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Dec 05, 2010Mosaic rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
The story of two eccentric New York brothers who live through seven decades of American history. These brothers are not themselves of huge historical importance, but they were written instead as historical conduits of the world they lived in. They were reclusive, intelligent, independent, and obsessive collectors of the material objects in their world. Doctorow tells the reader the mythical lives of Homer and Langley Collyer. Homer, the narrator, is blind and his brother Langley was damaged by his experiences in World War I. They try to join the society around them for many years, but eventually they wall themselves off and repel the outside world. The telling of this evolution was at times funny, at times tragic, and eventually completely devastating. I appreciated that Doctorow wrote this story from the inside of the brothers' lives instead of from the press who always presented them as a side show attraction. His writing shows the reader how to be sympathetic and gain an understanding that life's complications are not always how they appear to be on the surface. Doctorow's writing is magnificent. It is simple, pure, and evokes deep emotion. The last few sentences of this book will leave you breathless.