''The Edge of Sadness'' is a novel by the American author
Edwin O'Connor
Edwin Greene O'Connor (July 29, 1918 – March 23, 1968) was an American journalist, novelist, and radio commentator. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1962 for his novel '' The Edge of Sadness'' (1961). His ancestry was Irish, and his no ...
. It was published in 1961 and won the
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1962. The story is about a middle-aged Catholic priest in
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
.
Story
This drama revolves around Father Hugh Kennedy, a recovering alcoholic. In the beginning of the story Kennedy has returned to his home town (an unnamed New England seaport city that is the seat of a bishop, rather than an archbishop; it thus most closely corresponds with O'Connor's own birthplace of Providence, RI) to try to mend his professional career as a priest. He becomes involved again with the Carmodys, a wealthy family whose ancestry, like his own, is Irish and whom he has known since childhood. The story that unfolds is a tale of long hidden emotion and longing. It deals with friendship and loneliness, spirituality, and newfound hope.
External links
Photos of the first edition of The Edge of Sadness
References
1961 American novels
Pulitzer Prize for Fiction-winning works
Novels by Edwin O'Connor
Little, Brown and Company books
Catholic novels
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