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The first volume of James T. Farrell's remarkable Studs Lonigan trilogy An American classic in the vein of John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath, the first book of James T. Farrell's powerful Studs Lonigan trilogy covers five months of the young hero's life in 1916, when he is sixteen years old. In this relentlessly naturalistic yet richly complex portrait, Studs is carried along by his swaggering and shortsighted companions, his narrow family, and his educational and religious background toward a fate that he resists yet cannot escape. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.… (more)
User reviews
The story is fairly simple and straight
Wilson’s a morphidite,” Studs said.
“What’s that?”
“ A guy that’s both a man and a woman at the same time, like fat Leon,” said Studs.
The action and the language get progressively ruder toward the end of the book. There is some anti-semitism throughout the book, and the Jewish kids are also organized in their own gangs. On page 177 the Irish gang, to which Studs belongs, beats up two Jewish boys in an alley, calling them “Christ killers” and various other offensive words are used throughout the book.
While there’s a lot of talk about girls, there’s also action. One day, the boys of the gang “visit” Iris at home, when her Mom isn’t home, and we are told that most of the guys were having a gang-shag at Iris. (p. 191). And that action leads to some useful life lessons, as illustrated by this dialogue:
”How’s it going today, Paulie?” asked Studs.
“Oh, the athlete is still running,” Paulie said.
“Still running?” said Studs.
“Yeh, he’s a good track man,” said Paulie.
“If I was you, I’d get the jane that did it to you, and paste the living hell out of her,” said Weary.
(p.200)