Best descriptions of Chicago of any book I have read, hands down. ( )

A hymn to my native city. Although a bit bemused by the sentient dog, Edward I came to love this book. Writing is spectacular. ( )

I grew up in the shadow of Chicago, moving a lot. So this country mouse has never been comfortable driving into the city, but once I get there it has an energy that grabs you. I can actually say I was born in Chicago, living there a short while as a babe. No memories though.

This book is a love song to Chicago. He notes the culture and restaurants and sports, but his focus is more on the alleys and side streets and neighborhoods that are villages within the city and the people who live and work there. And, of course, the lake.

I was drawn to the book when a friend shared some pages. (A farewell speech from his boss. See photos.) I was hoping for more about his journalism adventures. (He wrote for a Catholic magazine.) But this memoir was about his "five seasons" living in an apartment building with unforgettable tenants. The most memorable being a dog.

A dog I would very much like to meet. A dog that "held court" for other animals in the hood, including hawks, mice, crows, all kinds of dogs, squirrels, even a deer. A dog that took the author on tours and introduced him to others. A dog that protected his building from gangs.

The author does a good job of connecting you to the city, the people and his emotions. Even though I counted one sentence with 139 words. Still ... it worked.

If you love this city, read the book. (Even more so if you are a White Sox fan.)

Quotes:

"I moved to Chicago, that rough and burly city in the middle of America, that middle knuckle in our national fist, and rented a small apartment on the north side of the city, on the lake."

"Think of Chicago as a piece of music, perhaps," he continued. "In it you can hear the thousands of years of people living here and fishing and hunting, and then bullets and axes, and the whine of machinery, and the bellowing of cattle, and the shriek of railroads, and the thud of fists and staves and crowbars, and a hundred languages, a thousand dialects. And the murmur of the lake like a basso undertone." ( )

Outstanding book! When you are burned out on all the overwrought books trying to send you reeling into the depths of despair, take a break and go to Chicago with Mr. Doyle. It was magically delightful! I want to go to his Chicago, explore the neighborhoods, attend the games, and, most of all, hang out with the magnificent Edward. It was just what I needed in this gloomy world of the present. ( )

My second Brian Doyle book: Chicago is a fiction memoir of a nostalgic five-season residence along the north shore of Chicago. The author's run-on paragraphs draws the reader in to his descriptions of White Sox baseball games, jazz clubs, pickup basketball games with gang members, and much more. A central character in an apartment building of unique dwellers is Edward, a supernatural dog who communicates with his numerous human friends. Seemingly ageless, the canine Edward is a Lincoln scholar and philosopher. A great read, now on to other books by Doyle. ( )