The son by philipp meyer is part family saga and part western. Meyer deserves credit for his attention to jeannies struggle to earn respect in the boys club of the oil industry while balancing work and family life. The texas observer is known for its fiercely independent. Reviews, interviews, discussion questions, videos and more. The son spans 200 years, six generations and a great many eloquently evoked downfalls. Soon to be a tv series on amc starring pierce brosnan and cowritten by philipp meyer. Philipp meyer s masterly second novel, the son, an epic of the american southwest, represents a darkly exhilarating alternative to that sort of historical hooey. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the son. Accessories such as cd, codes, toys, may not be included.
His journal entries plumb the depths of his troubled conscience and his actions that defy the momentum of his familys moral depravity. I purchased a copy of the son by philipp meyer as it was a book club. The critically acclaimed, new york times bestselling epic, a saga of land, blood, and power that follows the rise of on. Philipp meyer deftly explores how elis ruthlessness and steely pragmatism transform subsequent generations of mcculloughs.
The son philipp meyer paperback harpercollins publishers. Published in 20 the novel was loosely conceived as the second in a thematic trilogy on the american myth following meyers first novel, american rust. Feb 27, 2014 buy the son 01 by meyer, philipp isbn. May 16, 2017 the son by philipp meyer is part family saga and part western. Now in paperback, the critically acclaimed, new york times bestselling. Combine the story telling of james michener and the dark, dusty setting and characters of cormac mccarthy and you get philipp meyer s the son. Home the son by philipp meyer discussion guide libguides. In the first few pages of the son, philipp meyers followup to the highly. Subscribe to the oprahs book club newsletter sign up for the oprahs book club newsletter get more stories like this delivered to your inbox get updates on your favorite shows, the latest from oprahs world and more.
Philipp meyer was selected in 2010 by the new yorker as one of its 20 under 40 authors to watch, and so far hes lived up to the hype. After five years working as a bike mechanic and an orderly in a trauma center, he decided to attend college, getting into cornell university at the age of 22. The novel focuses on three generations of the mccullough family. The son is philipp meyers epic tale of more than 150 years of money, family. Our discussion of the book brought out references to the movies little big man and blazing. The son by philipp meyer reading guidebook club discussion. Jun 06, 2017 an overview of the son by philipp meyer last year, the university womens book club of which i am a member, read this novel titled the son. Meyer, the acclaimed author of american rust, presents an epic of the american west and a multigenerational saga of power, blood, land, and oil that follows the rise of one unforgettable texas family, from the comanche raids of the 1800s to the to the oil booms of the 20th century. This is a book filled with vivid characters and great storytelling, of a distant time, whilst also. Philipp meyer photo via information about the author. Philipp meyer, the acclaimed author of american rust, returns with the son. She holds a bachelor of the arts degree from lawrence university in wisconsin and resides in portsmouth, nh with her husband and two children. Now a tv series on amc starring pierce brosnan and cowritten by philipp meyer.
May 28, 20 philipp meyers second novel is a centuriesspanning family saga that chronicles the growth of texas. The son soon to be a tv series on amc starring pierce brosnan and cowritten by philipp meyer. Philipp meyer is an american fiction writer, and is the author of the novels american rust and the son, as well as short stories published in the new yorker and other places. My book club find out about the son by philipp meyer.
Part epic of texas, part classic comingofage story, part unflinching. Philipp meyer offers a tale that spans generations and, in its own way, encapsulates the history of the state itself. Philipp meyer, whose story you are right here appeared in the observers 2011 books issue, is on a roll lately. This book is full of history, violence, and three generations of a texas familys story. The son is the second novel of american writer philipp meyer.
Fans of cormac mccarthy or dennis lehane will find in meyer an author worth watching. May 28, 20 the sins of the fathers are always visited upon the sonsand in meyers sweeping, absorbing epic, there are plenty of them. The detail has been meticulously researched, as is the modern way, but for the. Like most westerns, there is a fair amount of violence, a few incidents of rape, and at least one incident of the savage killing and eating of an animal. The radio 2 book club the son by philipp meyer bbc. They tackle maneating crocodiles, cannibals, and even a dragon.
Love, honor, even children are sacrificed in the name of ambition as the family becomes one of the richest powers in texas, a ranchingandoil dynasty of unsurpassed wealth and privilege. Philipp meyer talks about the son at book people the. The son is every bit as entertaining as his debut novel, american rust. At times meyer does seem to be aping these predecessors, but his latest book is no mere homage. Hal and roger hunt explore a wild and dangerous island, papua new guinea.
Audie award finalist, literary fiction, 2014 soon to be a tv series on amc starring pierce brosnan and cowritten by philipp meyer. The women are paraded in occasionally, to be ogled, raped, or pitied for their dearth of life choices, and most of them are. A book like the son does not evolve from a vacuum, however. The acclaimed author of american rust, returns with the son. Meyers the son is the best kind of historical fiction. Partly this was because i picking up and putting down lots of other books between my readings of it, and partly because the book gets off to such a violent and wrenching start that i. Eli mccullough, the vicious patriarch who was the first male child born in the newly formed texas, his son peter mccullough, a learned man who disagrees with his fathers brutality but is powerless to stop it, and elis. Meanwhile, meyers decision to write using different voices riffs on faulkners stylistic experiments. Visa, mastercard, american express paypal, diners club and discover. By the novels end, philipp meyer has demonstrated that he can write a potboiler of the first rank, aswirl with pulpy pleasures. The son, a novel by philipp meyer the new york times. It is 580 pages, and i confess i did not read this book.
Perhaps join a bookclub thats thinking about reading it soon. Possible ex library copy, thatll have the markings and stickers associated from the library. Join the bibliophiles club and save 10% on every purchase, every day. Instead, a group of comanche materialise in the opening chapters. Philipp meyer accomplished that feat on his first attempt. Jun 20, 20 the words of edward gibbon bookend philipp meyers novel the son, a luxuriantly big book that tells a very texan story of decline and fall. Now in paperback, the critically acclaimed, new york times bestselling epic, a saga of land, blood, and power that follows the rise of one unforgettable texas family from the comanche raids of the 1800s to the oil booms of the 20th century. The morning news, robert birnbaum meyer has a thrilling eye for failed dreams and writes uncommonly tense scenes of violence. Published in 20 the novel was loosely conceived as the second in a thematic trilogy on the american myth following meyer s first novel, american rust.
Spine creases, wear to binding and pages from reading. The son by philipp meyer it took me quite a while to work my way through the son. The son, from writersproducers philipp meyer, lee shipman and brian mcgreevy and producer michael connolly, is a multigenerational epic telling of the story of americas birth as a superpower through the bloody rise and fall of one texas oil empire. Sons, guns and the sins of the father in meyer s texas epic. The most fascinating of many questions raised by the son is how. Philipp meyers second novel, a multigenerational saga of the taming of texas, has enjoyed unparalleled success and an outpouring of critical praise, so theres probably very little i can add that will make much difference. But as its title suggests, the son is at heart a boys book.
Harvard book store is pleased to welcome novelist philipp meyer for a discussion of his new book, the son. Part epic of texas, part classic comingofage story, part. Meyer also created and produced the amc television show based on his novel. Read free book excerpt from the son by philipp meyer, page 2 of 2. May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders.
Home the son by philipp meyer discussion guide libguides at. He is the only empathetic character in the entire book. In the first few pages of the son, philipp meyers followup to the highly praised american rust, a 100yearold man called eli mccullough describes the texas he knew, before its glories were. The other possibility is that peter the son is the moral center of the family, and thus the pivotal character of the book. The son summary guide book club discussion questions. Get more inspiration like this delivered to your inbox. The rise and fall of a texas family made rich in the oil and cattle businesses is detailed in the novel the son by philipp meyer. The son by philipp meyer has its hemingwayesque motifs. Philipp meyers second novel is a sturdy western and a portrait of the violent. Nov 23, 2014 the other possibility is that peter the son is the moral center of the family, and thus the pivotal character of the book. Philipp meyer audio books, best sellers, author bio.
It was an economist book of the year, a washington post top ten book of the year, and a new york times notable book. When the tribe succumbs to waves of disease and settlers, elis only option is a return to texas, where his acquired thirsts for freedom and selfdetermination set a course for his familys inexorable rise through the industries of cattle and oil. The son book on cd the son large print the son digital audiobook also by philipp meyer american. Intertwined with elis story are those of his son, peter, a man who bears the emotional cost of his fathers drive for power, and elis greatgranddaughter, jeannie, a woman who must fight hardened rivals to succeed in a mans world. Jul 17, 20 in the first few pages of the son, philipp meyer s followup to the highly praised american rust, a 100yearold man called eli mccullough describes the texas he knew, before its glories were. Philipp meyer grew up in a working class neighborhood in baltimore, where he dropped out of high school and got a ged. Philipp meyer deftly explores how elis ruthlessness and steely pragmatism transform.
There are three central narrators in the book eli, his son peter who suffers. Jun 16, 20 by the novels end, philipp meyer has demonstrated that he can write a potboiler of the first rank, aswirl with pulpy pleasures. A texas saga with guilt and gore to go around philipp meyer s second novel is a centuriesspanning family saga that chronicles the growth of texas. The son now a tv series on amc starring pierce brosnan and cowritten by philipp meyer. Combine the story telling of james michener and the dark, dusty setting and characters of cormac mccarthy and you get philipp meyers the son. An obsessed novelists extreme research the writer hunted deer with a bow and arrows and drank buffalo blood to research his new book the son. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The second book of larry mcmurtrys lonesome dove tetralogy, comanche moon takes us once again into the world of the american west. A beautifully wrought novel that was nominated for the pulitzer price, its an extraordinary piece of work from meyer that delves deep into the birth, rise and fall of texas.
He is a graduate of cornell university and has an mfa from the university of texas at austin, where he was a james michener fellow. Last week, i listened to the unabridged audio version of the son by philipp meyer. The henna artist opens a door into a world that is at. An overview of the son by philipp meyer last year, the university womens book club of which i am a member, read this novel titled the son. Youve watched the tv series, now its time to find out where the inspiration came from philipp meyers masterful epic. As the first child born in the new republic of texas, or so its said, eli mccullough fills big shoes. The american author philipp meyers second novel, the son, begins with. What a pleasure it is now to see meyer confirm all that initial enthusiasm with a second book thats even more ambitious, even more. It was a runnerup for the pulitzer prize the goldfinch won instead, but this hidden gem deserves equal praise. The story spans six generations of the mccullough family from the time it claimed its first headright in texas through its rise to great wealth to its tragic end.