Let the Great World Spin in Between the Lines

From the Bookshelf of Between the Lines…

Let the Great World Spin

Colum McCann

Start date: April 1, 2010

Finish date: April 30, 2010

Discussion: Themed Reading

Find A Copy At

Libraries

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 5 topics — 224 comments total

Themed Reading

* Suggestions for Monthly Themes
By Beth · 19 posts · 571 views

last updated Aug 25, 2011 03:05AM

*Spoilers possible* The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas - Reading as an adult - interpretations
By Ellie · 2 posts · 66 views

last updated Jul 06, 2012 09:50AM

showing 3 of 3 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Jul 29, 2019 Roy rated it really liked it

First thing first about this lovely, bittersweet novel is that I love its title. The author's note at the end explains that it comes from the Alfred, Lord Tennyson poem "Locksley Hall" which itself was heavily influenced by Arabic poetry written in the sixth century. It's difficult to give a concise synopsis of Let the Great World Spin because it barely has a plot. It's basically a collection of wonderful short stories, and some of the tales end up meeting at an intersection with one or two of t First thing first about this lovely, bittersweet novel is that I love its title. The author's note at the end explains that it comes from the Alfred, Lord Tennyson poem "Locksley Hall" which itself was heavily influenced by Arabic poetry written in the sixth century. It's difficult to give a concise synopsis of Let the Great World Spin because it barely has a plot. It's basically a collection of wonderful short stories, and some of the tales end up meeting at an intersection with one or two of the other tales. Every narrative crosses paths, even if in a slight, superficial way, with at least one of the others. But this is not to say that all of them connect to all of the others. One of the sections is based on a true event, something I also came to learn in the author's notes, so I'm glad I decided not to stop at the last line of the story and instead ventured a bit into the book's backmatter. On August 7, 1974, which was nearly one year to the day after construction of them was completed, a man named Phillippe Petit walked a tightrope wire between the World Trade Center towers. I was unfamiliar with this event until getting to the end of Let the Great World Spin. Colum McCann fictionalizes Philippe Petit for a portion of this novel, but the main story line isn't about the daring tightrope walker. Is isn't about any of the people who witness the incredible event, or learn that it's taking place in their fantastical city of New York, or the judge that the daredevil is brought before after making it safely across the wire and into the arms of police officers, or the judge's wife or the woman she ends up becoming close friends with in spite of their significantly different stations in society. Truth is, no story line in particular takes top billing but instead they share it. The book starts out by introducing us to a man named Ciaran but we learn less about him than we do about his brother Corrigan who I initially assumed would be the book's focus. Corrigan is an interesting character, not quite a priest or monk but basically living a lifestyle that appears to be modeled on the modest one of Christ. Except that while we read in the Bible about only one prominent prostitute whom Christ knew well, Corrigan lives among a bunch of them. His home is a tenement apartment in the Bronx that never has a locked door so that his friends can use it as a place of refuge or a quick bathroom break in between tricks. Eventually their pimp figures out that he is not competition or trying to interfere with the street walking business. Corrigan eventually succumbs to temptation of the flesh, though it isn't a proverbial hooker with a heart of gold that he falls for but a widowed woman named Adelita with two young children. The story abruptly leaves Corrigan when he, along with one of the prostitutes he befriends, is killed in a car accident. The narrative then follows the people behind the wheel of the other car for a while. Later it jumps to a woman named Claire who is in mourning for the death of her son in the Vietnam War. Claire meets at alternating homes with a group of other women who have lost sons to the war. One of them is Gloria who ends up adopting the children of Jazzlyn who is the woman killed alongside Corrigan. Jazslyn's mother Tillie is also a prostitute and eventually takes a turn as the focus of the narrative from a prison cell where she is grateful to know her granddaughters may have a way out that she was never able to provide to her daughter. Towards the end of the book we meet the adult Jaslyn who is one of the two little girls who lost their biological mother in the car accident, and as result escape being the next generation of women in the family to make ends meet as a whore. Two people are in the vehicle that clips Corrigan's van from behind on the highway. They are a married couple, both artists. It is a hit and run crime that effectively ends their marriage. While the husband Blaine wants to move on and act like the tragic event he does not believe was his fault ever took place, Lara is consumed by guilt that compels her to reach out to the people whose lives were upturned. In being drawn to the the victims of the crime, she ends up meeting and subsequently falling in love with and marrying Ciaran. I've touched on most if perhaps not quite all of the people who get a turn on center stage as Colum McCann lets his fine novel veer from character to character. Sadness permeates many of the pages. There is plenty of pain and regret to go around. But as their lives crisscross with one another or fail to do so, there is also hope for the promise of a better day. Life arbitrarily keeps and breaks such promises. It can sometimes feel as perilous as walking across a tightrope stretched taut across the top of skyscrapers, and at other times be as wondrously miraculous a thing as falling into the arms of the person you are meant to be with. McCann patches chapter together in a manner similar to the movie Love Actually. Multiple stories take turns grabbing your attention, every so often a connection of some kind is made between them, but in the end you're left with no one story in particular. And you don't mind one bit because you know that your very own life is not a single tale but a patchwork quilt of happenings and occurrences that compose the entirety of you. Colum McCann is a brilliant writer. I look forward to reading more of his writing at some point in the future. But for now I will leave the world of his magnetic prose behind and haphazardly spin to that of another. ...more

2 likes · Like · see review

Nov 11, 2009 MariLee rated it it was ok

National Book Award winner. The writing (some chapters are exceptions) is really good. Interesting idea for a story--a man walks a tightrope wire between the World Trade Center towers (obviously pre-9/11.) Each chapter is the story about people who were impacted by that event in some way--includes their backstory as well; some of the people's experiences overlap (they have some interaction with each other).

That being said, the subject matter is gritty--think subcultures of NYC including prostit ...more

Like · see review

Aug 11, 2009 Peg rated it it was amazing

Often heart breaking but absolutely, fabulously written. I actually put the book down at the last 20 pages because I didn't want it to end.

Peg ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Nov 09, 2010 Marlaina McCauslin rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, historical-fiction

This book would have gotten at least 4 stars if not the precitiable characters. Oh wow, an broken Irish family where one of the brothers is a drunk priest that helps hookers? Whatt? a middle-aged housewife in NYC that misses her dead son?? I felt that McCann could be more orginal, let alone know that a sentence that is about a page long is too long. Otherwise, it gave a clear view of the projects in the 70's. ...more

Like · see review

Dec 17, 2009 Benjamin rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: the-best-books

A fantastic book written with great verve and wisdom. The story is enthralling and excellently paced. McCann weaves separate stories around a central story with incredible skill. It's a book that matches the hype, which is not only rare but thrilling when one comes across it.

...more

Like · see review