Full of sorrowful characters, this slow-paced Irish drama begins in 1945 Long Island, N.Y.

Billy Lynch, a character deeply loved by all who knew him, yet he constantly struggled to hold his fragile life together.

The story unfolds like a rather lamentable novel that jumps around in time. Each of the family members and friends is well defined, with their own unique personalities and backstories.

The narrative is conceivable, drawing the reader or viewer into the complex web of relationships and emotions.

As the drama progresses, we witness Billy's attempts to find stability and meaning in his life, despite the many challenges and setbacks he faces.

The slow pace of the story allows for a deeper exploration of the characters and their inner turmoil, making it a truly engaging and thought-provoking experience.

Overall, this Irish drama is a powerful portrayal of love, loss, and the human struggle to find hope in the face of adversity.

Still my favorite book.

This book has always held a special place in my heart. It is not just a collection of words on paper, but a world that I can escape to whenever I need. The story is so captivating that it keeps me on the edge of my seat from the very beginning until the end.

The characters are well-developed and relatable, making it easy for me to connect with them on an emotional level. I have laughed with them, cried with them, and cheered for them throughout their journey.

The writing style is also excellent. The author has a way of painting vivid pictures in my mind with words, making it feel as if I am actually a part of the story.

Overall, this book is a masterpiece and will always remain my favorite. It has taught me valuable lessons, inspired me, and entertained me countless times. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great read.

This is my second attempt to read this particular piece.

The writing style is truly beautiful. It is filled with a sense of nostalgia and sentimentality that really draws the reader in. However, the timeline is a bit on the complex side.

As I reached the halfway point, it became increasingly difficult to continue reading. This is because I started to lose track of which version of the characters we were on. There is no clear indication of the chronological changes, which makes it a bit confusing.

Despite this drawback, the overall beauty of the writing and the emotions it evokes still make it a worthwhile read. I just hope that on my next attempt, I will be able to better follow the timeline and fully immerse myself in the story.

Perhaps the author could consider adding some sort of indication or marker to help the reader keep track of the different time periods and versions of the characters. This would make the reading experience even more enjoyable and less frustrating.

Overall, I still have a lot of respect for the author's writing skills and the way they have crafted this story. I look forward to seeing what they come up with next.

I am currently on page 50 for the second time.

At the beginning, it is a slow read, but I have heard that it gets much better as the story progresses.

In fact, I didn't even realize that it was a female character telling the story initially. Now, as I am re-reading these pages, I have a different perspective.

I got impatient waiting for the book to improve, so I decided to do a skim-read on the last 75 pages. Surprisingly, I didn't feel like I missed anything important.

It seems that sometimes, taking a different approach to reading can yield interesting results.

Maybe I will go back and re-read those skimmed pages more carefully to see if I can discover something I overlooked before.

Overall, this reading experience has taught me that not every book has to be read cover to cover in the traditional way.

Sometimes, it's okay to adapt our reading style to suit the book and our own preferences.

Who knows what other hidden gems I might uncover in this book with a new reading strategy?

3.5 is a rather average score. To be honest, it's a little bit boring. However, that doesn't mean it's not nice. There could be many reasons for this score. Maybe the task or activity wasn't overly exciting or engaging, but there were still some positive aspects to it. It might have met the basic requirements and done an okay job. Sometimes, even if something isn't extremely thrilling, it can still have its charm. It could have provided a sense of stability or reliability. So, while 3.5 might not be a standout score, it's still nice in its own way. It shows that there was some effort put in and that the result was acceptable.

This book truly merits five stars. However, it was an uneasy book to peruse, frequently leaving the reader in a state of confusion.

It commences with Billy's funeral, recounted in the first person. It takes some time to determine who the narrator is, and it is not until the conclusion that we learn to whom the story is being told. But this is all part of the story's charm.

Billy succumbed to severe alcoholism, and his friends and family dedicated a significant portion of their lives to safeguarding him from himself. Nevertheless, their affection for him is palpable in the tales they share and in the long, multi-generational narrative that traverses time, rationalizing and excusing his choice to drink in order to forget.

As the winner of the National Book Award, this is indeed a literary masterpiece. It is a book that warrants rereading, as each new encounter reveals additional layers of depth and meaning.

Very well-written, moving and thought-provoking.

This isn't exactly a story I'd describe as to be "liked" or "enjoyed", but to experience or to educate. That's what good storytelling can do. All I can say is, Alice McDermott does it very well in Charing Billy.

I have a multi-generational family history of alcoholism and addiction. It's very evident that Alice McDermott knows the crazy-making dance of addiction and enabling in a family or she's done her research very well. I can see why this book was on Anna Quindlen's recommended reading list.

The story in Charing Billy takes the reader on an emotional journey. It delves deep into the complex relationships within a family affected by addiction. McDermott's writing is so vivid that it makes the characters come alive. You can almost feel the pain, the frustration, and the love that exists among them.

It's not an easy read, but it's a necessary one. It forces us to confront the harsh realities of addiction and how it can tear a family apart. At the same time, it also shows the power of hope and the possibility of redemption.

This book is a testament to McDermott's talent as a storyteller. She has managed to create a work that is both engaging and educational. It's a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the impact of addiction on families.

It’s a book club pick, and I’m really attempting to power through it. However, I’m on the verge of giving up on this extremely repetitive and claustrophobic book. Honestly, it could have been summed up in just one-third of the pages it uses.

Billy’s so-called “tragic summer affair” and his drinking himself to death simply aren’t sufficient for an entire book. We do hear some tidbits about other characters, but not nearly enough to form real connections or become interested in any of them.

You’ll encounter endless debates regarding the main character Billy’s “glorious” life and his tragic affair. It was just a quick summer romance that supposedly ended with Eva’s death. But guess what? She never actually died. Instead, she took the $500 that was meant to be sent to the US and left Billy because she just couldn’t tolerate him anymore (which isn’t really that shocking). Meanwhile, she got married, had four kids, and moved on with her life, while Billy remained stuck on this love affair that never truly was and continued to drink, all while his loyal and martyred wife stood by his side.

This book is as grey as its cover and as depressing as the wake described in the beginning.

This might have worked well if it had been a properly edited short story. But as a book, it reads more like a depressed writer trying to meet the word count with unwanted details and conversations that are as stiff as a board and lead nowhere!

I guess there’s a good reason why there were so many copies of this book in the DG sales bin!

This was a slow read for a bit, but then you start to get involved with the characters.

Billy, despite being an alcoholic with his faults, was a very loving person and was loved deeply in return. His life had many sad aspects, yet he unafraidly passed on his love to others in unique and lovely ways.

Alice McDermott masterfully brings it all together at the end. Through Billy, she makes us contemplate our heritage, our family, and all those who have passed on. Billy says, "Another thing about Ireland, we're all over there. All our faces. I saw your dad driving a Guinness truck in Dublin. And his dad was moving a herd of sheep across the road up in the northwest. I saw my mother in nearly every shop I went into, usually behind the counter. And my father's face was on one of the priests who said Mass at the retreat house. Uncle Jim. Bridie Shea as a girl again. Wouldn't that be a gift for poor Bridie, to be a girl again? Sitting up there in her mother's window the way she used to. Not a care in the world. I told Father Jim that it was like a taste of the hereafter, going over there."

And my favorite sentence is: "My father would say it himself in another six or seven years' time, as we sat together on these steps again and I watched our children playing crochet on the lawn, wondering, counting, how many more years would such summers continue, my father alive, our children still children, how many more were enough." This sentence beautifully captures the essence of珍惜 and the bittersweet nature of time passing.

Overall, the story is a touching exploration of love, loss, and the importance of family and heritage.

I was just bored throughout this entire book. I truly wanted to like it, I really did! However, I had an extremely difficult time plowing through it. The content seemed to drag on and on, and I often found myself on the verge of giving up. It felt like a never-ending struggle to get through each page. There were moments when I thought maybe it would get better, but unfortunately, those moments were few and far between. I tried my best to stay engaged, but it was just so challenging. I kept hoping that something would grab my attention and make me excited about reading it, but alas, that never happened.

I think Alice McDermott writes beautifully! Her prose is like a gentle breeze that caresses the reader's soul.

So why did I struggle so much with this book? It begins with the funeral of Billy, and the remainder of this rather long book elucidates that he succumbs to alcoholism, which is triggered by the premature death of his true love.

There isn't really all that much happening. The narrative lacks the structure of chapters or distinct breaks. Instead, it meanders back and forth in time.

Without a break or any indication that the timeline is shifting, it becomes extremely difficult to follow. I felt that too many points are laboriously dwelt upon, and the book would have been more engaging if it was 100 pages shorter.

Perhaps McDermott's intention was to create a seamless flow of memories and events, but in this case, it detracted from the overall reading experience.

Despite the beautiful writing, the lack of a clear structure and the excessive length made it a challenge to fully immerse myself in the story.

I still appreciate McDermott's talent as a writer, but this particular book didn't quite hit the mark for me.

This was truly a remarkably well-written book. The author's command of language and the ability to craft a vivid and engaging narrative were quite impressive.

However, as I delved deeper into the story, I found myself gradually becoming a little disenchanted. The preponderance of negative emotions towards love and lies began to weigh on me. I understand that in an Irish-American novel, elements of tragedy and alcoholism are almost expected. But in this particular case, there seemed to be a distinct lack of hope.

Furthermore, I also became a bit confused regarding the premise of the story-telling. The narrator was telling the story to her husband, yet this was not really directly stated or adequately explained. It left me with a sense of ambiguity and a feeling that there were some crucial aspects of the narrative that were not fully developed.

In the end, this was not a very happy book. It left me with a somewhat heavy heart and a sense of dissatisfaction. While it had its merits in terms of writing style and certain plot elements, the overall tone and lack of resolution made it a less than entirely enjoyable read.