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Title: top notch novel--don't be put off by ornery reviews
Review: CHARMING BILLY (the title's from the song) is a top notch novel. It is a modernist work and therefore perhaps not suited for those who want a more straightforward read. But the prose is lyrical (by the way, those weren't dangling modifers) and the characterization moving. The narrator, who is revealed within the first few chapters, is trying to put Billy's story together; consequently we never quite get to the heart of Billy, any more than we do to the hearts of other people in real life. Ultimately, this is a book about Mystery,
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