- Paperback: 274 pages
- Publisher: Dial Press; Reprint edition (27 Dec 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0385336438
- ISBN-13: 978-0385336437
- Product Dimensions: 14 x 1.8 x 21 cm
Mary After All: A Novel
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
In the tradition of Roddy Doyle's The Woman Who Walked Into Doors comes a brilliant feat of literary ventriloquism, a debut novel by a male author introducing a one-of-a-kind female narrator.
Meet Mary Nolan (née Marelli), a tough-talking Jersey City native who comes of age during the turbulent 1970s. Adored by the small-time mafia types in her extended Italian American family–formidable but doting figures like her grandpa Louie, Tony the Horse, and Charlie Cuppacoffee–Mary grew up believing she could always count on men to protect her. But after marrying young to escape her parents, Mary finds herself sidelined by life with a philandering husband and two needy young sons, her dreams as shattered as the city around her.
By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Mary tells of her unusual route to independence, and about the lives she touches–and is touched by–along the way. From Aunt Dot and Aunt Loretta, who get her started in "business," to the ex-nuns who listen to her troubles even as they ask her for relationship advice, to the nosy neighborhood housewives determined to befriend her, Mary finds allies in the unlikeliest of places. How she learns to stand on her own "legitimately"–triumphantly–is the heart of Bill Gordon's remarkable first novel.
From the Hardcover edition.
Meet Mary Nolan (née Marelli), a tough-talking Jersey City native who comes of age during the turbulent 1970s. Adored by the small-time mafia types in her extended Italian American family–formidable but doting figures like her grandpa Louie, Tony the Horse, and Charlie Cuppacoffee–Mary grew up believing she could always count on men to protect her. But after marrying young to escape her parents, Mary finds herself sidelined by life with a philandering husband and two needy young sons, her dreams as shattered as the city around her.
By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, Mary tells of her unusual route to independence, and about the lives she touches–and is touched by–along the way. From Aunt Dot and Aunt Loretta, who get her started in "business," to the ex-nuns who listen to her troubles even as they ask her for relationship advice, to the nosy neighborhood housewives determined to befriend her, Mary finds allies in the unlikeliest of places. How she learns to stand on her own "legitimately"–triumphantly–is the heart of Bill Gordon's remarkable first novel.
From the Hardcover edition.
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Amazon.com:
14 reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Great Debut Novel
17 Jun 2005
Format:Hardcover
Mary was born in Jersey City in the 70's to an American Italian family. She has and "Uncle" who has done time, and a Grandfather who runs a "Coffee House". You learn this early in the story as you are told snippets of Mary's life as a child, through her memories. At the age of 12 Mary finds out that her mother has Scleroderma and she takes over caring for the house and her mother. Her father a "musician/truck driver" spends most of his time away from the home.
Mary winds up marrying too young (17), has two kids too young and finds herself taking care of everyone but herself. Her husband is never home, her father drops her mother off every day to be cared for my Mary and she has 2 young boys. Along the way friends come in and out of her life and relatives offer advice. When Mary figures out that her husband has moved his "fling" upstairs in their duplex she takes matters into her own hands. She kicks him out and starts to make changes in her life.
Follow Mary and see how she deals with what life deals her, and what she will and won't forgive. This is a heartfelt story about life's realities.
I have to say that at first I was unsure about the format. You are reliving Mary's life by her telling short stories about her past. But, at the same time I was intrigued by the reality of her stories. There are tough decisions to be made about taking care of her mother and the infidelity of her husband. I found that after a bit I couldn't stop reading the book. I wanted to know that she was ok in the end and that even if it wasn't a fairy tale ending that it was one where the character was still a strong woman and dealing with what life had dealt her.
One of the most surprising parts of this debut novel is that it was written by a man...
Mary winds up marrying too young (17), has two kids too young and finds herself taking care of everyone but herself. Her husband is never home, her father drops her mother off every day to be cared for my Mary and she has 2 young boys. Along the way friends come in and out of her life and relatives offer advice. When Mary figures out that her husband has moved his "fling" upstairs in their duplex she takes matters into her own hands. She kicks him out and starts to make changes in her life.
Follow Mary and see how she deals with what life deals her, and what she will and won't forgive. This is a heartfelt story about life's realities.
I have to say that at first I was unsure about the format. You are reliving Mary's life by her telling short stories about her past. But, at the same time I was intrigued by the reality of her stories. There are tough decisions to be made about taking care of her mother and the infidelity of her husband. I found that after a bit I couldn't stop reading the book. I wanted to know that she was ok in the end and that even if it wasn't a fairy tale ending that it was one where the character was still a strong woman and dealing with what life had dealt her.
One of the most surprising parts of this debut novel is that it was written by a man...
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Excellent!
18 Feb 2005
Format:Hardcover
This is a great book, and I was surprised to like it as much as I did. I never expected a man to write a female character so well, with humor, truth, it is right on the mark. I also did not expect to like it as much as I did, because Bill Gordon started the story with so many characters, that at first it is difficult to get them quite straight, but suddenly the book just takes off, and you are in Mary Nolan's world of family, friends, aunts, you name it. Plot driven, character driven, and it just rings true. Read this book!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
A fantastic read
24 Jan 2005
Format:Hardcover
Mary Nolan grew up in Jersey City. She married young and had two
sons. Her husband cheated on her, her father forced her to care for her dying mother, and her best friend moved away.
Bill Gordon is a genius. His book is written in the first person. The man totally understands the mind of a woman.
Bravo!
sons. Her husband cheated on her, her father forced her to care for her dying mother, and her best friend moved away.
Bill Gordon is a genius. His book is written in the first person. The man totally understands the mind of a woman.
Bravo!
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