The Other Side

By Mary Gordon

Book Overview

"An elegant and moving generational saga . . . Satisfying and emotionally rich."-- People Both Ellen and Vincent left Ireland in the early part of this century, one bitterly escaping shame, humiliation, and fear; the other filled with hope for the promise and future of America--the "other side." Together for more than sixty years, they raised a family, savored their dreams, comforted, challenged, and defied one another. Their desires and fears are manifested in the generations that follow--children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, each carrying as a legacy of the past, the need to find a true place in the family and in the world at large. As she writes of passage and change, of the struggle of generations to find a common ground, Mary Gordon reveals that the dramas wrought by social and cultural forces can be resolved only in the realm of the heart. "Epic in scope . . . The best of Mary Gordon's fine books." - The New York Times Book Review

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140144080
• ISBN13: 9780140144086
• Release Date: November 1990
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.1" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

Painful Truth

The best test of a novel is does it stay with you or does it disappear like so much morning mist. It has been several years since I read this book, but I find myself thinking of it often. My wife and I have discussed the ending a number of times often in sharp disagreement. However, as we have grown older and gained more life experience, the story has become truer, if not less painful, and a favorite of both of ours. It is Mary Gordon's best work which is high praise.