Eddie's Bastard

by William Kowalski

Eddie's Bastard spins the warm, endearing tale of William Amos Mann IV and of the inhabitants of his eponymous small upstate New York town, Mannville.

Related in flashback by the adult Billy, the story begins with him being deposited as an infant on the doorstep of his grandfather's home in a simple wicker basket with a plain two-word message pinned to his shawl reading 'Eddie's Bastard'. Eddie had been killed in Vietnam three months earlier - his father, Thomas Mann Jnr, had given up on life, having lost his only son and, he thought, his only heir. But now, suddenly, Thomas has a grandson and an heir - if not to the once-vast Mann fortune (for Thomas had recklessly squandered that in a foolhardy enterprise just after his heroic return from WWII), then at least to the long legacy of the Mann family stories, stretching back to the Civil War.

Eddie's Bastard is filled with episodes of madcap adventure and resonates with the power of lifelong friendship. By turns hilarious, thrilling and heart-breaking, here is a debut that stays in the mind long after the reading is over.

Genres: Fiction, Coming Of Age, Historical Fiction, Book Club, Novels, Mystery, Family

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Andy Marr · Rating 3 out of 5]

A heartwarming story that was let down badly by poor writing and relentless repetition. The story of the Mann family history was well portrayed, though made dull by frequent quotes from an old family diary, which seemed a pointless addition to the novel. Also, I didn't laugh once in all the book's 480 pages, despite numerous assurances that it was hilarious. It's a shame, as I'd really been looking forward to this one. Still, it gets ***, which isn't so bad, is it?

[G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remarkable. One of the best books I've read so far. On rare times, slight repitition, otherwise nothing to complain about. Hilarious, moving and with depth. Although I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who aren't comfortable with sexual references, for there are several throughout the book. (To the point of disturbing, in fact.)

Eddie's Bastard is a book about the life of Billy Mann, from the day he was born to adolescence. He was a 'bastard', born illegitimate, his father had died and her mother delivered Billy in a basket to his grandfather (Thomas Mann)'s care. As this Billy Mann grows up, he slowly learns the history of the Mann, and the truth within the truth. The history of the Mann and what they believed grasped my heart throughout the story. The Mann are the different ones, better ones, but they weren't perfect (gary-stu or mary-stu) And the Mann's beliefs are something I look up to, or so I think.

Love the characters. Billy Mann is as real as any human can get. And so is Thomas and Annie and Doctor Connor and many, many others. The characters are juggled very well and everyone has their own roles.

To sum it all up, LOVE IT. I'm glad that I read this book. Genuinely inspiring.

[Alex Hoshor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is hilarious. The first ten or so pages, I thought, were very amateurishly written. Like it was a tenth grade creative writing assignment, written by a damn tenth grader! I mean, I thought I was walking into a real shit trap. But then poof (splat?), it just got good. Then pretty great. Then back to good, great, good... I’m flopping around on this one, okay? Oh how I hate it when other people do this, but oh golly I’d probably really give it 3.64 stars but rounded up because besides being an asshole I’m also awfully sweet. Barf-O!

So this is a solidly good book, for its ambition if nothing else. To that point, there are some weighty themes that are dealt with rather blithely, but never, did it seem, disingenuously. The story just has somewhere to go, and a history of its own to tell without stopping to explain, or pretending to explain, everything. Debut novels are generally damned if they do, damned if they don't anyway. So basically, if you can’t look at a fence without seeing the gaps in it, stop staring at fences you dummy.

The characters are all very well realized, both the endearing and the repugnant. There’s also a spiritual rippling that actually tends toward paranormal, but it fits the story like a ghost's handful of cold. My damn neck hairs twinkled a few times, so there you go! I’ll bet I just ruined it!

Comparable book – Home Fires Burning by Robert Inman, sans that good old southern charm, added twinkling.

[~Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got this book from an old man who knows i like reading, he got it from a library who gave away books that no one borrowed, he took it off their hands and gave it to me.
The book has a sticker melted onto the cover saying "$2", pretty cheap for a book if you ask me. Why did a library book have a price tag on it? beats me.
But for a book being worth only 2 dollars when it was first sold... it was unbelievably good. I would pay hundreds of dollars to erase my memories of this book and read it all again.

The old man who gave it to me checks up on me and asks if i've read any of the books he's given me over the years and to be honest.. most of the books are trash but i do try to read one of them a month so reading this book was a chore to me, just so i could say i read one of his books instead of disappointing him.

I'm so glad i picked up this book and i never would of thought it would be a new favourite.

The cover of the edition i own is ugly.. like really ugly and i can't find the edition on goodreads but words can't describe how ugly it is. BEAUTIFUL story on the inside though.

I can't recommend this book enough.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much an author's first novel, I think. I had to work to finish this, and am sort of glad I did because the last chapter was by far the most engaging in the book. But mostly it seemed self-indulgently long, and a plot which included everything but the kitchen sink -- an illegitimate child, of course, incest, a comatose Vietnam war veteran without limbs, ghosts (maybe), a gay rights march in Montreal and more. In the end this just seemed a pretty average book to me.

I found most of the characters pretty flat, aside from Annie Simpson. Billy and his grandfather did not work for me; they seemed bland and stereotypical. And it is hard to imagine the two of them subsisting entirely on baloney sandwiches. I also found the flashbacks to Billy's father's diary to be dull reading. They reminded me of Goldstein's book in "1984." I eventually stopped reading them.

And I know it is picky, but the book refers multiple times to the Mann family's financial demise from a rash decision to create an ostrich farm. But ostriches are not found in Australia, as the book repeatedly asserts. Oh well.

[Bruno · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Vivendo sozinho num grande e velho casarão, o avô Mann é o derradeiro sobrevivente de uma família outrora respeitável - ou, pelo menos, é o que ele pensa até ao dia em que depara com um bebé abandonado num cesto à sua porta. A partir daí, há uma coisa que se torna desde logo evidente: a vida solitária do avô vai tornar-se muito mais interessante".

Este livro é condensado do original, mas não me fez confusão, muito pelo contrario, está muito bem estruturado e escrito, bastante bom para pequenas pausas de livros pesados.
Não esperava o que encontrar nesta história e fui agradavelmente surpreendido. Fui logo sugado pelas primeiras páginas e não mais larguei o cartucho. Tem fortes cargas dramáticas, aborda temas como a guerra, o alcoolismo e o abuso sexual, mas os personagens são cativantes. Gostei bastante, o único senão é que terminou com o final aberto.

Descobri que a editora Difel agora inexistente, publicou esta história, sob o titulo "O filho bastardo de Eddie". Infelizmente, não existem em Portugal mais livros do William Kowalski que é o autor a seguir.

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

His name is William Amos Mann IV, and he is Eddie’s bastard. Billy Mann’s life began with abandonment by his mother, and his story maintains a high level of interest since that moment. Billy, whose father, Eddie, was killed in Vietnam, is raised by his grandfather in the Mann’s ancestral home. This home, you see, is occupied by ghosts and a rich history of the Mann family. As he grows up, Billy learns his history from his grandfather’s stories and the ghosts that haunt his home.

Did I tell you that Billy wants to be a writer? Well, he does, and the writing style reflects this desire. This novel is written in the style of the 18th century novels of foundlings, complete with the very descriptive chapter headings. Each chapter is its own adventure, its own story.

I really do not want to give away the details of this wonderful novel. I will tell you this: Billy has a tough life, in which he raises himself because his grandfather is an alcoholic. Billy is very brave and loyal and constantly haunted by his family’s past.

This is one of the best novels I’ve read in quite a while.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billy Mann is Eddie's bastard. After being abandoned on the steps of his paternal grandfather's house as an infant, Billy's lives a very isolated life with a grandfather who clings to his bottle and his family stories and ghosts, waiting for the arrival of a Japanese soldier who has had possession of an important family diary since their days together awaiting rescue on South Pacific island after an air battle during World War II. Billy's father Eddie was killed in Vietnam, never indicating to anyone he had a son. As Billy grows up and gets to know his father through the eyes of the people of the small town, he also discovers the whole Mann family background and its relationship to other families there. His only real friend becomes Annie Simpson, whose own dark family secrets are painful and eventually involve Billy who sets out to rescue her.

Kind of a quirky story, but saved for me by the characters of Billy and his grandpa. The book was about their struggle to build a family, to discover what it means to be a family, and to find their hope in each other.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't often rate Reader's Digest's books so high, but then again, I rarely come across one worth reading. Eddie's Bastard was a simple story about a boy who is orphaned on his grandpa's steps as a baby. When he is found by his alcoholic grandfather, it changes their lives. The old man struggles to regain himself and his family, the boy struggles to find himself and his family. Together, they fail and succeed.

What struck me most about this story is that it didn't end on necessarily a happy note. It ended on a hopeful one, but it wasn't all rainbows and sunshine. Billy, Eddie's bastard, didn't win the love of his life, his grandpa died, and he still didn't have all the answers. Grandpa, on the other hand, managed to redeem himself before dying peacefully and gracefully.

I actually want to buy this book some day.

[Mare S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just re-read this...yeah, I have a pile of books to read for the first time and I've been re-reading things. I was going through books this weekend and found it, started skimming and was hooked.

This is one of those books that based solely on the summary I didn't think would be my cup of tea, but it is so well written and the main character is so endearing in all those imperfect ways, that it became one of those books I just wanted everyone I know to read. Because I almost didn't and what a travesty that would have been.

[Dave Venter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book detailing the life of a boy abandoned by his mother on the front doorstep of his late father's father (grandfather). It is a very insightful book. Endearing, funny thought-provoking and very mature. Hard to believe it was written by an author who was only 28 years old. A really great debut novel by William Kowalski. I will look out for more of his works. I strongly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story to read.

[Kristien Berings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een mooi coming of age verhaal, doet een beetje denken aan Deamon Copperhead. Amerikaans, op het randje maar toch geloofwaardig. Zeer goed tot pagina 300 ongeveer. Dan heb ik de indruk dat de auteur een plot zoekt maar daar niet in slaagt. Ongeloofwaardige toevalligheden, brieven en mensen die opduiken, voorgevoelens, telepathie, dromen... leiden tot een gekunsteld slot. Het begin was veelbelovend maar in de laatste 100 pagina's voelde ik een stijlbreuk.

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am in the minority here but I didn’t enjoy this book. It seemed to just meander along. I finished it but didn’t enjoy the journey.

[Siv30 · Rating 3 out of 5]

הממזר של אדי – ויליאם קובלסקי.
הוצאת כנרת , 2002 , 471 עמ'

תיאור סיפור חיו של בילי מאן , שזור בקורותיהם של 3 דורות במשפחת מאן –
האב : אדי, טייס שנהרג במלחמת ויאטנם.
הסב : תומס , יזם כושל לשעבר , מובטל ושיכור בהווה (מגדל את הילד).
סבא רבא : וילי , מייסד שבט מאן , חייל לשעבר, פילוסוף והוגה לעת מצוא.

בתרבות , וביהדות יש משמעות למילה ממזר – ילד שנולד לאישה נשואה מאחד שאינו בעלה – לכן, כאשר קוראים את ההתחלה של הספר לא ברור מדוע הספר נקרא "הממזר של אדי" ובכלל מדוע מכונה הילד ממזר ולא סתם " הילד של אדי מחוץ לנשואים". אבל , מאוחר יותר מתבררת המשמעות החברתית של הכינוי שנדבק בילד , למרות שאני מוכנה לגלות (מאחר שזה לא פוגם בסיפור) שהוא לא היה ממזר במובן שאנחנו מכירים.

בילי מאן , הונח על מפתן דלת הבית בחוותו של סבו. הסב למרות היותו שיכור כלוט ברוב הזמן ( לאחר כישלונו בעסקים במה שמכונה "הפיאסקו של היענים" , עליו לומד הקורא בפרקים הראשונים של הספר) מחליט לאמץ לחיקו את הילד וללמדו תרבות , דעת ובייחוד על קורות ומורשת המשפחה.

הפרק השני בספר מוקדש לתיאור חיי הסב , תומס, כרקע לעלילה. זה אחד הפרקים המשעשעים בספר.

יתר הספר מתאר את חיו של בילי , צמיחתו , מערכת יחסיו עם אנשים , עם נשים עד לכדי התפתחותו לאדם כמעט שלם בגיל 18. זהו סיפור התבגרות על כל רבדיה ויציאה מה"בועה" של הנאיביות והתמימות של החיים בחווה לעולם האמיתי .

סיפור חיו של בילי שזור בחיי אביו , סבו וסבא רבא . במקומות שנראים לסופר חשובים בספר , מובאות ציטטות מהיומן של הסבא רבא שנמסר למשמרת אצל יפני במלחמת העולם השניה. גלריית הדמויות בספר מעוררת התפעלות לא רק בגלל הגיוון של הדמויות האנושיות , אלא גם בגלל האינטראקציות שמתוארות בספר. מבלי להרגיש הקורא מתוודע להווי החיים בעיירה אמריקאית , לאנשים , למניעים , לתככים , למוסר שלהם ויכול לזהות דמויות סטראוטיפיות מהחיים כמו :דמות הרופא, דמות הספורטאי , דמות של זאת שנותנת, דמות הלוזרים השכונתיים ועוד.

הספר לא מתוחכם ולא מוליד הפתעות לקורא. למרות זאת (אולי אפילו משום כך) הספר נוגע ללב, זורם, קולח , בקטעים מסוימים משעשע ובקטעים אחרים עצוב. רואים שהסופר לא התיימר להיות מה שהוא לא ולכן הוא יוצר סוג של אוטנטיות ואינטימיות עם הקורא. יש בו מספר פנינים, כמו תיאור ההתבגרות המינית של הנער או תהליך הסוציאליזציה שהוא עובר. ויש בו צדדים גרוטסקים כמו "מבצע ההצלה של אנני" (כדי לא להרוס ,לא נקרא כך במקור אבל מי שיקרא או קרא יבין).

פנינה נוספת, היא הדיון שמייחד הסופר במסגרת הספר לספר "בעל זבוב" למשמעויות שלו ולקשר של בילי מאן והחיים שלו לתיאורים בספר הזה.

ההתחלה של הספר (מספר עמודים ראשונים) נראים כאילו כפויים ולא מתאימים לעלילה שמתפתחת מאוחר יותר, אבל אחרי שצולחים את ההתחלה המקרטעת בהצלחה נהנים .כמו בכל ספר ארוך , ישנם מספר שיאים כאשר אחרי כל שיא קיימת נטייה לדעיכת מה, אולם, הקצב חוזר ומתחדש.

אני נהניתי במיוחד מה"פיאסקו של היענים" ו"השומאכרים" אבל לא פחות נהניתי מהתיאורים המשעשעים על ההתבגרות המינית שלו.

[Normalyn Espejo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took a break from reading as you can see from my posts. It was months ago from when I last read. It's just that I got busy, or maybe just got lazy reading. I don't know if this happens to other bookworms too, if not, then I'd feel totally guilty of calling myself as such.

Anyway, as they say, a habit is a habit, so I just suddenly got into reading again! I don't know how it happened but that feeling of me wanting to read just came on suddenly. So, I read the first book I got my hands on and that's Eddie's Bastard. I was struck at the comment from Denver Post regarding this book. It read, "Draws the reader in from the get-go and refuses to relinquish its hold." Upon the reading the book I can say that it is so true.

It is a great book in every sense. I like the way the story unfolded as well as it is also well-written. Some scenes I like in the book was when Enzo from Nagasaki, Japan kept his promise and brought back the diary of the great Willie Mann. I was touched because he treasured such promise and as said in the book, people like him are rare nowadays. I also like how the musicians turned up on Willie Mann III wake.

I am sad that Billy and Annie did not end together, when they would have made such a lovely couple. That is the only thing I didn't like in this book.

Furthermore, from the way the book was ended, I am thinking there would be a sequel to this. This book was published 1999 and if there is a sequel to it, I don't know of it yet but I would be very happy to read it if given the chance.

[Whitney Adams Mathes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eddie’s Bastard is about a newborn who is orphaned on the property of his paternal grandfather. Eddie is left by his mother in a basket where his drinking whiskey grandfather finds him. For Tom this is an incredible blessing. His son, Eddie died the previous year while serving in the war. Tom was thrilled to know that the Mann family name would continue on now that his “bastard” grandson arrives on his doorstep. This begins Eddie’s childhood as being raised by his grandfather.
I read a review of this book before I started it and talked about how the book felt like it was written by a high schooler and I have to completely agree. It just seemed very simple.
I actually enjoyed the characters a lot (which is pretty important to me) but the overall storyline was just too blah. I kept waiting for me to get hooked and it never happened.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Billy and grandpa make quite a pair! Abandoned on his grandfather's door step and tagged with the moniker "Eddie's Bastard," Billy experiences a lonely, isolated childhood, wandering around in the empty old house with only his grandpa and the Mann family ghosts to keep him company. Eventually, Billy befriends Annie Simpson, a 7-year old girl whose poor white trash family is the antithesis of the proud but poor Manns.
Rich oral histories and family storytelling keep the Mann family ghosts alive--and Billy's own coming-of-age tale can hold its own against any and all of the Mann family tales.

[Benjamin Kahn · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started off fairly strongly - I was quite enjoying it. The first misstep was when Doctor Connors lectured the protagonist on testerone - its good and bad sides. And then the story just gradually became less interesting. The supporting characters weren't that strong - they kind of popped up when needed and went away when they didn't.

I felt like Kowalski could have taken this story into a lot of interesting areas, but didn't really do anything with it. The mysteries weren't that mysterious, Billy's adventures don't really lead anywhere, and the book itself is ultimately unsatisfying. Not terrible, just not terribly good.

[Sweetp-1 · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging story about a young boy who was raised by his alcoholic grandfather after his father is killed in Vietnam and he is abandoned by his mother (in a basket on the doorstep with a note "Eddie's Bastard). First person narrative lends itself to the memoir type style of writing and there are some touching, often funny, sometimes sad, coming of age moments throughout the story. I read this almost is one sitting - it's not profound or provocative, but engaging and heartwarming without being overly sentimental or ending in a cliched HEA.

[Stephen Ramey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun read, with enough depth to make me pay attention and plenty of quirk to satisfy my quirk-tooth. I particularly like the way Kowalski deconstructs stereotypical devices and offers up a fresh take on Willie's coming of age story. It's not without flaws, in that some threads remain underdeveloped, and some drag in the final third, but the excellent final scenes make up for much of it. Recommended. Great voice, interesting characters and a meaningful journey with a nice mix of light and dark.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I overhead two ladies in Chapters talking about this book and I knew I had to read it and I could not put it down.

The main character Billy is the son of US pilot killed in Vietnam and his left as a baby on the front step of his Grandfather house. He raises the boy himself. Billy tries to find out where he's come from and the history of his family.

An amazing story and you cheer Billy on through each challenge and event in his life.

[Carla Coon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got a big kick out of Eddie's Bastard and outright laughed in a couple spots. Loved the roughness of the grandfather and the spunk and matter-of-factness of the kid.
Favorite part was when the crotchety neighbor says, "Billy Mann? Oh, Eddie's bastard." and the kid wonders if the guy had read the note left by his mother on the basket he was found in as an infant. "How else would he know my real name?"
I laughed out loud on that one.

[RBBiznatch · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book contains such realistic and well-described characters that you can't help but care about them. Great story and fun to read.

[Silk]

interesting premise, disappointing finish - or should I say lack of finish. Felt like there was a writing deadline that was more important than completing the story.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bitter-sweet coming of age story with a touch of mysticism.
Engrossing characters and story from the start. A good read.

[lethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hoewel lijdend aan het bekende Amerikaanse euvel van wijdlopigheid - ruim 100 pagina's voor het einde sloeg de metaalmoeheid toe - toch een goed verhaal.

[SusanneH · Rating 4 out of 5]

Das Buch stand schon lange auf meiner Wunschliste. Ich habe es als Hörbuch gehört. Eine sehr schöne Familiengeschichte.

[Ruth Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written with a great voice and feel for small town America.

[the name's leif-fenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love-hate this book. On one hand its beautifly vivid and feels like a real story you'd get told by a family member or close friend but on the other hand it's a jaring mess that can be utterly mind numbing at times. There were genuinley sections where it felt like I was reading two completely different books written by two completely different people. My favourite example of this was the chapter where Billy goes to stay with another family while his grandpa is in the hospital because it flips between this strange up-beat and almost childish tone and this darker, more gritty exploration of the fostercare system. On paper this sounds like a brilliant idea since the juxstaposition could make for a thought provoking chapter but unfortuntely the writer genuniely isn't skilled enough to pull it off. That being said, this problem thankfully gets fixed in the second half which is good I guess. Similarly, this book covers a lot of really nuanced issues that once again were very hit or miss. Some things like the relationship of Billy and his grandpa were explored increadibly well and added so many layers of depth to a seemingly simple story while other aspects like Billy's experience with queer people and gay rights feel like they were just tossed in to fill up page space or to add some spice to the story.

There are two main plots / themes that are explored in this book. They are the relationship between Billy and his grandpa, and Billy and a girl called Annie Simpson. Credit where credit is due, I think the author manages to pull off both plots decently well and they are by far the best parts of this book even though they have some truely harrowing moments. I don't want to spoil it but the last chapter is probably one of my favourite chapters of all time as you get this awful build-up of dread as you realise exactly what's going to happen but at the same time it wraps up the story in such a way that it feels completlete but leaves room for a sequel.

One kind of funny thing I noticed while reading this book, there's this one line where Dr Connor is like "Billy, all of your books except the first one suck" which is kind of ironic considering most of this author's later books have lower ratings than this one which is his debute...

[Roxanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

*** Spoilers***

Not a bad first novel but a little self-congratulatory and a little sloppy (ostriches don’t come from Australia). There was no real story in the end and the characters were not interesting enough to make up for the lack of plot. Everything is just a bit too easy and tidy (e.g the wake at the end where nearly every character in the book turns up) and I kept expecting some kind or twist or turn that never happened (for example that the paralysed limbness veteran actually turned out to be Eddie. Or that someone murdered Billy’s mother and left him on the doorstep with the note) and the few ‘big reveals’ were actually quite dull (the looooooong drawn out explanation of the feud between the Simpsons and the Manns was disappointingly boring).

Also, the reader is told over and over how wonderful and quirky the Mann family are but I still don’t know what was supposed to make them so special, other than a tendency to get blinded by rage and kill or nearly kill people which is not a great family trait.