Philipp meyers second novel, the son, is one of the most anticipated literary releases of the year. 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. Eli mccullough, the vicious patriarch who was the first male child. May 28, 20 sons, guns and the sins of the father in meyer s texas epic philipp meyer american rust has crafted a multigenerational epic that captures the lone star states contradictions and vast sweep. At times meyer does seem to be aping these predecessors, but his latest book is no mere homage. Feb 27, 2014 buy the son 01 by meyer, philipp isbn. In fact, irv only read 60 pages before disgust overcame interest and he closed the book for good. Philipp meyer grew up in baltimore, dropped out of high school, and got his ged when he was sixteen. Colonel eli mccullough, formerly known as tiehteti, is a living legend.
A texas saga with guilt and gore to go around philipp meyers second novel is a centuriesspanning family saga that chronicles the growth of texas. Philipp meyer audio books, best sellers, author bio. 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. Philipp meyer, the son there are certain rare novels that capture the art, heart, and action of both american fiction and history. Harrowing, panoramic, and vividly drawn, the son is a masterful achievement from a sublime young talent.
Frank dobies front porch when he decided to adapt his epic texas novel the son for the screen. The son is always moving forward at a pace that easy to follow and leads to strong character development. The son is historical fiction, where the readerlistener is exposed to the domestication of texas by the united states by following three generations of a. The son is every bit as entertaining as his debut novel, american rust. The son is the second novel of american writer philipp meyer. May 15, 20 philipp meyers second novel, the son, is one of the most anticipated literary releases of the year. Free download or read online the son pdf epub book. It is an instant classic, a masterpiece and a heartbreaking story that does not shy away from the horrific and honest truth of. But what is most impressive about meyers novel is how fast you end up turning the pagesalmost 600 of them. Jul 28, 20 the american author philipp meyers second novel, the son, begins with the words of the english historian edward gibbon. Philipp meyer grew up in a working class neighborhood in baltimore, where he dropped out of high school and got a ged. 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. 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.
Soon to be a tv series on amc starring pierce brosnan and cowritten by philipp meyer. Interesting title my take is that each of the three main characters is a son in different ways even the daughter. The son by philipp meyer has its hemingwayesque motifs. Part epic of texas, part classic comingofage story, part. 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. Amc agreed to produce the son on location in texas the setting of the novel and, not incidentally, meyers home state even though it would have been cheaper to. The american author philipp meyers second novel, the son, begins with the words of the english historian edward gibbon. This is historical fiction at its finest, and fans of literature written about the old west will definitely find much to love here. The main characters of this historical, historical fiction story are. 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. Readers who have read american rust will be used to meyers ability to capture atmosphere, the ripples that violence can have over a community, and the effects on a town mired in the wake of a waning industrial boom where jobs have disappeared and young folks are eager to seek. 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.
Philipp meyer born january 5, 1974 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. The son now a tv series on amc starring pierce brosnan and cowritten by philipp meyer. The sole female centre stage in a book where women remain largely on the periphery, jeannie serves as the lonely mainstay of the mccullough. Philipp meyer s second novel, the son, is positioned to be the big literary read of the summer. The story rotates chapter by chapter through three. Harrowing, panoramic, and deeply evocative, the son is a fully realized masterwork in the greatest tradition of the american canonan unforgettable novel that combines the narrative prowess of larry mcmurtry with the knife edge sharpness of cormac mccarthy.
It seems this book is being touted in literary and publishing circles as the next great american novel. Jun 16, 20 by the novel s end, philipp meyer has demonstrated that he can write a potboiler of the first rank, aswirl with pulpy pleasures. The son by philipp meyer ecco what follows is a spectacular captivity narrative. May 28, 20 soon to be a tv series on amc starring pierce brosnan and cowritten by philipp meyer. The son is one of those historical novels that can absolutely propel the reader. In 2009, as the great recession was still dragging on, a young man from baltimore published his first novel, a devastating story about the. Sons, guns and the sins of the father in meyers texas. Fredericksburg free lancestar i admire his meyers writing so much. The son is a fictional multigenerational saga set in texas, the second novel by the author of american rust. By the novel s end, philipp meyer has demonstrated that he can write a potboiler of the first rank, aswirl with pulpy pleasures. May, 20 the son is a fictional multigenerational saga set in texas, the second novel by the author of american rust.
Its narrative strength, however, is equaled by its detail and its multigenerational epic arc. The first male child born in the republic of texas, wrested from mexico in 1836, eli has miraculously reached the age of 100. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or. The first edition of the novel was published in september 1st 2012, and was written by philipp meyer. Meyers second novel, the son, has been a bestseller in a dozen countries and was published in twentyfive languages. A true epic that encompasses generations and traces 200 years of texas history, it challenges our own creation myths and explores the costs of survival. Meyer would do well to take a note from his characters, who look past the myth of elis superlative masculinity and strike out on their own terms. Author interview philipp meyer, author of the son bookpage. The acclaimed author of american rust, returns with the son. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Meyers sophomore novel deftly opens with entwined, impending deaths across generations. 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.
Philipp meyers debut novel, american rust, is one of those reasons. Aug 03, 20 colonel eli mccullough, formerly known as tiehteti, is a living legend. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 561 pages and is available in hardcover format. The characters lives are harsh, but meyer does a good job of making them compelling enough to stick with them even when times are hard and theyre always hard. Philipp meyer was getting drunk on author and folklorist j. Phillipp meyers the son is a gritty and intense novel that i fully enjoyed. Sep 01, 2012 the more i have discovered about the comanches the more i have respected the son and the knockon affect i have felt since reading it. The son soon to be a tv series on amc starring pierce brosnan and cowritten by philipp meyer. John burnside on a remarkable novel about empirebuilding and our potential for moral courage. Sons, guns and the sins of the father in meyers texas epic. Philipp meyers novel, american rust, was an economist book of the year, a washington post top ten book of 2009, a new york times notable book, a kansas city star top 100 book of 2009, and an amazon top 100 book of 2009.
May 28, 20 meyers sophomore novel deftly opens with entwined, impending deaths across generations, joining tangled stories over three centuries, the contested line between the u. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. The son is a long novel that bears its weight with athletic confidence. Jul 11, 20 the son is a good novel, and meyer is a good writer, albeit too tightly tied to his literary influences to find a distinctive voice of his own. Philipp meyer demonstrated his historians nature in his first novel, american rust, with its setting of industrial decay in the monongahela river valley. 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.
Aug 01, 20 in his second novel, the author of the acclaimed american rust chronicles the lives and times of the mcculloughs, texas homesteaders, from the 1850s to the present. The novel focuses on three generations of the mccullough family. Meyer also created and produced the amc television show based on his novel. The book proves that every tiny detail matters to philipp meyer s story. Sons, guns and the sins of the father in meyers texas epic philipp meyer american rust has crafted a multigenerational epic that captures. Based on the acclaimed novel by philipp meyer, amcs new drama the son starts off with a stretch of episodes that feel alltoofamiliar and vaguely mummified before exploring more morally complex. American rust, gained significant critical plaudits, it is already being outstripped by acclaim for his new novel, a pulverising epic of the american west. In the first few pages of the son, philipp meyers followup to the highly praised. 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 words of edward gibbon bookend philipp meyers novel the son, a luxuriantly big book that tells a very texan story of decline and fall.
Philipp meyer deftly explores how elis ruthlessness and steely pragmatism transform subsequent generations of mcculloughs. Philipp meyers the son has the largerthanlife sweep common to a certain tradition of great literature that takes a cultures mythic history as its subject. 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 best movies, the best music and now an author like philipp meyer. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Alternating between elis firstperson story, his son peters diary, and a thirdperson account of his greatgranddaughter jeanne anne. Meyer was awarded a guggenheim fellowship, a dobie paisano fellowship, and named as one of the new yorker magazines twenty best writers under forty. 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. Harrowing, panoramic, and deeply evocative, the son is a fully realized masterwork in the. Philipp meyers second novel is a centuriesspanning family saga that chronicles the growth of texas. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the son. The words of edward gibbon bookend philipp meyer s novel the son, a luxuriantly big book that tells a very texan story of decline and fall. Alexandra alter joins lunch break with a look at how the author, whose first novel drew.
This epic novel deserves a place in the list of great american novels. The son is an epic novel that scales the history of the american west over three generations of a family, the mcculloughs. 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. Published in 20 the novel was loosely conceived as the second in a thematic trilogy on the. Pdf the son book by philipp meyer free download 561 pages. Now a tv series on amc starring pierce brosnan and cowritten by philipp meyer. This huge, ambitious novel opens with eli contemplating the wrecked territory he knew in. If meyer wasnt so relentless about hammering his message home, the son would have a better chance of being the kind of novel he wants it to be.
Philipp meyer, the acclaimed author of american rust, returns with the son. It was an economist book of the year, a washington post top ten book of the year, and a new york times notable book. Apr 07, 2017 philipp meyer was getting drunk on author and folklorist j. Meanwhile, meyers decision to write using different voices riffs on faulkners stylistic experiments. Isbn 9780062120397chronologically, philipp meyers the son starts in 1849 with eli mcculloughone of the three perspectives presented in the bookbeing captured by comanches. The son is philipp meyers epic tale of more than 150 years of money, family, and. The son, a novel by philipp meyer the new york times.