<p>Were there other characters who came out of that crowd, who ended up edited out?</p>
<p>“Yes there were several other characters—
an elevator operator and a
Muslim hot-dog salesman.
There was also a very complicated chess game the notation to which I worked out with a friend of mine, a Russian grandmaster. It was a game where two players came to a mutual stalemate. I worked a long time on that piece, but sometimes you have to kill your darlings.
These characters didn’t fit into the novel correctly, and I had to wave them goodbye. They’re gone now too. They won’t come back. I’m not the sort of writer who rescues characters from old folders. Maybe I should be. It would make life a lot easier, I suppose. But I tend to move on to completely different subjects”</p>
<p>I cut Solomon a lot of slack because Claire loved him so much. I couldn’t warm to him, but his chapter made it clear that he was burnt-out professionally and grieving personally (not that that’s any excuse for hanging your own portrait in your home :).)</p>
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<p>I think we would have. The last chapter may spell it out, but I think astute readers (like us!) would have been able to make the connection. I liked certain parts of the last chapter, too (and I suspect I would have liked the edited-out chess match as well), but I’m not convinced it was necessary. And I’m still bothered by the randomness of the Italian doctor in a book whose characters are so tightly interwoven. Maybe I’ll just pretend he’s Adelita’s son, grown up into the doctor that his mother always wanted to be. Of course, that means he would have moved to Italy and changed his name, but you never know :)…</p>
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<p>I can’t, but just for fun, I googled “symbolism of the coyote” and found that for the Shoshoni Indians, “The sighting of the Coyote was said to bring natural disasters such as illness, floods and harsh winters. This was not viewed as something to be feared - rather it made way for new beginnings. Essentially, the Coyote was the “way-maker” of new direction as it went about its symbolic role of completing the cycle of life in nature.”</p>
<p>^^^^ Thanks Mary13 for finding that information about the coyote! Very interesting. </p>
<p>I didn’t remember during the first reading that the coyote is killed–
“Far behind her she noticed siren lights turning. Animal Control. Three men with nets were circling through the traffic.
When she heard the crack of the rifle shot, she thought at first it was just a car backfiring”…</p>
<p>Then Mccann starts the section about Jaslyn’s definition of mother ect. </p>
<p>Has there ever been a coyote sighting in NYC? Perhaps this is based on a true coyote sighting at in the 70’s ? </p>
<p>Not a big deal, just made the last chapter even more disjointed for me.</p>
<p>Mary13 you inspired me to google symbolism of the coyote;</p>
<p>The coyote’s energy is linked to simplicity and trust, spurring renewed innocence and a childlike wisdom in the world. Coyote’s howl touches your soul, reminding you of your primal connections. People with this power animal adapt easily to new situations. They also usually have close families, especially when children are involved. Coyotes normally mate for life. They reside in the sides of hills or in underground dens where their family is pretty much safe. Coyote people will sometimes go to extremes to protect and nurture family members.</p>
<p>"If coyote enters your life, you must look at something you have been avoiding. They are mirrors for the lessons we must learn so we are able to walk a good sacred road. The mirror will be held up incessantly until we finally get the picture.</p>
<p>Booklady- good to hear from you again-especially since you are credited with suggesting this book! Many thanks, because this is my favorite so far. </p>
<p>And, who knew about coyotes in NYC, so this makes sense in the book now.
I love how enriched I am after these discussions, not just about coyotes in NYC, but from everyone’s perspective and input. </p>
<p>The coyote now represents Tillie and the “girls” to me, trying to adapt to a very hostile environment.</p>
<p>I love everyone’s interesting insights about the book. Although I did feel that the last chapter rambled, it did give me a sense of closure about Jazzlyn’s two young daughters and how thier lives had turned out ok.</p>
<p>I agree PATheaterMom and SouthJerseyChessMom –- it’s enlightening (and lots of fun) to read everyone’s comments about the book. Any suggestions for our next selection?</p>
<p>^thanks Ignatius, and another thanks for your suggestion about the movie Man on Wire, the perfect tie in for the book. I think I like the book, even more, because I saw that movie, which made the tightrope walking, absolutely breathtaking experience. </p>
<p>I confess, while reading the book, I didn’t know if the walker would fall, and not knowing if he would succeed heightened the tension. It wasn’t until I saw the photo in the book, that I really knew this was a 9/11 story.</p>
<p>The last chapter weakens the book for me. Jaslyn and her Italian man made me long for the author to get back to the point. Some twists and turns seem a romanticized step away from the harsh reality of the “before”. Ciaran and Laura together, yes - but I can’t see Ciaran as a multimillionaire with homes in two countries. (I know the point was to tie in the silicon valley thread.) I would have been happy with knowing that Gloria and Claire raise two healthy happy girls. Jaslyn as a Yale graduate (ties in the Solomon and Claire Yale connection) seems a stretch for a heroin baby (Jazzlyn uses during pregnancy, surely) who lives a rough life her first years. I also can’t see Jaslyn climbing into bed with Claire at the end. She mentions not having been there in years and the atmosphere isn’t a comfortable one. The act drew me from the story with the thought that either the nurse or a family member would not be pleased should he/she walk in and find Jaslyn on the bed next to Claire.</p>
<p>Oh, well.</p>
<p>Other thoughts:</p>
<p>Solomon redeems himself when he apologizes to Gloria after a few words from Claire. Claire loves him, but obviously he loves her too.</p>
<p>Ciaran gains no points with “From South America – I can’t remember where, Columbia, I think, or Nicaragua” when he mentions Adelita. (Why couldn’t Adelita figure in the end rather than the Italian pick-up? Ciaran could have mentioned that Corrigan loved a woman from Columbia who is now a doctor. Ciaran has millions; shouldn’t Adelita have her M.D.?)</p>
<p>In one of the interviews with Colum McCann, he says that he didn’t know himself when he began the novel whether his walker would live or die, but as the story evolved, he realized what direction he wanted to go. </p>
<p>Re the photo, a reader asked McCann, “My question is: How, if in any way, would the book have been different if the photograph with the wire-walker, the towers and the airplane all together had not been available?”</p>
<p>He answered, “Ah yes … well, I found the photograph after I decided that I wanted to write the book … but it made me realise (or think at least) that the book was on the right track when I finally found it. It took the oxygen from the air for me. It surprised me and I suppose in a way legitimised the whole process of writing the novel.”</p>
<p>I liked LTGWS okay. I guess the unrelenting sadness and that last chapter keep me from a unqualified thumbs up. Still, I found it a good choice. I read a lot and usually find something in each book that makes me glad I read it. For LTGWS the interconnections, the visit to NYC in 1970s, and the infamous tightrope walk made my reading time worthwhile. And to quote Tillie:</p>
<p>I looked through the first 20 books. We’ve read two and a few I have reservations about: #2 - “boring”</p>
<h1>4 - “dark”</h1>
<h1>5 - “the African beach scene is horrific”</h1>
<h1>19 - “gloomy” (though I have been thinking about reading it)</h1>
<p>Other previous suggestions sounded good: The Postmistress on another list provided by SJCM
and The Forgotten Garden</p>
<p>Can’t think of any more off the top of my head, but really enjoy the book discussions and will follow where you lead. Many, many thanks to all who enriched this book for me through your insights.</p>
<p>That bothered me at first, too. I was indignant on Adelita’s behalf. How could he not remember every detail of the woman whom his brother had loved so much, and why wasn’t she still a part of his life? But then I thought, would they really have kept in touch? They barely knew each other; Adelita was strong and would not have asked for or expected Ciaran’s help; Ciaran was destined to return to Ireland and unlikely to maintain what would undoubtedly be a painful connection. </p>
<p>Yeah - I agree that Ciaran as written wouldn’t have kept in touch with Adelita. However, I maintain that Ciaran as written wouldn’t have become a Silicon Valley millionaire. So, as long as we’re living the fantasy, extend it to include Adelita.</p>
<p>One other chapter I wanted to quickly touch on is “Etherwest,” about the “phone freakers.” I thought it was written in a slightly different style—more whimsy, less grief.</p>
<p>I wondered if Dennis (“he did two tours in ‘Nam”) might have been on Josh’s hacker team in Vietnam. And if Josh had lived, would he be a phone freaker himself?</p>
<p>Personal story - and a brief step off topic:</p>
<p>When my son started high school, he had the extreme good fortune of having an excellent English teacher that first year. The teacher was relatively young with two young boys of his own, from Ireland, and the author of two books. His first book was highlighted as an L.A. Times notable book of the year. Despite his own literary success, my son’s teacher corrected awkward writing attempts with compassion rather than criticism and made English a subject to be enjoyed and explored. Anyway, as I read LTGWS I remembered that Irish voice - and that in and of itself increased my enjoyment.</p>
<p>This book is a required book for one of my English classes this semester (although I am getting nervous that it hasn’t come to my house yet via a seller on Amazon considering I need it in 2 weeks and it was supposed to arrive at the LATEST by this upcoming Monday!)</p>
<p>Cool story! And what a wonderful experience for your son. Here’s my “brush with greatness”: When I was very young, Daniel Berrigan came to our house to visit with my parents. They didn’t know each other, but had a close mutual friend (and all were liberal, activist Catholics). After reading Let the Great World Spin, I asked my (88 year old) mother about why he’d come by. She said cagily, “He needed…a rest stop.” “Mom,” I said, “you sound like you were harboring a fugitive.” “Maybe we were,” she answered with a smile.</p>
Ciaran has millions; shouldn’t Adelita have her M.D.?)</p>