The Crazyladies of Pearl Street

A Novel

By: Trevanian

Narrated by: Lee Leoncavallo

Legendary writer Trevanian brings readers his most personal novel yet: a funny, deeply felt, often touching autobiographical novel destined to become a classic American coming-of-age story.

The place is Albany, New York. The year is 1936. Six-year-old Jean-Luc LaPointe, his little sister, and their spirited but vulnerable young mother have been abandoned, again, by his father, a charmer and a con artist. With no money and no family willing to take them in, the LaPointes manage to create a fragile nest at 238 North Pearl Street. For the next eight years, through the Great Depression and Second World War, they live in the heart of the Irish slum, with its ward heelers, unemployment, and grinding poverty. As Jean-Luc discovers, it's a neighborhood of "crazyladies": Miss Cox, the feared and ridiculed teacher who ignites his imagination; Mrs. Kane, who runs a beauty parlor/fortune-telling salon in the back of her husband's grocery store; Mrs. Meehan, the desperate, harried matriarch of a thuggish family across the street; lonely Mrs. McGivney, who spends every day tending to her catatonic husband, a veteran of the Great War; and Jean-Luc's own unconventional, vivacious mother.

Jean-Luc is a voracious reader who never stops dreaming of a way out of the slum. He gradually takes on responsibility for the family's survival with a mix of bravery and resentment while his mom turns from spells of illness and depression to eager planning for the day when "our ship will come in." It's a heartfelt and unforgettable look back at one child's life in the 1930s and '40s, a story that will be remembered long after it ends.

©2005 Trevanian (P)2005 Books on Tape, Inc

Critic reviews

"Trevanian's gift is his eye for detail; readers looking to get a feel for the period will find much to enjoy here." (Booklist)

Fabulous walk down history!

The reader was fantastic!!! Since I have lived in the albany area since 1986, this book was a lovely walk through Albany’s history, people and architecture. Highly recommend!

Fetching Title but Repetitive

The book is a 10 in parts and a 1 in other parts. This seems like a delightful short story stretched into a novel.

A walk down memory lane

I have never read anything else by this author so I was skeptical about this book but it was delightful. It is rich in "signs of the time" and the reality of a child's imagination that is trying to cope with pressures and guilt, most of it self-imposed out of a sense of responsibility. Trevanian has captured the essence of growing up in poverty in a small city. I found so many things that related to my own childhood that at times I could still feel the burden and I think the only escape was to develop a rich imagination. I hated the story to end. A lot of books written about this time frame are written from a rural setting and we see how hard it is to run the farm or make a living from the land - this gives an urban view from the eyes of an intelligent ambitious young boy.

Enjoyable coming of age story

I have not read any of Trevanian's other novels. Apparently, this one is not his usual stuff. Despite the disclaimer, it seems quite autobiographical. Luke's mother is abandoned by her husband, shortly after they are married. He returns once to father Luke's sister, and then sends a note to have them meet him in Albany. They arrive at Pearl Street, (an Irish Catholic slum) and he has disappeared again. The story details the lives on Pearl Street, during the depression and through WWII. Luke manages to care for his mother and sister, despite crushing poverty, in part by making up story games and living in his head. His descriptions of the "characters" who also live on Pearl Street are well done and for the most part, gentle and insightful.

At times, the story got a bit long winded, but I kept going back to catch the parts I missed. The narrator was quite good; I enjoyed the tenor of his voice.

I found it a good read, and could not put it down.

Man….really good and shows T’s depth and breadth

This is worth reading no matter what you like. Nothing at all like the zany spy novels (which I wish there were ten of).

It is idealism muddled up by pragmatism and circumstance (and human folly) to use a version of Trevanian’s description of his own fans.

The way this book is written and how it weaves back and forth in time while remaining in the present is pretty remarkable too.

Trevanian delivers

Exquisitely written. This book really puts you in the heart of the Great Depression. His characters are very detailed and you feel as if you intimately know each one particularly Jean Lucas.

A novel? I don't think so.

What a lovely walk down memory lane! An Honest Lullaby indeed. and how delightful to learn, after the fact, that it was more memoir than novel.

Superb autobiography

This book was recommended to me. I was hooked right away. Excellent story. Made me want more!

language

l couldn't finish this book. Story seems ok but the language is too bad. l don't enjoy hearing swearing .

Left me wanting more

I wasn’t sure about this book at first. It was chosen for my book club and as soon as I realized it was non-fiction I was sold! It’s an interesting take on an autobiography. Just the real life of a kid growing up who’s family lives off of $7 and some change / week. Loved this book so much I even seeked out the excluded passages on the writer’s website.