Edwin O'Connor

Awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Literature in 1962, The Edge of Sadness by Edwin O'Connor shattered reigning cultural stereotypes of priests and parish life when it was first published. Father Hugh Kennedy is a recovering alcoholic, committed to his vocation yet struggling with the demands of it. As he returns to Boston to repair his damaged priesthood, he is drawn into the unruly world of the Carmodys, a prosperous Irish family teeming with passion and riddled with secrets. The Edge of Sadness is ultimately the story of spiritual aridity and loneliness giving way to grace and hope.

The Edge of Sadness

"A realistic Christian novel of hope in a non-Christian age."-New England Quarterly "A deeply felt and eloquently expressed work . . . A quiet, gentle novel of considerable insight and charm . . ."-Library Journal "O'Connor succeeds in delineating poignantly the overwhelming spiritual storms of the soul which assail the conscientious clergyman."-The Christian Century Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction In this moving novel, Father Hugh Kennedy, a recovering alcoholic, returns to Boston to repair his damaged priesthood. There he is drawn into the unruly world of the Carmodys, a sprawling, prosperous Irish family teeming with passion and riddled with secrets. The story of this entanglement is a beautifully rendered tale of grace and renewal, of friendship and longing, of loneliness and spiritual aridity giving way to hope.

An expansive political drama from 1956, The Last Hurrah depicts an Irish-American politician in Boston, Frank Skeffington, as described by the nephew he persuades to observe him during his contested reelection campaign. Skeffington is an expert at balancing the claims of the various Boston-area ethnic groups. Cynical and corrupt, he also provides for his constituents. This was a best-seller and made into a great film starring Spencer Tracy. At the time of publication, many pointed out the similarities between Skeffington and Boston mayor James Michael Curley. Jack Beatty who wrote an award-winning biography of Curley called The Rascal King (1993, reprinted in 2000); has written a wonderful introduction for our edition.

A Novel

The Last Hurrah

All in the Family

The story of Father Hugh, a middle-aged priest who grew up with the Carmody children in Boston but fell prey to alcoholism. Eventually, he does come back to Old St. Paul's, but he cuts himself off from any awareness of life going on. However, when the Carmodys come back into his life, things begin to happen.

Tadao Andō

About

Books

Join the club