Let the Great World Spin

by Colum McCann

 

Nominated by:

Publisher of Nominated Edition:

Bloomsbury Publishing, UK

Random House Inc. USA

 

New York, August 1974: a man is walking in the sky. Between the newly built Twin Towers, the man twirls through the air. Far below, the lives of complete strangers spin towards each other: Corrigan, a radical Irish monk working in the Bronx; Claire, a delicate Upper East Side housewife reeling from the death of her son; Lara, a drug-addled young artist; Gloria, solid and proud despite decades of hardship; Tillie, a hooker who used to dream of a better life; and Jazzlyn, her beautiful daughter raised on promises that reach beyond the skyline of New York. In the shadow of one reckless and beautiful act, these disparate lives will collide, and be transformed for ever.  (From Publisher).

LIBRARIANS' COMMENTS

A ground-breaking, heart breaking, novel about New York at its "wild time" from a wonderfully skilled writer. Set against a time of sweeping political and social change.

With Philippe Petit's 1974 tightrope walk between the World Trade Centre Towers, McCann crafts a stunning portrait of New York City. A wonderfully written novel, very close in its observation of human longings and desires.

Outstanding literary merit. Popular among library staff and readers.

McCann's most ambitious work to date. This is a story of interweaving lives on one day, in one city, New York, - a passionate and gritty work.

Let the Great World Spin is richly deserving of all the critical acclaim it has received and ensures Colum McCann his place as one of the great Irish authors of all time. The writing is so wonderfully moving you will want to savour every word.

It seems a much longer book because it is so packed with the griefs, passions, hopes and heartbreaks of the sometimes interlinked characters under the grace and beauty of Petit's tightrope walk. Wonderful ending.

In 1974 a tightrope artist walked between NYC's twin towers to the amazement of onlookers from all walks of life. McCann seamlessly weaves together their stories from Park Avenue to the Bronx in this breathtaking achievement.

With an immigrant's refreshing sense of awe, during the waning days of Nixon and Vietnam, New York in the 1970's is presented through deftly linked characters.

Set in 1974, Mc Cann creates a cast of New Yorkers who manage to find comfort and empower themselves through their interaction after witnessing Philippe Petit's tightrope walk between the World Trade Centre towers.

A man walked between the Twin Towers on a tight rope in 1974 and touched the lives of very disparate characters in this accomplished literary novel.