand the long descriptions, of either scenes or characters. Especially characters that were in their view too naive, such as Jason and Patrick...I am sure that they feel that people in love with a person or a child must be able to see their true nature, are incapable of missing all of the nuance in others, but none of us seems to fall in love with any sense of reality, we see what we want to see, and this human flaw is what creates most of our own tragedies. The inability to be clear eyed. Subtleties of character are known only to the most observant: either those who intend to manipulate and those who watch from the outside looking in. In Caldwell brings that to an art.
Of course in Answer as a Man, the characters are Irish immigrants who live in the small town of Belleville near the coal mine where most of them will go to work when they come of age. The story starts in the early 1900s and involves two families, the Garritys and the Nolans. Jason Garrity the oldest kid is 14 and his best friend Lionel Nolan is a little younger. The Garrity family came to America to escape the oppression and the famine, and found oppression and hard work and hunger.
As most young they dream of money and warmth and food and security and love....but like most youth who they are attracted to or put off by is based on infatuation or childish disdain.
It is a tale of hard work, self delusion, tragedy and family. It does have a slightly sloppy ending, but is still worth reading as a romantic period novel.
I read several remarks by younger readers who could not stand the long descriptions, of either scenes or characters. Especially characters that were in their view too naive, such as Jason and Patrick...I am sure that they feel that people in love with a person or a child must be able to see their true nature, are incapable of missing all of the nuance in others, but none of us seems to fall in love with any sense of reality, we see what we want to see, and this human flaw is what creates most of our own tragedies. The inability to be clear eyed. Subtleties of character are known only to the most observant: either those who intend to manipulate and those who watch from the outside looking in. In Caldwell brings that to an art.
June 3, 2021
This is a 3.5-er. Rounding up because of the faded-to-obscurity factor of this once bestselling author--might as well do my part. eh? Although apparently she became conservative in her life so of course lots of people will be all, ewww I can't read a conservative author, and are glad her star faded. But I am so interested in these authors who wrote in the early 20th century and everyone read their books and probably my grandma the reader had 'em on her shelf and now everybody's all, who's that?
Anyway, this book was actually her last, and it came out in 1980, not long before she died, so a bit of her worldview gets in there in characters' comments, though it's set in the turn-of-the-century 1900s and leading up to WWI, but what sticks out as far as worldviews are things I loved, like cynicism about humans and how much we suck.
I don't know, but maybe my new thing is totes relating to the righteous, smart, pessimistic grandpa characters in books set in the early 1900s.
WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO KNOW THE PLOT BEFORE READING THIS. I am so glad I knew nothing of the plot before reading this well-plotted saga of an Irish Catholic family and others in a Pennsylvania town.
I checked this book out from the library after finding in the old used bookstore hardcover edition of a different book I was reading a few months ago a 1940 ish brochure from the book of the month club advertising Taylor Caldwell's hot new book and I was like, who the huh?
I def think I'll read another of hers.
I like how she is into the bankers-broke-the-world worldview. 'Cause they did! (Well, and still are so doing.)
I am aware that this review was not that much about the book.
My favorite characters are Molly (duh), the housekeeper I think Mrs. Gruber, and the grandpa Bernard, natch. And Jason, too, I suppose.
Anyway, this book was actually her last, and it came out in 1980, not long before she died, so a bit of her worldview gets in there in characters' comments, though it's set in the turn-of-the-century 1900s and leading up to WWI, but what sticks out as far as worldviews are things I loved, like cynicism about humans and how much we suck.
I don't know, but maybe my new thing is totes relating to the righteous, smart, pessimistic grandpa characters in books set in the early 1900s.
WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO KNOW THE PLOT BEFORE READING THIS. I am so glad I knew nothing of the plot before reading this well-plotted saga of an Irish Catholic family and others in a Pennsylvania town.
I checked this book out from the library after finding in the old used bookstore hardcover edition of a different book I was reading a few months ago a 1940 ish brochure from the book of the month club advertising Taylor Caldwell's hot new book and I was like, who the huh?
I def think I'll read another of hers.
I like how she is into the bankers-broke-the-world worldview. 'Cause they did! (Well, and still are so doing.)
I am aware that this review was not that much about the book.
My favorite characters are Molly (duh), the housekeeper I think Mrs. Gruber, and the grandpa Bernard, natch. And Jason, too, I suppose.
December 5, 2024
Why did this grab me so much? So much is wrong with the world and it is described in all its depravity. (See shelves above.) But, even as we fight against Him, God speaks into it.
“Jason,” said the old man. “All we have left . . . is to believe. In God, even if when we hate him and demand of him and scream at him. What else is there? . . . For our own sakes, we must believe.”
“No one has proved the existence of God. But no one has proved he doesn’t exist either . . .
“I believe . . . I believe . . . even when I hate him.”
But even in his pain Jason thought: Better a terrible world with God in it than a painless world without him.”
“Filled with unforgettable characters, this masterful retelling of the Book of Job depicts one man’s will to succeed amidst the slings and arrows of fortune” (Amazon review).
“What I found the most stirring was Jason Garrity's spiritual evolution as he came to grips with the vicissitudes of life while learning the elastic and unfailing character of God's love. His spiritually illuminating experiences came unbidden at unlikely moments but served as markers of faith along an often dim and twisting path” (Thank you, GoodReads reviewer, Elizabeth Eiler!)
“Jason,” said the old man. “All we have left . . . is to believe. In God, even if when we hate him and demand of him and scream at him. What else is there? . . . For our own sakes, we must believe.”
“No one has proved the existence of God. But no one has proved he doesn’t exist either . . .
“I believe . . . I believe . . . even when I hate him.”
But even in his pain Jason thought: Better a terrible world with God in it than a painless world without him.”
“Filled with unforgettable characters, this masterful retelling of the Book of Job depicts one man’s will to succeed amidst the slings and arrows of fortune” (Amazon review).
“What I found the most stirring was Jason Garrity's spiritual evolution as he came to grips with the vicissitudes of life while learning the elastic and unfailing character of God's love. His spiritually illuminating experiences came unbidden at unlikely moments but served as markers of faith along an often dim and twisting path” (Thank you, GoodReads reviewer, Elizabeth Eiler!)
December 26, 2018
Another seasonal foray into literary fiction, "Answer as a Man" by the masterful Taylor Caldwell was intensely satisfying. Her characters have deep, complicated souls and struggle to find love, meaning, and financial security as desperately poor Irish immigrants on the rise in the Pennsylvania of 1900 through World War I. The family dramas - elucidated with rich, atmospheric prose and shrewd knowledge of the human condition - would have been entertaining in their own right. However, this novel had a much greater depth.
I was pleasantly surprised at the spiritual mysticism which infuses the life of the main character, Jason, a fundamentally good though imperfect man who has a unique bond with God though he lives through the struggles of Job. He has moments of spiritual light and clarity, accompanied by an innate morality that completely escape his priest brother, John, and self-righteous sister, Joan. His role model and greatest comfort as a youth is his grandfather, Bernard, a relentlessly principled Irishman whose fierce life of debate with God belied his early years in seminary.
This is a book filled with both triumph and heartache. Topics such as racism, religious bigotry, alcoholism, and the plight of the mentally ill are all explored in unsparing detail through the lives of Caldwell's characters. Nationalism, government propaganda, the agencies of division in American life, and what it means to be an American are themes for Jason at the start of World War I that are as relevant in 2018 as they were in 1914.
What I found the most stirring was Jason Garrity's spiritual evolution as he came to grips with the vicissitudes of life while learning the elastic and unfailing character of God's love. His spiritually illuminating experiences came unbidden at unlikely moments but served as markers of faith along an often dim and twisting path.
This book is quite beautiful in its unflinching and intimate portrayal of a good boy becoming a good man and facing challenge and uncertainty the best he knows. I highly recommend it - though it may keep you up at night turning the pages!
I was pleasantly surprised at the spiritual mysticism which infuses the life of the main character, Jason, a fundamentally good though imperfect man who has a unique bond with God though he lives through the struggles of Job. He has moments of spiritual light and clarity, accompanied by an innate morality that completely escape his priest brother, John, and self-righteous sister, Joan. His role model and greatest comfort as a youth is his grandfather, Bernard, a relentlessly principled Irishman whose fierce life of debate with God belied his early years in seminary.
This is a book filled with both triumph and heartache. Topics such as racism, religious bigotry, alcoholism, and the plight of the mentally ill are all explored in unsparing detail through the lives of Caldwell's characters. Nationalism, government propaganda, the agencies of division in American life, and what it means to be an American are themes for Jason at the start of World War I that are as relevant in 2018 as they were in 1914.
What I found the most stirring was Jason Garrity's spiritual evolution as he came to grips with the vicissitudes of life while learning the elastic and unfailing character of God's love. His spiritually illuminating experiences came unbidden at unlikely moments but served as markers of faith along an often dim and twisting path.
This book is quite beautiful in its unflinching and intimate portrayal of a good boy becoming a good man and facing challenge and uncertainty the best he knows. I highly recommend it - though it may keep you up at night turning the pages!
June 21, 2023
Dec 2020. I got 1/4 way through this story and then couldn’t take any more. It started well but then had this weird ‘enlightenment’/God theme and argument thread start to weave it’s way into the story line.
If it was meant to follow along the lines of the book of Job, I could not find the parallels at all.
It lost my interest so decided not to torture myself any further...
June 2023. So I picked this book up and decided to finish it. As disappointed I was with it 1/4 way through, I was even more disappointed by the time I got to the end. Parts of this story droned on and on. Characters were awful, I loathed Patricia! The names of Jason & Patricia's twins worse, Nicole & Nicolas (no imagination there), and at the end of this whole sorry story, there was no clarity whether Lionel was actually found out at the end! Where was the justice!
How Taylor Caldwell tried to weave the life of Job into Jason Garrity's life is what has floored me the most. If you know the Bible, Job 1:1 starts - 'There was a man ...whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil'. But Jason Garrity was just a man with a hard life, who could have these vague ethereal visions one moment and then go off the deep end the next. He claimed several times he was agnostic, so how could he fear a God he didn't know whether existed or not?
If it was meant to follow along the lines of the book of Job, I could not find the parallels at all.
It lost my interest so decided not to torture myself any further...
June 2023. So I picked this book up and decided to finish it. As disappointed I was with it 1/4 way through, I was even more disappointed by the time I got to the end. Parts of this story droned on and on. Characters were awful, I loathed Patricia! The names of Jason & Patricia's twins worse, Nicole & Nicolas (no imagination there), and at the end of this whole sorry story, there was no clarity whether Lionel was actually found out at the end! Where was the justice!
How Taylor Caldwell tried to weave the life of Job into Jason Garrity's life is what has floored me the most. If you know the Bible, Job 1:1 starts - 'There was a man ...whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil'. But Jason Garrity was just a man with a hard life, who could have these vague ethereal visions one moment and then go off the deep end the next. He claimed several times he was agnostic, so how could he fear a God he didn't know whether existed or not?
July 20, 2023
This is one of her better books, I think. Fewer rants, more story. She is very good at story. Her characters are interesting and engaging and although they are perilously close to being black & white and one dimensional - i.e. her bad people are really bad and her good people are (if unrecognized as such by the corrupt world around them) saints. But there was even less of that this time. I used to think her diatribes about bankers and government were crazy and now I wish I still did. Unfortunately it seems she had the sow by the right ear all along. Sad, and scary. But I recommend this book.
November 22, 2018
I struggled with the first 150 pages of the book. There was so much anger towards God, religion. It was tiresome. It was interesting to watch the family overcome their struggles and prosper. I enjoyed the relationship between Jason and his grandfather. His brother and sister were just awkward. Then the story got very interesting. I could hardly put the book down for several hundred pages. Then, it went south again and I just wanted to be done with it. I got tired of the constant bitterness, all the political and financial devastation. The ending was anti-climatic. Just so glad to be done wth it.
October 13, 2019
Another of Caldwell’s long drawn-out (476 pages ) family sagas which follows the mostly, depressing life of Jason Aloysis Garruty, 14 years old in 1900 and a hardworking youth from a hardscrabble Irish family who pulls himself up by his bootsrtaps, and his family, friends, and neighbors. In a loveless marriage to a neurotic woman, Jason builds a business, almost loses it, tries to limit conflicts with others while remaining an honest, decent man.. The book includes Caldwell’s commonsense viewpoints of immigration/racism with stories of the Irish famine, and the limitations and drawbacks of the public school system.
November 23, 2015
A terrific read. In this moving period piece Taylor Caldwell manages to tell a timelessly heartbreaking tale exploring human nature. Detailed and distinctively "human" characters aid in creating a believable world in which events occur that invoke questions on the nature of humanity, God, and purpose.
The Author is shown to be knowledgeable in philosophy, history and even some popular "conspiracy theories".
The result is a memorable tale that will stay with you long after the last page is turned.
The Author is shown to be knowledgeable in philosophy, history and even some popular "conspiracy theories".
The result is a memorable tale that will stay with you long after the last page is turned.
August 30, 2018
This is an older book that I found at the Salvation Army. It is the first one I have read written by this author. I liked the story overall but it was very hard to wade through. The author was extremely descriptive and excessively wordy. I almost quit after the first four chapters but made myself continue. As I said, it is an okay story but nothing to put it on The New Times Best Seller List for 5 months in my opinion.
September 21, 2018
I love how Taylor Caldwell incorporates real historical events into her writing. Political and religious annotations from all points of view are inserted throughout this book. All of the history, politics and religion is woven together with a story about family, friends, love, loss, hatred, success and failure. 5 Stars!
October 23, 2021
Although it may seem very politically leaning, it’s actually a fairly good representation of how people thought in the Edwardian period. You have to remember this was a time period where it was such a scandal to wear makeup that women would buy powder and rouge disguised as books and other things. I personally really loved this book, it has to be one of my top 2 favorites so far.
March 13, 2024
This was my first Taylor Caldwell book and will be my last. I felt like I was reading multiple short stories that were vaguely tied together but never finished. There wasn’t a flow to the main story. Lots of words, not much meat.
September 18, 2008
Superb introduction to Irish in America. Excellent story, memorable characters ... wonder why it is not as popular as I would imagine it to be ... or is it?
October 6, 2008
Her writing is exquisite!
June 27, 2010
Just finished re-reading, after many years, this book. She is still my all time favorite author.
April 20, 2014
This is one of my favorites! I could read it over and over! I love the details and characters in this book
September 14, 2016
The most unforgettable books Taylor Caldwell wrote, have read it many times over.
January 2, 2018
Good read...
The last chapters seemed "rushed". Otherwise, a good read that is food for thought about the greed and evil of man.
The last chapters seemed "rushed". Otherwise, a good read that is food for thought about the greed and evil of man.
October 18, 2018
A long book that kept me going but was written and played out a bit like a soap opera.
July 3, 2024
This was a very profane book which I did not expect from Taylor Caldwell. The story plodded along for over 400 pages and was neatly wrapped up in the last three. Overall, a big disappointment.
July 19, 2021
The characters Caldwell creates are incredibly well put together. That makes this review challenging for me. I liked the book, but I didn’t love it. I was surprised WWI happened with no effect on the story at all. Usually when I read a well-written novel, I know people like the characters in the book. I can’t say that about these characters. I was immediately impressed at the beginning of the book by the ability of some, both young and old, to have such insight into another’s character almost immediately after meeting them. I found that to be unlikely. The poor main character is as long suffering and hopeful as Charlie Brown. In fact, he could easily be Charlie Brown. I got frustrated by his inability to get a clue about anybody living in his world and taking advantage of him, which is pretty much everybody. Other than Charlie Brown, who isn’t real, I doubt there are real people like that. I know I’ve never met any and doubt there were more of them alive 100 years ago. I got tired of it well before making through the almost 500 pages.
August 14, 2023
The powerful odyssey of a man of passionate principles in a decadent age...
A valiant man, haunted by forbidden yearnings. An innocent Pennsylvania town, under siege by the forces of corruption. A widening net of scandal and tragedy, threatening both the good and the evil alike.
Out of these dramatic elements, Taylor Caldwell has created a new work of consummate humanity and towering emotion. Answer as a M chronicles the tempestuous rise of Jason Garrity from impoverished Irish-Catholic roots to the zenith of Yankee prestige and power. It tells, too, of the painful price of success and of decency, as Jason is forced by his own principles into a union of lovelessness and deception.
A valiant man, haunted by forbidden yearnings. An innocent Pennsylvania town, under siege by the forces of corruption. A widening net of scandal and tragedy, threatening both the good and the evil alike.
Out of these dramatic elements, Taylor Caldwell has created a new work of consummate humanity and towering emotion. Answer as a M chronicles the tempestuous rise of Jason Garrity from impoverished Irish-Catholic roots to the zenith of Yankee prestige and power. It tells, too, of the painful price of success and of decency, as Jason is forced by his own principles into a union of lovelessness and deception.
January 15, 2024
I found this book at the "Friends of the Library" book sale. "Answer As A Man", is the first book by Taylor Caldwell that I have read. The storyline follows the life of Jason Garrity, his family, business partners, and acquaintances. The timeline is the first decade of the twentieth century in the United States. Overall, the novel was pretty good. I enjoyed the history that was interwoven into this fictional novel. The Irish characters and plot were strong and believable. The plot had a lot of twists and turns (some predictable, some not) that kept the novel interesting. The reason for the 4-star versus 5-star rating, is the fact that I felt the novel dragged on at times.
December 17, 2024
Long time Taylor Caldwell fan. This was not as good as some of her other work.
Though it had its moments and developed into a fairly decent story, once she got off her soap box and told it. Even s.then it devolved into tangents and potatoes of everything Ms. Caldwell found wrong with the world.
( Don't get me wrong, some of her opinions I agree with, however, I wanted to read a good book, not a political diatribe.)
It is a story set in the years before the first World War, about a poor Irish American family, like most of my favorite books of the author, and the times they lived in, their lives and their world.
Though it had its moments and developed into a fairly decent story, once she got off her soap box and told it. Even s.then it devolved into tangents and potatoes of everything Ms. Caldwell found wrong with the world.
( Don't get me wrong, some of her opinions I agree with, however, I wanted to read a good book, not a political diatribe.)
It is a story set in the years before the first World War, about a poor Irish American family, like most of my favorite books of the author, and the times they lived in, their lives and their world.
July 9, 2025
This book had me feeling conflicted. The first quarter was so dramatic and juicy! It felt like it was really setting up an interesting story. But as the book progressed, the author kept introducing more plot lines and it felt like the original story was lost. It was extremely frustrating to read! Even when secrets were FINALLY revealed, it was not in an interesting or satisfying way.
The characters were fantastic. Jason’s sanctimonious brother, his crippled, evil sister, and his drunk wife Patricia were all truly iconic.
Unfortunately it was the most disappointing book I’ve ever read because because the beginning was so exciting. But still an alright book!
The characters were fantastic. Jason’s sanctimonious brother, his crippled, evil sister, and his drunk wife Patricia were all truly iconic.
Unfortunately it was the most disappointing book I’ve ever read because because the beginning was so exciting. But still an alright book!
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