A labor of love for a man who deserves such, but perhaps not in this particular form.
Smith offers a fictionalized account of the life of a hardworking and straight-shooting Baltimore legend.
Tom McNulty, Jr., who was born in 1859 and died in 1932, is known for two things: a striking tenor singing voice and incorruptibility. In Smith’s novel, he leaves school early to help support his family, getting a job as a delivery boy and beginning to build a reputation for hard work and honesty. Slowly, he gets into Democratic politics, not as a candidate but by boosting others, and that is when his voice becomes invaluable; he has sung in church from an early age, but now he is hired by candidates who quickly discover that when Tom McNulty sings the good old songs at rallies and crab boils, the boyos will stomp and cheer, and remember—electoral gold, he is. In fact, it was Tom McNulty who composed (and sang) a song we all know: “The Old Gray Mare” (“The old gray mare / she ain’t what she used to be…”) was actually a campaign song, and it is often credited with getting his friend, Ferdinand Latrobe, the owner of that superannuated horse, elected mayor of Baltimore. Tom, though successful in many enterprises, has always set his sights on becoming the sheriff of the city of Baltimore, the perfect job for a man of his aggressive probity. Twice he tries and twice he fails to win the Democratic nomination, despite being known and admired far and wide. But he is indefatigable. In the primary of 1911, he gets not a single vote in his own precinct; by happy accident he learns that many men did in fact vote for him, and that sets in motion the wheels of justice that call to account the corrupt Democratic machine that rigged the primary for someone more accommodating.
There is no doubting Smith’s sincerity in this hagiography, or that of McNulty’s descendent, who was her source. He really must have been a remarkable man, an inspiration in times when cynicism seemed the order of the day. But perhaps his story would have been better told as straight history, not historical fiction. In Smith’s fictional treatment, the reader often encounters very awkward passages in which the dialogue feels scripted and Tom comes off as an officious lecturer. Some of the necessary but dry exposition simply cannot believably be mouthed by “real” characters. When a character says, “We moved here to 398 East Monument in 1868 after the last raise,” that precise address seems lifted from an old newspaper account and not like something real (fictional) characters would say to each other. Another example: In the midst of a terrifying fire in 1873, with flaming timbers falling all around, Tom spots a cop who had been rude to a friend of his, stops right there in the street, and demands that he apologize. If this is meant to show Tom’s goodness and righteousness, it does nothing of the kind; instead, he seemslike a pompous jerk celebrating his moral superiority in the midst of great peril. In the backmatter are copious notes and some photographs and political cartoons of the time. Smith relies heavily on the Baltimore Sun, as she should.
A labor of love for a man who deserves such, but perhaps not in this particular form.Pub Date: Sept. 10, 2023
ISBN: 9798861011785
Page Count: 356
Publisher: Self
Review Posted Online: March 19, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2025
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.
A French art historian’s English-language fiction debut combines the story of a loving relationship between a grandfather and granddaughter with an enlightening discussion of art.
One day, when 10-year-old Mona removes the necklace given to her by her now-dead grandmother, she experiences a frightening, hour-long bout of blindness. Her parents take her to the doctor, who gives her a variety of tests and also advises that she see a psychiatrist. Her grandfather Henry tells her parents that he will take care of that assignment, but instead, he takes Mona on weekly visits to either the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, or the Centre Pompidou, where each week they study a single work of art, gazing at it deeply and then discussing its impact and history and the biography of its maker. For the reader’s benefit, Schlesser also describes each of the works in scrupulous detail. As the year goes on, Mona faces the usual challenges of elementary school life and the experiences of being an only child, and slowly begins to understand the causes of her temporary blindness. Primarily an amble through a few dozen of Schlesser’s favorite works of art—some well known and others less so, from Botticelli and da Vinci through Basquiat and Bourgeois—the novel would probably benefit from being read at a leisurely pace. While the dialogue between Henry and the preternaturally patient and precocious Mona sometimes strains credulity, readers who don’t have easy access to the museums of Paris may enjoy this vicarious trip in the company of a guide who focuses equally on that which can be seen and the context that can’t be. Come for the novel, stay for the introductory art history course.
A pleasant if not entirely convincing tribute to the power of art.Pub Date: Aug. 26, 2025
ISBN: 9798889661115
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Europa Editions
Review Posted Online: June 7, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2025
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
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