The Given Day: A Novel

The prologue could have stood alone as a powerful short story. The book was very good, a complex plot and it gives a lot of Boston history (found out who Storrow Drive was named for). I would give it five stars but I thought it went on a little too long and by the end the main characters began to feel a bit flat, caricatures of good and evil, and love scenes and romance are not his strengths. But a great book, overall.

Once again, Dennis Lehane has delivered an amazing novel. Set around the time of World War I, it follows the events in the lives of the Coughlin family, Danny - a Boston police officer - in particular and Luther Laurence, a black man from Ohio. Many other characters are brought into the fold, making the story rich and colorful. The pacing alternates between fast and slow, and while it took me a couple weeks to read, there were many nights that I couldn't put it down. A solid novel from a fantastic writer!

Every book I've read by Dennis Lehane is wonderful. He's one of the few writers I can count on to tell me a consistently great story. The endings are as well thought-out as the beginnings and never feel rushed or incomplete. His characters are real and the events are believable. The Given Day is no exception. If you're already a fan of Lehane's work you will enjoy this book. Buy it. (BTW, the only books I give five stars are all at least 100 years old.)

Originally, I decided to read this 2008 book in anticipation of Lehane's upcoming book, Live by Night, to be released this October. I was very pleased with this story that included Babe Ruth, Luther Lawrence, and the Coughlin family. All are expertly intertwined. Staged in the early 20th century and predominantly in Boston, the book covers the end of the war, the beginning of the labor unions, and the inhumanity of many as opposed to the humanity displayed by Daniel Coughlin and his wife, Nora. An excellent read...and looking forward to his next novel.

Lehane is an amazing author. This book takes you into a world of perspectives, mixed with historical accuracy. Every description makes you feel right there, in the novel. Not an ending where the characters live happily ever after; but the practicality makes the reader consider a new realm of possibilities for living our own lives.

this is an exciting book about the early 20th century in America, before unions and women's rights. I was shocked at the descriptions of police working conditions and the fight to establish unions. Loved the history.

I enjoyed the Kenzie and Genero books, so I started reading these. A great read that evolves from the Kenzie novels. Very thoughtful logical plot progression and character development. Wish there were more of the novels

A heretofore (for me) little-known moment in history that Lehane brings to life. He's not there yet, but he is not far from EL Doctorow in his historical fictions, and that's pretty good company. Lehane uses the language well and creates compelling characters that come to life whether fictional or historical. A great read.

Well worth the time you need to dedicate to reading a 700 page book. Character development is fluid, plot is divine. Twists to keep you reading long after you'd promised yourself you'd stop and do the dishes.

Having recently enjoyed historical fiction set in the early 20th century (_The Somnambulist_, _The Alienist_, _Vienna Blood_), Lehane's latest book was recommended to me. While I enjoyed Lehane's writing tremendously (more on that in a bit), the interaction of fictional characters with real people seemed a bit forced. Certainly there was much going on in 1918 - 1919 (the Influenza Pandemic, the Red Scare, the Great Migration, revolution in Russia and labor unrest in the United States, the Black Sox controversey, the Boston Police strike) Lehane apparently felt the need to include all of this in a sweeping epic, his characters wrestling with these monumental changes as their lives intersect with the well-known and soon-to-be-famous.

The story revolves around an African-American, Luther, who left his family in Tulsa for Boston after he was involved in a crime. There, his path crosses Danny Coughlin, a Irish Boston police officer and son of a prominent police captain. As the turbulent events of the early 20th century swirl around them, Lehane includes these characters into the great events of the day. That these characters come into contact with so many prominent figures: Babe Ruth, J. Edgar Hoover, John Reed, Eugene O'Neil, the Black Sox, Calvin Coolidge, James Storrow - was a bit contrived for my tastes. As a previous reviewer noted, it felt as if Lehane had a check list and was simply ticking off personalities and events as he wrote.

Still, Lehane writes beautifully: "And then the rain came, a fat pouring of it, clattering and hissing, streaming off bare heads." (p621); "It was hard work ... Kind of work made your shoulders tighten hard against your neck, the cartlidge under your kneecaps feel like rock salt, dug hot stones into the small of your back and the edges of your spine." (290). His way with words were a real joy to read. Lehane also captures the frustration of the working class as they struggled to organize unions, the bitter enmity between American-born citizens and immigrants, between whites and blacks, the fear of terrorists and agents provocateur. Frequently I caught myself smiling at the similarities between the issues Lehane shows at the beginning of the 20th century and those at the beginning of the 21st. This could have been a "great American novel."

In the end, however, I came away thinking he bit off more than he could chew - the Influenza Pandemic, for example, was a major event of the time, but Lehane gives it a scant 40 pages as a plot device. Similarly he includes the Great Migration as merely a back-drop to the personal conflict his characters wrestle with. Lehane should have either gone all-out (ala _War and Peace_) with the scope and scale of events and made the novel truly an epic, telling the reader something about the common man and great events, or narrowed it down considerably. As it is, the historical events and characters serve as almost one-dimensional backdrops for his fictional characters to walk in front of, and the theme "the little guy gets stepped on by big money" was flat.

I did enjoy the book, in spite of my three-star review. Were I able to give half stars, I would do so, as there is much to like and enjoy about the story and Lehane's writing in particular. I wish Lehane had tried to do more with his characters and events and less with those who became famous.

I knew nothing about the Boston Police Strike so this book was very educational. It had two especially interesting characters in Danny and Luther and is a reminder how unfairly workers and blacks were treated back in that time. There were times in the book where I thought Lehane was making a comparison to today's politics regarding the persecution of various minorities and the total disregard for our Constitution. It took awhile to get into the book and if I had one criticism it would be the insertion of Babe Ruth into the narrative. I found those parts to be almost completely disassociated with the larger narrative. Also, the Babe didn't seem like a very interesting person. But other than that, it was a good read.

This is a well written historical fiction based in Boston. The red sox, the Spanish flu, racism, and unionization are all themes concurrently addressed through the lives of the characters. I recommend it highly for everyone, but anyone who knows Boston will enjoy it even more.

An excellent book. Follows two families through the time just preceding WWI through the aftermath of the Boston Police Strike. I learned a lot about a period of history that I wasn't really familiar with. Lehane write wonderfully, but his books really hold attention--not always the case.

I like historical novels and this one is very, very well done. I also happen to like baseball, so having a little glimpse of Babe Ruth and the Red Sox made this book very fun. The way Lehane weaves together the race relations, political tides, and the fictional characters is outstanding.

Read this on a recommendation from a friend and I like some of Lehane's other books. I didn't enjoy this one as much as a couple of his other works. Still a good read but a bit long and drawn out for me.

Lehane has a way of weaving fictional and historical stories together so that you really get a feel for the characters and times. Took the reader from Chicago to Tulsa to Boston in a way that you wouldn't think made sense but it did!

Dennis Lehane is such a great story teller. I almost hate to buy his books because everything else I'm supposed to be doing goes by the wayside. So far I've read Mystic River (amazing), Gone, Baby, Gone (way better than the movie) and The Given Day. I am quite sure I'll move on to another one of his books.

Interesting historical novel. Although fictional, story is set among actual events (influenza epidemic, terrorist bombings, Boston police strike) and real people (Babe Ruth, Edwin Curtis, Galleani, Peters, O'Meara, Coolidge, among others) of the time. Lehane writes well, and the novel is also reminds us what we consider to be modern day problems aren't necessarily unique to the present time.

Excellent story. Great writing with vivid, clearly thought out characters that you learn to love even with their sorrowful fallacies. The author has insight into the male soul, that as women I found very informative and somewhat surprising. Thoroughly good read!

Dennis Lehane is such a great story teller. I almost hate to buy his books because everything else I'm supposed to be doing goes by the wayside. So far I've read Mystic River (amazing), Gone, Baby, Gone (way better than the movie) and The Given Day. I am quite sure I'll move on to another one of his books.

Interesting historical novel. Although fictional, story is set among actual events (influenza epidemic, terrorist bombings, Boston police strike) and real people (Babe Ruth, Edwin Curtis, Galleani, Peters, O'Meara, Coolidge, among others) of the time. Lehane writes well, and the novel is also reminds us what we consider to be modern day problems aren't necessarily unique to the present time.

Excellent story. Great writing with vivid, clearly thought out characters that you learn to love even with their sorrowful fallacies. The author has insight into the male soul, that as women I found very informative and somewhat surprising. Thoroughly good read!

This is a well written story, filled with characters from the early 1900's who are both real and imagined. The Irish police of Boston are vivid, broad folk who moved me to read as though this were a thriller. The book takes on the period after WWI, one of corruption, unencumbered capitalism, socialist movements and the beginnings of the FBI. What excitement!

My first Dennis LaHane book. The story was interesting but I had a hard time keeping up with who-was-who. It did jump around a bit too much. Just when I got interested in one character, he'd switch to someone else. I had to make myself finish the book. Don't think I'll read the others in this series.

I loved this book. I also learned about different historical happenings during 1919 that I never knew about. And to weave some knowledge of Babe Ruth before he became a Yankee was fascinating. I learned about the beginning of labor unions as well and the heartbreak of race relations. A lot of knowledge rolled into this book was wonderful.

Dennis Lehane is a master storyteller even when he used serial detective as his genre and when he turned to pedophilia in Mystic River or fantasy in Shutter Island. In The Given Day he tackles the animosity that existed in the city, between members of the police department, and between the races.
Since he appears to relish every word he writes, readers need to read carefully for hidden possibilities and any twists and turns in the plot. If someone wants a quick read, this book is not it as it requires close attention to characters and the wait for back story between some characters. He does an excellent job with his portrayal of Babe Ruth at the beginning in a racially tense scene.
He has expanded so that he cannot be pigeon holed as mystery, fantasy. He is about capturing relationships and showing the twists and turns. He performs this task well and with realism

Dennis Lehane has already established himself as a solid writer and his latest book demonstrates the true versatility, depth and strength of his abilities. It is evident that the motivation for writing this book goes way beyond achieving commercial success. "The Given Day" does an excellent job of inserting fictional characters into a historical reality in a way that relates a believable story about a difficult time in American history. Another reviewer has criticized the book as being left wing and while it was told primarily from the perspective of those seeking change, there is no way to deny the facts of the situation. Remembering that history is prologue, the book raised important questions about the socio-economic situation we are in today and demands that we seriously grapple with issues of power, justice and loyalty as well as individual and community priorities. Lehane skillfully presents the interdependency of each part of the whole and his touching upon multiple social issues is not in the least forced. Despite its length, there was little extraneous filler. The book read quickly with a lasting impact.