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Title: Real family living real lives
Review: Some terrific, evocative writing by Alice McDermott in this saga of the Keane family, stretching from the end of WWII through the Vietnam era. At the same time, the unvarnished, warts-and-all closeups McDermott provides of her characters give little for the reader to cherish or sympathize with. The Keanes and their acquaintenances grope their way through ordinary lives, stumbling and failing more often than not. While you have to admire the honesty and reality of this episodic story of the family, there is little comfort on offer--more a reminder of what life is like for most people at its stripped down best/worst. So buy this book for the author's flawless eye and language and her unblinking courage in creating the Keanes without flowers and music.
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