- Paperback: 968 pages
- Publisher: McSweeney's (Feb 7 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1936365588
- ISBN-13: 978-1936365586
- Product Dimensions: 22.9 x 16.3 x 6.6 cm
- Shipping Weight: 1.1 Kg
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#17,703 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #49 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Genre Fiction > War
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
A "New York Times" Notable Book 2011!
A "Chicago Tribune" Best Book of 2011.
"["A Moment in the Sun"'s] true importance lies not in its rearview relevance but in its commitment to recalling in heroic detail a little-known and contradictory historical moment, a sunny time of American pride but also of hubris in sun-beaten locales... Sayles is not a neutral channel, but in his respect for facts both documented and extrapolated, he is devoted to offering us a new understanding of the past."
--Tom LeClair, "New York Times Book Review"
"A brutal picaresque complete with melancholy whores, militaristic robber barons, desperate cutthroat prospectors, and puppet soldiers... His period slang rings dead-on perfect. [Sayles's] great achievement is to illuminate the parallel between imperialism and racism in turn-of-the-century America--indeed, to shine so glaring a light on it that even if we screw our eyes shut, the horror remains."
--William T. Vollmann, "Bookforum"
"Independent filmmaker John Sayles has managed to create a work that is both cinematic and literary in its scope and style--a blend so entrancing that you could polish off its 955 pages in one long weekend. It begins in 1897 during the Yukon gold rush and takes us into the Spanish-American war, the Filipino fight for independence, racial injustice and the plight of working people throughout the United States. Short, powerful chapters follow four unconnected characters to create a mosaic of America as a nascent superpower, underscoring the personal and cultural consequences of its ambitions. If you only read one book this summer, make it A Moment in the Sun."
--Lucia Silva, NPR's "Morning Edition"
"Following four major characters and dozens of sharply drawn smaller ones, Moment jumps from a horse thief's prison break to a Filipino revolutionary secretly photographing a government execution, creating a story so big that even the larger-than-life characters that Sayles wea
A "Chicago Tribune" Best Book of 2011.
"["A Moment in the Sun"'s] true importance lies not in its rearview relevance but in its commitment to recalling in heroic detail a little-known and contradictory historical moment, a sunny time of American pride but also of hubris in sun-beaten locales... Sayles is not a neutral channel, but in his respect for facts both documented and extrapolated, he is devoted to offering us a new understanding of the past."
--Tom LeClair, "New York Times Book Review"
"A brutal picaresque complete with melancholy whores, militaristic robber barons, desperate cutthroat prospectors, and puppet soldiers... His period slang rings dead-on perfect. [Sayles's] great achievement is to illuminate the parallel between imperialism and racism in turn-of-the-century America--indeed, to shine so glaring a light on it that even if we screw our eyes shut, the horror remains."
--William T. Vollmann, "Bookforum"
"Independent filmmaker John Sayles has managed to create a work that is both cinematic and literary in its scope and style--a blend so entrancing that you could polish off its 955 pages in one long weekend. It begins in 1897 during the Yukon gold rush and takes us into the Spanish-American war, the Filipino fight for independence, racial injustice and the plight of working people throughout the United States. Short, powerful chapters follow four unconnected characters to create a mosaic of America as a nascent superpower, underscoring the personal and cultural consequences of its ambitions. If you only read one book this summer, make it A Moment in the Sun."
--Lucia Silva, NPR's "Morning Edition"
"Following four major characters and dozens of sharply drawn smaller ones, Moment jumps from a horse thief's prison break to a Filipino revolutionary secretly photographing a government execution, creating a story so big that even the larger-than-life characters that Sayles wea
Product Description
It's 1897. Gold has been discovered in the Yukon. New York is under the sway of Hearst and Pulitzer. And in a few months, an American battleship will explode in a Cuban harbor, plunging the U.S. into war. Spanning five years and half a dozen countries, this is the unforgettable story of that extraordinary moment: the turn of the twentieth century, as seen by one of the greatest storytellers of our time.
Shot through with a lyrical intensity and stunning detail that recall Doctorow and Deadwood both, A Moment in the Sun takes the whole era in its sights--from the white-racist coup in Wilmington, North Carolina to the bloody dawn of U.S. interventionism in the Philippines. Beginning with Hod Brackenridge searching for his fortune in the North, and hurtling forward on the voices of a breathtaking range of men and women--Royal Scott, an African American infantryman whose life outside the military has been destroyed; Diosdado Concepcion, a Filipino insurgent fighting against his country's new colonizers; and more than a dozen others, Mark Twain and President McKinley's assassin among them--this is a story as big as its subject: history rediscovered through the lives of the people who made it happen.
Shot through with a lyrical intensity and stunning detail that recall Doctorow and Deadwood both, A Moment in the Sun takes the whole era in its sights--from the white-racist coup in Wilmington, North Carolina to the bloody dawn of U.S. interventionism in the Philippines. Beginning with Hod Brackenridge searching for his fortune in the North, and hurtling forward on the voices of a breathtaking range of men and women--Royal Scott, an African American infantryman whose life outside the military has been destroyed; Diosdado Concepcion, a Filipino insurgent fighting against his country's new colonizers; and more than a dozen others, Mark Twain and President McKinley's assassin among them--this is a story as big as its subject: history rediscovered through the lives of the people who made it happen.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.1 out of 5 stars (23 customer reviews)
64 of 66 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Worth Your Time, May 29 2011
By A. KAPLAN "Penelopecat" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A Moment In The Sun (Hardcover)
Around page 700 or so of Moment in the Sun, it occurred to me that the book was so long because John Sayles needed that many pages for everything bad in the world to happen to his characters. Set in 1897 and the years immediately after, this story takes the reader on a tour of American oppression and misery. From an Alaskan Gold Rush boom town to a white supremacist insurrection in Wilmington, NC, to the invasions of Cuba and the Philippines, this is not a happy, feel-good novel.It is, however, a well-told story. While rich in detail, Sayle's writing is clear and easy to read. For a novel that's almost 1000 pages long, it doesn't feel slow or padded. We get an in-depth view of his characters and their worlds, and really come to feel for them. We root for them to find happiness (some do) and shed a tear when horrible things happen to them (some of those do, as well).
What's fascinating, reading this book in 2011, is how many of the situations mirror those going on today. The Philippine response to the American occupation doesn't seem too far afield from the way our armed forces are treated right now. The fear-driven attempts to keep African-Americans from gaining any sort of political power is horribly painful to read, but it's even more so when I walk down my own block and see someone has posted a bumper sticker on a stop sign with an anti-Muslim epithet on it. This is the story of a time over 100 years ago, but it's also a story of today.
John Sayles' writing may be easy to read, but what he's talking about is difficult. But they're the sort of themes that should be written about, because they're the sorts of things still going on in the world today. This is a well-written piece of fiction because it's a gripping read, and because it's thought-provoking. The length is intimidating, but it's very much worth the effort.
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Moment in the Sun, May 20 2011
By rlk0023 - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A Moment In The Sun (Hardcover)
Powerful reading. Rich in history that few of us have much knowledge of, the war in the Phillipines at the turn of the twentieth century. As with Sayles other works, his cast of characters is large, but finely drawn. Multiple story lines, yet each fully developed. Was lucky enough to hear Sayles read from his new book and discuss it last night in Los Angeles. Don't be put off by the near thousand page length. This book will hold you all the way through.
45 of 50 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful!, May 6 2011
By J. Joseph De Cruz - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: A Moment In The Sun (Hardcover)
There are some books that despite the size are horribly conceived and ultimately unreadable, but not this one. Sayles' take on the Philippine-American War at the turn of the century is rich, deceptively readable, and satisfying. Rich in terms of the amount of research and historical details that went into its writing, Sayles has certainly produced a one-of-a-kind monumental literary work. I am sure Filipinos residing in the Anglosphere world will appreciate Sayles' effort in bringing light into this often lost and forgotten part of Philippine history. Highly recommended. Buy one now. Share this with friends. Better yet, buy another and share that reading copy with friends.As for the artwork and production values by McSweeney's in the making of this volume, I have to congratulate them for making A Moment in the Sun a KEEPER.
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