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Friday, June 1, 2012

ANNE RIVERS SIDDONS DOWNTOWN


I was taken in with the name Smokey O'Donnell. A small town girl from Cork County, Savannah arrives in the big city taking on a big assignment. Such an achievement. Stories like this are heartening as they also show that things do happen to "nice" people. Good things.

The story follows Smokey from her strictly puritan Catholic background to the more bohemian city spirit and how it changes her. Her entire lifestyle changes also - from civil rights to actually recognising the racial issues of the country, from seeing the vast differences between two social groups in society, the rise in the Black Panther movement and the attendant problems it brought about are all highlighted in this story.

The subjects handled are sensitives one for the time specially and the people of the period handled them almost as if it did not exist. The author herself took the same line as it were and I felt that they were almost glossed over but not gone into with any depth.  Abortion, the civil rights movement, the need and emergence of the blacks in American society are all extremely serious issues and the period in which the story is set is the time where the issues were most prominent.  I felt it could have been handled more directly.

My first read of this author. Very descriptive of the happenings in the life of Smokey it made for an extremely interesting read.

I am leaving for a much looked forward to wedding in Jaffna on Monday. The bridegroom is someone very close to me and it is with much joy that we are going for this wedding. No blog posts till Tuesday morning.

2 comments:

  1. Smokey O'Donnell -- that's a fantastic name!!

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  2. I haven't read this author either but I do have this one on my shelves. I like it when good things happen to good people :)

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