Golden Years

I love Andrew Greeley. As with many of his readers, my Catholic faith was, from time to time, a tad wobbly. However, Andrew Greeley reminds me of why I am a Catholic and makes me happy about it.

I have read every book in the O'Malley family series and have thoroughly enjoyed each one. The first book, A Midwinter's Tale introduces you to Charles "Chucky" O'Malley and his entertaining family just before the start of WW1. You are also introduced to Rosemarie Clancy, Chucky's future wife. Each book in the series covers a specific period of time. It is great to see the relationship of Chucky and Rosemarie progress in each book. Chucky's dream is to be an accountant, but he gets side tracked and becomes a famous photographer taking pictures of presidents and popes. The relationship between Chucky and Rosemarie is wonderful and realistic. Rosemarie comes from an abusive family and has a drinking problem. With the help of Chucky and his family, she is able to face her problems and deal with them. There are several times where Chucky gets tired of fighting her demons and is close to walking away, but he never does because of the love they share. Too much today, people are ready to divorce at the first sign of trouble, so it is very nice to read a story where each party works at dealing with their problems and staying together. Through the books, you watch Chucky grow up. He serves in Germany during WW1, he goes to Rome to witness the seating of a new Pope and take his picture, his daughter runs off and joins a commune during the 60's, he becomes the US Ambassador for the president, all the while taking pictures that are considered outstanding by the public and still insisting that he wants to be an accountant. Rosemarie is by his side the whole time. They are there for each other no matter what. They have their fights and disagreements, but always come back to each other. In this book, Chucky's wonderful father passes away, which Chucky has a hard time dealing with. He is now considered the "head" of the family, something he does not want to be. But with Rosemarie at his side, he deals with the day to day garbage that comes up, like dealing with an unstable, mentally disturbed sister, and also with the joys and happiness a family can bring. Each book is a story on it's own, but I recommend starting at the beginning to avoid confusion in later books. You won't be disappointed. I can't wait for the next book to be released. I don't normally keep books once I'm done with them, I usually pass them on so they can be enjoyed by others, but this series I'm keeping. I can see myself re-reading them in the future, which I rarely do. If you are interested in reading a great family series, this is the one! I highly recommend it!