Review
During the 1960s and '70s Hamill was
known for his hard knuckled reporting about New
York, but his recent novels have been much more soft
focus in nature, no more so than in his latest work.
In fact, there's a touch of the
Thomas Kinkades about
North River. That
is not to disparage it but simply to
recognize it for what it is - a romantic historical
novel set against an idealized backdrop of 1930s New
York, where bad things happen but through a
soft-focus lens of nostalgia in which the poor are
hardworking and honest with hearts of gold, the
gangsters have mothers and feelings, and the snow
falls softly all around.
When James Delaney chose to volunteer to serve
as a surgeon in World War I he left behind a baby...
Beyond the Book
Pete Hamill started his career
at the
New York Post in
1960. He is the author of seven
novels and two collections of
stories, and his writing has
appeared in most national
magazines. He has been a
columnist for many years, and
currently writes for New York's
Daily News He lives in
New York City with his wife,
writer Fukiko Aoki.
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