Fortunate Son: Summary and book reviews of Fortunate Son by Walter Mosley, plus links to an excerpt from Fortunate Son and a biography of Walter Mosley.
Fortunate Son
by Walter Mosley
Hardcover: Apr 2006,
320 pages.
Paperback: Aug 2007,
336 pages.
New York Times bestselling author Walter Mosley’s novel about two boys, one ensconced in a life of privilege and the other in a life of hardship, explores the true meaning of fortune.
In spite of remarkable differences, Eric and Tommy are as close as brothers. Eric, a Nordic Adonis, is graced by a seemingly endless supply of good fortune. Tommy is a lame black boy, cursed with health problems, yet he remains optimistic and strong.
After tragedy rips their makeshift family apart, the lives of these boys diverge astonishingly: Eric, the golden youth, is given everything but trusts nothing; Tommy, motherless and impoverished, has nothing, but feels lucky every day of his life. In a riveting story of modern-day resilience and redemption, the two confront separate challenges, and when circumstances reunite them years later, they draw on their extraordinary natures to confront a common enemy and, ultimately, save their lives.
BOOK REVIEWS
BookBrowse
The tale is enjoyable but predictable to the point that it is best to read it as a sort of parable; but if that's the case, what exactly is the moral lesson Mosley wishes to impart? Is it that nurture is more important that nature, or perhaps that those who have life handed to them on a plate appreciate it less than those who have to fight for it? Or is it about prejudice and racism? Perhaps it's about all of that and much else. Then again, maybe Mosley just set out to write a story of two brothers and this is how it turned out! Full Review (605 words).
Media Reviews
Publishers Weekly
Starred review. Mosley shows how a certain kind of inarticulate, carnal, involuntary affection transcends just about anything.
Booklist - Allison Block
Starred review. Mosley weaves the themes of race, destiny, and redemption into an astonishing tale of unlikely siblings and unconditional love.
Library Journal
The writing is crisp and the plotting impeccable. Enthusiastically recommended.
Kirkus Reviews
Mosley makes his simple tale gripping through the studied artlessness of his storytelling.
The New York Times - Janet Maslin
By the time he ends the book, Mr. Mosley has compromised its allegorical bluntness by seeking a transcendence that eludes him. And the three-dimensional world is no closer than it was at the start.
Houston Chronicle
A coming-of-age story, Fortunate Son contains an unwieldy blend of ghosts, auras, sex, violence, murder, mayhem and love.
Chicago Sun-Times
It is a brilliant book, rumbling with life, scary and sacred and scented with everything that makes Los Angeles our best heaven and our best hell, a perfect backdrop for Eric's and Tommy's dream story.
War, natural disaster, reckless gods and the recognition of impermanence in the world are just some of the threads that AS Byatt weaves into this most timely of books. Linguistically stunning and imaginatively abundant, this is a landmark.
A beguiling, imaginative, inspiring story about the bigness of being alive as an individual, as a member of a tribe, and as a participant in history, exploring how we use storytelling to survive and shape our own truths.
Brilliantly evoking the long-vanished world of masters and servants, Margaret Powell's classic memoir of her time in service is the remarkable true story of an indomitable woman who, though she served in the great houses of England, never stopped aiming high.
Vivid, daring, and unforgettable, The Printmaker's Daughter shines fresh light on art, loyalty, and the tender and indelible bond between a father and daughter.
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(605 words).
Publishers Weekly
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