THE TENEMENT OF DREAMS

by Joseph Meagher ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 23, 1956

...is just west of Irving Place, in New York City, and, in 1915, Christopher Boles, 23, discovers that his landlady, Jessica Bantling, is the sister of the wealthy blind man who has helped him after a slight accident. Jessica's disappearance has relieved her tenants of their obligations, while her brother, Josiah, has no clue to locate her hidden, scattered fortune. His right-hand man, Falconer, falls victim to the alluring charms of deaf mute Rhoda, a fellow tenant who has captured Christopher too, and his determination to possess Rhoda gives Christopher a chance to have his music heard. Falconer's detective hounds Josiah's venal major domo, an ex con; Christopher's frequently deranged collaborator is the means of revealing Jessica's whereabouts in a condemned building whose collapse coincides with the ruin of Christopher's dreams of composing. There's a notable overload of deviates here; the constants of dismal poverty and eccentrics keep this for a Collier-brothers following; the gaslight era may have its appeal; the story however sprawls, and lacks the impact of his earlier Through Midnight Streets (1954).

Pub Date: Aug. 23, 1956

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Little, Brown

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1956

Categories: FICTION