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FIRST LIGHTS: The Columbiad - Book 2 by Gerald F. Sweeney

FIRST LIGHTS: The Columbiad - Book 2

by Gerald F. Sweeney

440 pages
First Lights is a coming-of-age during WWII novel.

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Category: Fiction:Literary
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About the Book
This is the eternal story of the struggle of a child to reconcile his inner spiritual feelings against the requirements and enticements of the real world. Especially when he's energized by the bouncy trampoline of awakening sex. Most of the novel is set in the pre-WWII suburb of Manhasset, N.Y.

Jim Mahoney, whose roots go back to Iowa and Chicago, faces the consequences of his father's death and the loss of warmth provided by his extended family. He is ripped from that embrace by events caused by the 1930's Depression and subsequently deposited in various boys' homes and military schools. The question is: Does Jim have the courage to overcome his difficult beginnings.

 

Reviews
"Perhaps taking a clue from Joyce, the novel ends where it begins: the 1939 World's Fair, where a mysterious wizard lords over the Earth, their church, not cathedrals, or synagogues, but radio, music and media, adding an extra layer of import to an already rich story."
- Delmarva Quarterly, Summer, 2009
"It will also touch its readers with its treatment of specific yet universal problems, including the loss of a parent, blended families, guilt, loyalty and friendship, as well as the comedy and terror of emerging sexual pressure."
- Taste of the Bay, February, 2009
"First Lights is evocatively nostalgic without being sentimental and honest in its assessments of the fears and fantasies of childhood and adolescence."
- The Independent, East Hampton, NY August 13, 2008
"The clear answer is Sweeney's gift with words. It lifts this chronicle to a rare level. He seems to choose his words like nuggets for their shine. Reading his prose is like eating lemon meringue pie, both tart and sweet in beautiful combination."
- Star Democrat, April 25, 2008

 

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About the Author
Gerald F. Sweeney Jerry Sweeney is a retired magazine executive, who has published two previous novels at booklocker.com. The first is titled "Last Proud Gallop," a romantic tragedy set in the 20's and "Eagles Rising," the first novel in "The Columbiad" series, following an Irish-American family through the 20th Century.

 

 

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