September Song: A Cronicle of the O'Malley's in the Twentieth Century (Family Saga)
by Andrew M. Greeley

List Price: $24.95
Our Price: $3.66
You Save: $21.29 (85%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions

Book Summary Information

Book Reviews of September Song: A Cronicle of the O'Malley's in the Twentieth Century (Family Saga)

Book Review: The Crazy O?Malley?s Survive the Turbulent 60?s
Summary: 4 Stars

They marched at Selma and met with Martin Luther King. They were at the hotel when Bobby Kennedy was shot. They watched with horrid fascination the Kent State riots. They saw the Vietnam War unfolding on the nightly news. They stood by helplessly unable to protect their oldest daughter as she participated in anti-war riots. Chuck went to Vietnam to take photographs. They were beaten by police during a Chicago convention. Chuck continued to chronicle the times through his photographs and was the official portrait photographer of each President. Somehow, the O'Malley's seemed to have a front row seat for the turmoil of the 60's and 70's. No trend or event of the time is left unmentioned, including Vatican II, the feminist movement, hippies, drugs, and Woodstock.

The O'Malley's are known for their ebullience and love of life, with large, joyous family gatherings featuring much singing and dancing, and that side of the clan is seen frequently throughout the novel. Rosemarie and Chucky, who have known each other since childhood, are still deeply in love and are raising a happy family of 5 children. However, the book is at times somber and grave, as befitted the turbulence and civil disobedience of the civil rights movement and the most unpopular war in American history.

The O'Malley's suffer tremendously when their oldest daughter, April, decides to drop out of Harvard and abandon her capitalistic family and find her own way. They also endure the agony of worry when their oldest son goes to Vietnam. Just when it seems that nothing else can go wrong for the O'Malley's, Greeley brings it all together for a satisfying conclusion and sets us up for the next installment which will be eagerly awaited by those of us who are following the trials and tribulations of the O'Malley's.

Literature & Fiction Books