City of God A Novel (Paperback)
| Author: E. L. Doctorow |
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| Format: | Paperback |
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Product Details:
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Group USA
ISBN-10: 0452282098
ISBN-13: 9780452282094
Sku: 30681450
Publish Date: 4/10/2007
Dimensions:
(in Inches) 7.75H x 5L x 0.75T
Pages:
272
Age Range:
22 to UP
See more in Mystery & Detective / General
| Beginning in mystery--the theft of a large brass cross from St. Timothy's Episcopal Church and its reappearance on the roof of the Synagogue for Evolutionary Judaism--this mordantly funny bestseller by the author of "Billy Bathgate" and "The Waterworks" emerges as a narrative of the 20th century written for the 21st. "Dazzling . . . heartbreaking, and superb".--"The Miami Herald". |
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From the Publisher:
The theft and mysterious reappearance of a cross from a Manhattan church precipitates a hunt for the culprits that will soon uncover a strange prophecy about a rebirth of the United States. Reprint.The theft and mysterious reappearance of a cross from a Manhattan church precipitates a hunt for the culprits that will soon uncover a strange prophecy about a rebirth of the United States. Reprint. |
Annotation:
Set in late 20th-century New York City, Doctorow's capacious and very postmodern novel begins when a brass crucifix is stolen from St. Timothy's church on the Lower East Side. The pastor, Father Pemberton, is in the midst of a spiritual crisis, and as he searches for the cross through a lyrically described New York City, he encounters a group of progressive Jews, including a rabbi named Sarah whose father's account of his Holocaust experiences forms part of the spine of the novel. Gradually, Father Pemberton begins to veer away from Christianity and become obsessed with Jewish issues, particularly the Holocaust. The story is framed by the diary kept by Father Pemberton's novelist friend, who is writing about the priest, and is narrated by a wide variety of voices and characters, including Frank Sinatra. Defending the seeming chaos of the novel, Doctorow said, in a New York Times interview, "What I found here was this book mimics the rhythm of the mind as we have it today," he said. "We're all hopping around buzzing from information. The whole culture is full of that. If I write a book that gets its tension from discontinuities, I've found a template for the way we're thinking."
Set in late 20th-century New York City, Doctorow's capacious and very postmodern novel begins when a brass crucifix is stolen from St. Timothy's church on the Lower East Side. The pastor, Father Pemberton, is in the midst of a spiritual crisis, and as he searches for the cross through a lyrically described New York City, he encounters a group of progressive Jews, including a rabbi named Sarah whose father's account of his Holocaust experiences forms part of the spine of the novel. Gradually, Father Pemberton begins to veer away from Christianity and become obsessed with Jewish issues, particularly the Holocaust. The story is framed by the diary kept by Father Pemberton's novelist friend, who is writing about the priest, and is narrated by a wide variety of voices and characters, including Frank Sinatra. Defending the seeming chaos of the novel, Doctorow said, in a New York Times interview, "What I found here was this book mimics the rhythm of the mind as we have it today," he said. "We're all hopping around buzzing from information. The whole culture is full of that. If I write a book that gets its tension from discontinuities, I've found a template for the way we're thinking."
Author Bio
E.L. Doctorow
Doctorow was brought up in the Bronx and studied philosophy at Kenyon College. He worked as an editor in the New York publishing world (editing Norman Mailer, among others) and has taught at various colleges. He published his first novel in 1960. Doctorow has been called a "literary sociologist" because many of his books reflect his interest in American politics and cultural history.
Praise
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"Reading this book was like reading an intimate letter from a fascinating friend. It achieves what I ask of art: it took hidden and little-understood parts of my own mind and soul and connected them to the light of day." - Lucy Grealy
"Reading this book was like reading an intimate letter from a fascinating friend. It achieves what I ask of art: it took hidden and little-understood parts of my own mind and soul and connected them to the light of day." - Lucy Grealy
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