Billy Bathgate : A Novel (Paperback)

from lkernagh

I really like this one, even if there were some disturbing scenes that had me starting to second guess why I wanted to read this, my first exposure to E. L. Doctorow's novels. What worked for me is the well drawn setting and the pitch perfect voice of our young Billy. Boy, does Billy think fast o...

from JosephJ

Doctorow's fictional account of the journey of Billy Bathgate is an exceptional examination of what it means to grow into a man. After wowing his way into working for the infamous Dutch Schultz gang, Bathgate witnesses the ugly side of the world. He is a narrator who is, at times, both confident ...

from mikedraper

As a reader opens the pages of "Billy Bathgate" they are taken back to the days of prohibition and notorious gangsters. One of those famous gangsters wi Dutch Schultz. He befriends Billy and becomes a father-like figure to the fifteen-year-old boy. Shultz who was born in the Bronx in 1901 built h...

from strandbooks

Billy Bathgate is the story of a 15 year old East Bronx kid becoming involved in a very sterotypical portrayal of the New York mob. At first I enjoyed the run on sentences that seemed to sound like a poorly educated street kid, but then Doctorow loses that tone. It is as if he needs to wield some...

from actonbell

This was captivating coming of age novel that takes place in 1935. Billy Bathgate is an unusually bright teenager, but he's also a neglected, poor child from the Bronx who needs attention and someone's approval. He finds this in a dangerous place, becoming involved with one of the most violence g...