Product Description

The place is Ithaca, in California's San Joaquin  Valley. The time is World War II. The family is  the Macauley's -- a mother, sister, and three  brothers whose struggles and dreams reflect those of  America's second-generation immigrants.. In  particular, fourteen-year-old Homer, determined to become  one of the fastest telegraph messengers in the  West, finds himself caught between reality and  illusion as delivering his messages of wartime death,  love, and money brings him face-to-face with human  emotion at its most naked and raw.

Gentle,  poignant and richly autobiographical, this  delightful novel shows us the boy becoming the man in a  world that even in the midst of war, appears  sweeter, safer and more livable than out own.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #19925 in Books
• Published on: 1966-08-15
• Released on: 1966-08-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 192 pages

From the Publisher
The place is Ithaca, in California's San Joaquin Valley. The time is World War II. The family is the Macauley's -- a mother, sister, and three brothers whose struggles and dreams reflect those of America's second-generation immigrants.. In particular, fourteen-year-old Homer, determined to become one of the fastest telegraph messengers in the West, finds himself caught between reality and illusion as delivering his messages of wartime death, love, and money brings him face-to-face with human emotion at its most naked and raw.

Gentle, poignant and richly autobiographical, this delightful novel shows us the boy becoming the man in a world that even in the midst of war, appears sweeter, safer and more livable than out own.

Inside Flap Copy
The place is Ithaca, in California's San Joaquin  Valley. The time is World War II. The family is  the Macauley's -- a mother, sister, and three  brothers whose struggles and dreams reflect those of  America's second-generation immigrants.. In  particular, fourteen-year-old Homer, determined to become  one of the fastest telegraph messengers in the  West, finds himself caught between reality and  illusion as delivering his messages of wartime death,  love, and money brings him face-to-face with human  emotion at its most naked and raw.

Gentle,  poignant and richly autobiographical, this  delightful novel shows us the boy becoming the man in a  world that even in the midst of war, appears  sweeter, safer and more livable than out own.

Customer Reviews

Surprised by all the acclaim
I came across this book for the first time this summer while tutoring a student (I teach high school English). I must say I am baffled that this made the summer reading list along with the likes of literature such as Animal Farm and To Kill A Mockingbird. To me it seemed a far inferior novel to other such classics. I found it disjointed and lacking in development. I was disappointed in that I felt no great connection to any of the characters. No matter how hard I tried, I just never felt invested. The sprinkling of meaningful speeches felt forced and unnatural. When I started, I had hoped that this might be a nice companion piece to the Odyssey for my students due to all of the allusions, but I don't see myself teaching this. Throughout my reading, I continued to wait, hoping to be converted and buy into what others seem to value in the text. It just never happened for me.

Human Comedy
Classic story about family and impact of WWII. Never grows old, a book to be read and enjoyed over and over.

The Human Comedy--Pathos and Humor, Joy and Sorrow
Wonderful, feel-good book about family and moral values...Humor and pathos of life properly and wonderfullly mixed...

Though it was written during World War II, it is still a great read, well worth the short time and little effort needed to read and enjoy it...especially meaningful in time of war, rather it be a World War or war in Iraq and Afghanistan...

The world--Ithaca and the United States--was probably never this good, never this pure, but it brings to mind and to heart our highest and finest moments and makes us wish there were more of them. And there could be, if we would pursue the hightest in man, not the lowest.