The Brothers K
by David James Duncan
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Book Summary Information
Author: David James DuncanEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1996-06-01
ISBN: 055337849X
Number of pages: 645
Publisher: Dial Press Trade Paperback
Book Reviews of The Brothers K
Book Review: Complex, monumental, and worth the read.
Summary: 5 Stars
I would recommend The Brothers K to anyone, but most specifically to those who are interested in family life in the Northwest during the turbulent 60s. This 640 page novel, though flawed in some respects, is worth your time.
An excellent aspect of the Brothers K is its primary narration by Kincaid Chance, the youngest of four brothers, however the best thing about the book is simply the writing. This is an engaging story told in an engaging way. Duncan is not only gifted in relaying a message, but much of his writing in simply astounding in its careful, yet complex, delivery of a complicated story. Duncan sucks the reader into the family, and places you into the contexts of its characters. Difficult as it may be, we understand the frustrations of Hugh Chance. We deplore Laura Chance's destructive addiction to her religion, but we find solace in her attachment to it. Hard to understand? Absolutely, but realistic. And probably most important is how the family functions together. Extremely real.
My favorite passsages of the book occurred early when Kade is trying to bring his father out of his funk. I also really enjoyed the baseball connections, they helped to really cement the feel of the novel, as well as the Chance family's passion. The Ted Williams and Roger Maris stories both worked well with developing the plot. The story elements that describe Hugh Chance ressurecting his pitching career are classic human struggles. I also enjoyed the too little covered Irwin, who was the family's bastion of religious idealism.
I came to dislike Everett Chance, as well as the mother, though I tried to work my way through them. I also thought that Duncan did not make Everett realistic enough for me, though I suppose on some level, as a character, he worked well. Everett was just so insanely fanatical, and without a real purpose. I suppose it could be argued that millions of Everett's exist, but I found him hard to stomach. I also thought that his idea of saving Irwin was lackluster, and I didn't get the point of making it a mystery.
This is a huge novel, not just because of the 640 pages, but because of the breadth of information the reader is required to not only read, but understand, as well. Being a huge novel filled with complex issues, we have to understand that there will be flaws, and flaws do indeed raise their ugly little heads. Missing, I thought, was the inevitable connection to the music of that time and the characters. It was as if music didn't exist for any member of the family. In fact, until the seventies, it was never mentioned. I find this very unusual that a family wit six children, not one of them would be wrapped up in popular music to any degree. I found myself asking, "How is that possible?" I know how pervasive music was in the 50s and 60s, and particularly, in the Northwest, a stronghold of rock and roll, individual as it was. Northwest America rocked all though the 60s.
The book does have other flaws, such as mentioned earlier with the rotating narration having no valid connection to what was going on in the plot. I thought the book would have flowed better had the narration been confined to Kincaid Chance, as opposed to the wandering, once in awhile narration by Everett. Editing was indeed a problem for me, also. I had to wonder how some of the errors slipped by, those being in style, as well as grammatical.
Nonetheless, this is a superb novel with much to offer any reader. The setting is great, the story is addictive, the family is real, and the result is pure entertainment. I wasn't happy with the ending, though I don't know how I would improve upon it. I guess I thought it a bit trite and whimsical when balanced against the bulk of the book. Almost like it was tied up with a nice little ribbon and bow. It's almost as if the story died at a certain point, and Duncan didn't know what to do to ressurect it and then kill it.
Summary of The Brothers K
Finally in trade paperback, complementing Bantam's new release of River Teeth and our consistently bestselling edition of The River Why, here is The Brothers K, a lyrical and lovely novel of family.Family Saga Books
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