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Description edit
Ironweed is a 1983 novel by William Kennedy. It received the 1984 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and is the third book in Kennedy's Albany Cycle. It placed at number ninety-two on the Modern Library list of the 100 Best Novels written in English in the 20th Century and is also included in the... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Characters/People edit
- Francis Phelan: A Bum. Likeable, but dealing with a lot of demons from his past.
- Helen: Add a description of this character.
- Rudy
- Annie
- Billy
- Jack
- Rosskam
- Katrina
- Sandra
- Andy
- Gerald
- Moose
- Rowdy Dick
- Donovan
- Harold Allen
- Martin Daugherty
- Daniel
- Arthur
- Danny
- Oscar
- Aldo Campione
- Emmett
- George Quinn
- Franny
- Palombo
- Chester
- Mama
- Patsy Mccall
- Saint Anthony
- Kathryn Phelan
- Daddy Big
- Strawberry Bill
- Brady
- Joe
- Michael Phelan
- Skippy
Quotes edit
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“...the freshly dead sent up the smell of sweet putrescence, the incense of unearned mortality and interrupted dreams.”
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“'A little kid's somethin' that ain't a bum or a whore.'”
Francis -
“'Swells and bums, there ain't no difference,' Francis said. 'Except swells like to look like swells,' Oscar said, 'and bums like to look like bums. Am I right?''You're a smart fella,' Francis said.”
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“But she is... all right, yes, she is... a girl enveloped by private confusion, for she feels the rising of joy and sorrow simultaneously and she cannot say whether one or the other will take her over during the next few moments.”
Setting & Locations edit
First Sentence edit
Riding up the winding road of Saint Agnes Cemetary in the back of a rattling old truck, Francis Phelan became aware that the dead, even more than the living, settled down in neighborhoods.
Series & Lists edit
This is book 92 of 93 in Modern Library's 100 Best Novels: The Board's List. (authoritative list)
Preceded by Tobacco Road, and followed by The Magus.
This is book 1984 of 83 in Pulitzer Prize Winners - Fiction. (authoritative list)
Preceded by The Color Purple, and followed by Foreign Affairs.
This is book 204 of 214 in Best English-Language Fiction of the 20th Century. (authoritative list)
Preceded by Things Fall Apart, and followed by The Forsyte Saga.
Authors & Contributors edit
- William Kennedy (Author)
First Edition edit
Original Language: Add the language.
Publisher: Add the publisher.
Country: Add the country of publication.
Publication Date: Add the publication date.
ISBN: Add the ISBN.
Page Count: 227
Publisher: Add the publisher.
Country: Add the country of publication.
Publication Date: Add the publication date.
ISBN: Add the ISBN.
Page Count: 227
Awards edit
- Pulitzer Prize (1984: Fiction)
- National Book Critics Circle Award (1983: Fiction, Winner)
- PEN/Faulkner Award (Finalist, 1984: Fiction)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: Add the Library of Congress Classification.
- Dewey: 813.54
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