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Songs in Ordinary Time (Oprah's Book Club)

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Description

It's the summer of 1960 in Atkinson, Vermont. Maria Fermoyle is a strong but vulnerable divorced woman whose loneliness and ambition for her children make her easy prey for dangerous con man Omar Duvall. Marie's children are Alice, seventeen—involved with a young priest; Norm, sixteen—hotheaded and idealistic; and Benny, twelve—isolated and misunderstood, and so desperate for his mother's happiness that he hides the deadly truth he knows about Duvall. We also meet Sam Fermoyle, the children's alcoholic father; Sam's brother-in- law, who makes anonymous "love" calls from the bathroom of his failing appliance store; and the Klubock family, who—in contrast to the Fermoyles—live an orderly life in the house next door.Songs in Ordinary Time is a masterful epic of the everyday, illuminating the kaleidoscope of lives that tell the compelling story of this unforgettably family. Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Penguin Books; Reprint edition (August 1, 1996)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Paperback ‏ : ‎ 768 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0140244824


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 23


Reading age ‏ : ‎ 18 years and up


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.11 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.08 x 1.62 x 7.76 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #1,692,641 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #15,317 in Family Saga Fiction #18,260 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction #73,153 in Literary Fiction (Books)


#15,317 in Family Saga Fiction:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Long, but worthwhile
This novel tells the story of the down-and-out Fermoyle family. Living in Vermont in the 1960s, Marie Fermoyle and her three children live in poverty and desperation, for more money, more security, and more affection. Marie Fermoyle, a hardened cynic, is so desperate for all of the above that she falls victim to the wiles of a con man. The Fermoyle children are blatantly aware that their mother is being fleeced, but the emotional distance of all the family members makes it difficult for any of them to communicate or to trust one another. As Marie falls deeper under her now-boyfriend's spell it is the Fermoyle children who feel this lack of communication most acutely. The most difficult character in this book is Marie Fermoyle: cold, cynical, and emotionally abusive towards her children, Marie is clearly a woman who has been deeply wounded and is now striking back, albeit at the wrong people. In this book Morris has crafted a deeply complex narrative with fantastic character development. Truly, she has created a whole world in this Vermont town. The characters' lives are richly interwoven with one another, and actions by one reverberate to affect the whole. This is a deeply moving and engaging novel. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2008 by LH422
    • A Complex and Interesting Tale
This was a well written story and full of interesting characters, each with their own set of flaws. It kept me interested all the way through.
Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2020 by Housekateer
    • Every day, gritty drama.
The multiple intertwined story lines come together throughout family who struggles just to get by. The pain and difficulty of getting by with very little as a family in America was evident in the narrative. The book kept my interest, but when a different story line was starting it was sometimes a bit difficult to follow at first, especially with the story of Howard. This specific story line seemed a bit undeveloped. Overall I really enjoyed the book. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on February 8, 2019 by becky
    • Very depressing book
I found this to be one of the most depressing books that I have ever read! Totally disfunctional family and town!! Not sure why I even finished it!
Reviewed in the United States on February 20, 2019 by peggy koch
    • Excellent writing
I had a hard time time with the first 2 chapters;couldn't figure out character relationships..once I did, I couldn't put the book down. However I didn't give it a five star because I was disappointed with the end. It left me frustrated
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2019 by raimonda
    • Flowers Require Rain
There are no perfect people. Every character in this book is terribly flawed. The author reveals each’s state of mind via revealing dialogue and internal conversation, slowly revealing how they came to be as they are. By the end of the book, while no one achieves a miraculous transformation, every character has grown and matured. What begins as a sad commentary on personal and societal ills, this book evolves and leaves the reader with a sense of well-grounded hope. Bravo to the author. Well done. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2021 by Patty S
    • An endlessly soap opera. Time-wasting.
I must admit that I do not get the point of this thick fiction -- it took me 2 months to finish it and I do not know what the author wants to convey, even the title of the book `songs in ordinary times' is rather incomprehensible to me. During the reading I almost gave up several times, at around pages 250, 350, 500, 600, and 650. So I can not believe my patience and self-displicine to finish this 700+ pages of nonsense. Yes there are some nice paragraghs, the language is overall nice, sentences are beautiful, and the first 100 pages are not bad. But as the story unveiling, it is truely like a soap opera, and worse, it seems to be able to last forever if the author wish. Throughout the book characters are introduced and appear/disappear at will and scenes are jumping randomly. Conversations are shallow and sometimes actions and emotions of people are difficult to understand. There is not a deep character in this book, even the eight family members --- Marie, Omar, Benjy, Norm, Alice, Sam, Helen, and Renie --- seem pale, let alone tens of others. There are so many unnecessary characters in this book (even in the very final pages NEW character appears, say, Alice's roomate, who has a name and has a family story!!) There are so many characters and so many subplots left untended when the book ends. The final scene is rediculously casual and makes me furious--- what? after 700 pages of rampant characters, wandering plots/subplots, and murmuring language, the book ends like THIS? I cannot believe my eyes. This is the most time-wasting book I've read in recent years. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2011 by Sen Peng Eu
    • Mary McGarry Morris' best book!
If you like real characters and situations and a story that pierces the heart, you will love Songs in Ordinary Time. The characters range from an evil con-man, Omar, to the three vulnerable children of a single hardworking mom, Marie Fermoyle, who is rapidly falling for his smooth talk and deception. Her only hope is her teenage son who seems to be the only person to see through this man of lies. The cast of characters also include a wayward priest, a brother and sister who are simple believers and the father (husband of Marie) of the three children who is also the town drunk. Incredible to me were the manipulations of Omar, a sociopath and murderer who knows no shame. Also interesting is the mind of an idealistic priest who rationalizes his involvement with a 17-year-old girl. It is a big book (700+ pages) but I didn't want it to end. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2006 by Ruthie J

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