Has anyone else read this trilogy? I think it kind of flies under the radar. Curious if anyone else has thoughts. I'm trying to process all this…
They are all 3 pretty intense, and 3 very different books:
Legs — the story of Jack "Legs" Diamond, 1920s/30s bootlegger and gangster, told by his lawyer. Very violent, but also fascinating. Reminds me of "All the President's Men," in that it recounts the life of a powerful man who dominated all those around him, and bended the world to his will, until his ultimate inevitable demise.
Probably the most orthodox book of the three, a classic story of rise to riches, and power and violence in America.
Billy Phelan's Greatest Game — surrounds the kidnapping of the kidnapping in Albany of a member of the city's political bosses, and its effect on a small-time gambler, Billy Phelan. Another main character is a friend of Billy and local newspaper columnist, Martin Daugherty. Both Billy an Martin have complicated relationships with their fathers. Billy's father, Francis Phelan, abandoned the family years ago.
This book was surprising to me, because not all that much happens. It's kind of a snapshot of the Albany underworld, the gamblers, political bosses, journalists, bartenders, prostitutes… all colorful characters, and how they interact as a crisis descends. Kennedy writes with such detail, that you feel like you're there.
Ironweed — winner of the 1984 Pulitzer prize, and third in the trilogy (which I why I read all 3). Follows Francis Phelan, whom we met in book 2, as he returns to Albany to face his past. Francis has been living as a "bum," and has had a violent and turbulent life since he left his family.
This book is incredibly bleak and intense, and you see, through flashbacks mainly, the life of a "bum" in the Great Depression, in all its terrible violence, addiction, and suffering. Francis Phelan is a fascinating character, deeply imperfect, yet also human. You can't help but root for him even as he sometimes descends into anger and violence.
This reminded me the most, I think, of "The Grapes of Wrath," another story set during the Depression. While they are very different, I remember "Grapes" as also being very bleak, very sad, and offering only the tiniest glimmer of hope…
I'm debating whether I would recommend "Ironweed." Some parts were just so intense, so disgusting, to be honest, that it was hard to read. I would put it up there with books like "Crime and Punishment" that plumb the depths of the human condition, and often make you feel terrible whilst reading them, but do stick with you…
Has anyone else read any of these 3? It was a journey reading them all back to back. I think I need something light now!
by sozh