The Villagers

The Villagers by Edward Field & Neil Derrick is a wonderfully rich, rewarding novel about the fictional ?Endicott? family from 1845 to 1975 in Greenwich Village, New York. While the Endicotts are the main characters in this long, eventful story, Greenwich Village itself is a background character of sorts. From a small, separate village to the north of the city in 1845, to the integral, exciting and lively neighborhood of 1975, the village ?lives? in the background, growing and changing over time as do the Endicotts themselves. This is essentially the story of three generations: Tom?s in the 1840?s, Patrick?s in the 1880?s, and Polly?s in the 1930?s. It is rich, varied, touching. The authors manage to make you care about these characters, drawing each one deftly, fully, making each main character real and believable. It is amazing to me that two separate authors could create so unified a fictional story and do it so successfully.The authors of this novel have created a very real family. To bring this story alive, many famous people (and events) of the past become minor characters: Walt Whitman, Henry James, The Civil War, the Stock Market Crash of the 20?s, the Stonewall Riots of the late 60?s. This helps to place the family saga into the context of the various time periods. This is an excellent book, a rewarding book. The frequent tragedy is countered by the strength of many of the characters, especially Patrick, Elizabeth, and Polly. While it is very long, it is great fun to read.* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Plot Summary: The story begins when young Tom Endicott and his bride, Fanny move to the village from the city in 1845. Tom doesn?t realize the fragile hold Fanny has on her sanity yet, nor that her family had literally married her off to be rid of her and exiled the two to the then far-off village of Greenwich. Sexual frustrations mount as Tom, due to Fanny?s resistance, is unable to make love with his wife after their first time. They have a child from that first time, but when Tom in a fit of frustrated passion forces himself upon Fanny, the resulting child, Claude is rejected by its mother and grows up to be a withdrawn, quiet boy, who dies an early death from an opium addiction. Tom, in frustration turns to the family?s Irish maid, Molly, a lusty woman who enjoys sex. This passionate affair leads to a pregnancy. It is a boy, Tom?s illegitimate son, Patrick. Patrick grows up with his mother Molly in the Irish ghetto and it is he who will eventually carry the Endicott name into the next generation.Patrick eventually is reunited with the Endicotts when Claude and Molly die. He becomes the son Tom always wanted. Patrick marries Elizabeth, Claude?s childhood friend and produces the next generation of Endicotts. This becomes the longest saga in the Endicott story as Patrick becomes one of the movers and shakers in the growth and development of the village and the growing metropolis of New York. When his 10-year-old son

It has been a long time since I've enjoyed a book so much that it has kept me off the computer for hours at a time. This wonderful book is full of characters you really come to care about. I couldn't wait to see what would happen next while at the same time dreading it coming to an end. If ever a family saga deserved a sequel this is the one! The only complaint I have is that it wasn't twice as long...

"I am five hundred pages through "The Villagers" and am already feeling bereft that the tale is nearly finished. I would love to see a production on PBS! The characters are wonderful, all so different [...], and of course I admire the treatment of the women."

I'm into Villagers and it is wonderful. The amount of historical research is staggering--it could be used in history classes as a text. Why it hasn't been picked up yet by Hollywood, I can't imagine. Sex too hot to handle? It's bound to make it, especially now that movies are returning to big block busters--this in its breadth is like the movie, Sunshine. And the pace is absolutely galloping. I'm whizzing along and can't stand to put it down until my eyes burn with fatigue.