"I think Pete Hamill is one of the extraordinary storytellers of our time! I listened to this book and the reader, Henry Strozier, was excellent. I like how the author can take daily routines and daily objects and describe them in a way that makes them alive and interesting. I fell in love with the main character, Dr. Delaney, who has a heart of gold in his practice as a doctor during the Depression. In his personal life, he has a missing wife, Molly, and a daughter, Grace, who has abandoned her young son, Carlito, to him. He is also under the stress of working in a neighborhood that is the battleground for two warring groups of gangsters. Because he attends to the medical needs of both gangs, he is suspicious to the opposing gangs and is also threatened by them. He has a secretary ,Monique, at the doctor's office and hires a nanny, Rose, to assist with caring for Carlito. The story completes itself by having the mysteries of Molly and Grace resolved and also a peaceful solution is made with the gangs. But it is Dr. Delaney's personal growth which provides the satisfying conclusion as well as all that he learns from Rose about happiness, love, contentment, and joie de vivre. The setting, North River in New York, also is very integral to the story. Loved it, loved it, loved it!
Elizabeth, Seymour - 3/3/2008