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Homer & Langley (2009)

by E.L. Doctorow(Favorite Author)

3.54 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

1400064945 (ISBN13: 9781400064946)

languge

English

genre

Historical Fiction

publisher

Random House

review 1: This book is a highly fictionalized account of the life of the Collyer Brothers, some of the world's most renowned hoarders, who died tragically in 1947. The first three quarters (or more) of the book are very enjoyable to read. In the book, the Collyer brothers do well until they lose all of their domestic help (whom they treat like family), who are keeping their home and their lives in order for them. Many people and stories pass through their doors; these are a pleasure to read, even though some of the stories are also tragic. Langley's odd collections are at first charming. Homer, though blind, has lovers and his music. Doctorow keeps the brothers alive through the sixties to add more people to their lives and to make their story that of the twentieth century as ... moremuch as their own. Sadly, and perhaps inevitably, Homer begins to lose his hearing and Langley begins to lose his mind. The city of New York begins to pay attention to them which initiates their final descent. To maximize enjoyment, I would read the first three quarters of the book before doing any research into the Collyer brothers' lives. There is a lot of information about them online; without this, I don't know if the ending would have made sense to me. In the beginning of the book, there is also a "shout out" to another famous hoarder whose life is documented on film. See if you can figure out who it is.
review 2: A fictionalized account of America's famous "hoarders", as told by the blind brother "Homer". Written in an erudite fashion befitting the classical education and upper class status of the narrator, the book is a pleasure to read and offers a surprisingly compassionate look at the decades from World War I through Vietnam, as "seen" by one who observes through his other senses and makes a life for himself in extraordinary circumstances. Oddly inspiring. less

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