The Given Day - Softcover

Lehane, Dennis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0552775576 ISBN 13: 9780552775571

Publisher: Black Swan / Transworld Paperbacks, 2009

Synopsis

Set in Boston at the end of the First World War, New York Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane's long-awaited eighth novel unflinchingly captures the political and social unrest of a nation caught at the crossroads between past and future. Filled with a cast of unforgettable characters more richly drawn than any Lehane has ever created, The Given Day tells the story of two families—one black, one white—swept up in a maelstrom of revolutionaries and anarchists, immigrants and ward bosses, Brahmins and ordinary citizens, all engaged in a battle for survival and power. Beat cop Danny Coughlin, the son of one of the city's most beloved and powerful police captains, joins a burgeoning union movement and the hunt for violent radicals. Luther Laurence, on the run after a deadly confrontation with a crime boss in Tulsa, works for the Coughlin family and tries desperately to find his way home to his pregnant wife.

Here, too, are some of the most influential figures of the era—Babe Ruth; Eugene O'Neill; leftist activist Jack Reed; NAACP founder W. E. B. DuBois; Mitchell Palmer, Woodrow Wilson's ruthless Red-chasing attorney general; cunning Massachusetts governor Calvin Coolidge; and an ambitious young Department of Justice lawyer named John Hoover.

Coursing through some of the pivotal events of the time—including the Spanish Influenza pandemic—and culminating in the Boston Police Strike of 1919, The Given Day explores the crippling violence and irrepressible exuberance of a country at war with, and in the thrall of, itself. As Danny, Luther, and those around them struggle to define themselves in increasingly turbulent times, they gradually find family in one another and, together, ride a rising storm of hardship, deprivation, and hope that will change all their lives.

About this title

About the Author

Dennis Lehane is the author of nine previous novels, including the New York Times bestsellers Gone, Baby, Gone; Mystic River; Shutter Island; The Given Day; and Moonlight Mile, as well as Coronado, a collection of short stories and a play. He and his wife, Angie, divide their time between Boston and the Gulf Coast of Florida.

From AudioFile

Dennis Lehane's epic story of one family in post-WWI Boston is truly a massive achievement. Young police officer Danny Coughlin, son of the police captain and aspiring local legend, goes undercover in the city's slums, where the Bolsheviks are waiting for a hero. Coughlin grows to understand the battles facing him and, with a little help from some eccentric characters, manages to stand up for what he truly believes in. Narrator Michael Boatman delivers a solid performance filled with the rich elements of the story itselflayered characters, moving dialogue, and a powerful message. Boatman never ceases to impress by diving head first into character and losing himself in the story, just as his listeners will surely do. L.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

Edition details

• Publisher: Black Swan / Transworld Paperbacks
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0552775576
• ISBN 13: 9780552775571
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 736