Life Among Giants

Written by Bill Roorbach

Narrated by Pete Larkin

At seventeen, David #8220;Lizard#8221; Hochmeyer is nearly seven feet tall, a star quarterback, and Princeton-bound. His future seems all but assured until his parents are mysteriously murdered, leaving Lizard and his older sister, Kate, adrift and alone. In a mansion across the pond from their Connecticut home lives the world#8217;s greatest ballerina, Sylphide, and her rock star husband, whose own disasters intersect with Lizard#8217;s-and Kate#8217;s-in the most intimate and surprising ways. #160;#160;Over the years that follow, Lizard and Kate are obsessed with piecing together the motives behind their parents#8217; deaths, returning time and again to their father#8217;s missing briefcase, his shady business dealings and shaky finances, and to Sylphide, who has threaded her way into Lizard#8217;s and Kate#8217;s lives-much more deeply than either had ever realized. From the football fields of Princeton to a stint with the NFL, from the elaborate dances at the mansion to the gourmet restaurant he opens, it only takes Lizard a lifetime to set things right again.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Highbridge Company
• Release date: Nov 13, 2012
• ISBN: 9781611749038

Bill Roorbach

BILL ROORBACH's newest book, The Girl of the Lake, is a collection of stories that was longlisted for the 2017 Story Prize and finalist for the Maine Literary Award in Fiction, 2017. Also from Roorbach are the novels The Remedy for Love, a finalist for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the best-selling Life among Giants, which won a Maine Literary Award in 2012. Nonfiction books include Temple Stream, Summers with Juliet, and Into Woods. Roorbach was a 2018 Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellow in Umbria. He lives in western Maine.

Reviews for Life Among Giants

[lincolnpan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully written coming of age novel, structured around a mystery and suspense. Reminded me of Great Gatsby. Plot is a bit choppy but for a complex novel, it is a fun read and good American style novel.

[vanderschloot · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book and its many eccentric characters and sidebars on all kinds of different subjects. It was a bit tedious to follow at times, however. Roorbach was clearly trying for the Great American Novel here, and perhaps he misses, but it's still an entertaining and original read.

[kendallone · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

I started reading this book on my lunch break and was immediately hooked! I really like the writing, the story and characters draw you in immediately.

I did have a little problem with the past and present aspects of the story. Some of the comments in the past referencing future events were disconcerting. A couple of times it took a minute to figure out when the current chapter was taking place but it was a good read.

[zmagic69 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A lot like a John Irving book, only it was missing any truly lovable characters, and the end when it finally happened ( yes this book is slow to get to the point, and annoyingly is not told sequentially, but instead there is back and forth in time with regards to events, conversations, and observations), it felt a bit rushed or forced.

[lilalu_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

disjointed chronology about life in a family after the parents are murdered. Told by the voice of the son, who is a all star athlete, NFL hero, gourmet cook and restauranteur. There is enough mental illness to go around, as well as mob connections, passion and sex to keep the story interesting. Deeply personal story that examines emotions before storyline, but these driven characters manage to succeed.

[booklovers2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

To be honest I can't say that I liked or did not like this book. I am giving it 3 stars because, I didn't hate it. The story seemed to take forever to unfold, maybe because it was a span of 40 years until the end of the book but - it dragged. The bulk of the action took place in the last 25 pages with little new content in the 300 pages in between. It seeme like the story between the characters kept repeating it self, only a couple years passed. But then that's just my opinion.

[jillnyc · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

AMAZING!!! A must read ( or listen ) :)

[buchowl · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

So what exactly in the hell is going on at High Side? Residence to rock star Dabney Stryker-Stewart, Sylphide, his prima ballerina wife and Linsey, Dabney's disabled child, High Side is awash in secrets and intrigue especially after Dabney turns up dead.Things are also not as they seem with the across-the-lake (and across the proverbial tracks) neighbors, the Hochmeyers. While the picture of the perfect American family - Mom, Dad, two brilliant children who are also notable athletes (daughter in tennis and son in football), Dad appears to have gotten involved in a shady business deal that ends in tragedy for both him and his wife. These two households are deeply and almost inexplicable intertwined, especially Sylphide and the Hochmeyer son (affectionately known as Lizard), in odd relationships that last a lifetime. Even while being touchstones for each other it is without escape from the whispers, lies and revenge.Oh what a read. The writing is enjoyable but the true charm of the book exists with the characters. Twisted, quirky, even fatally flawed (while still being believable) you grow to love each and every one of them (or at least I did) even to the depths of deceit and madness. This is one of those books that, while a bit difficult to describe, I'll be pressing into the hands of others with "you have got to read this" for years to come. It has a little something for everyone but not in that annoying way of being gratuitously inserted. My particular vice/interest being food I particularly enjoyed author Bill Roorbach's masterful food descriptions (Lizard happens to become a chef - yep, quirky). Highly recommended.

[konastories · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Joy's review: A rock star, a dancer, some football, some cooking, a crazy sister and some mysteries... what's not to like? A very pleasant an entertaining read. Roorbach has a nice turn of phrase. Enjoyable while it lasted, but I'm afraid it won't stick with me for long.

[muddyboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book tells the story of a football player/ restauranteur who had witnessed the murder of his parents when he was a very young man. So the plot is ultimately him trying to find out who was was responsible for the crime. Along the way we meet a vast array of flawed characters including his sister. a ballet star, his chef and his parents through a series of flashbacks. Oh but what a long convoluted trail it is from point A to point B. My main problem was that after all that effort I never made any true connection to the protagonist or any of the other cast of characters and was therefore pretty indifferent to the way it ultimately turns out.

[randall6hansen · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A beautifully written novel; the writing is quite wonderful... but the storytelling is a bit labored and very slow-paced. An interesting premise and very interesting characters. If you like pro football, dance, the business of restaurants, high finance, mental health issues, and conspiracies, wrapped around a pseudo fictional autobiography, then this is certainly the book for you!

[davido1103 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Terrific story of 6'8" humble sweet football player, his mad sister, dancers, a double murder... love, family, etc... very nicely told

[voracious_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

David (Lizard) and his sister Kate were raised across the lake from a fantastic mansion occupied by a famous rock star and his wife, Sylphide, a world-famous ballerina. Their parties were legendary and many famous rock stars and celebrities are named throughout the story in relationship to the amazing Sylphide. As teens, Kate and David are drawn into the mysterious lives of the family across the lake. David and Kate's father, an investment manager, is always on the fringes of wealth but is chronically plagued by his poor decisions and ultimately, his criminal dealings with some corrupt individuals involved in a bigger corporate scheme. From the beginning of the novel, you know that David and Kate's parents are murdered in relation to a criminal investigation, but it takes until the end of the book to understand what happened. This novel involves a lot of different themes along the way, including PTSD from their parents' murders, mental illness, the lure of celebrity, racial concerns, professional football, the restaurant industry and LBGT issues. Though the novel goes back and forth in time and includes many elements, the story was generally engaging and I wanted to see how it ended. Like a more complicated Gatsby novel, it was well written and had just enough suspense that it kept the story going, particularly towards the end.

[dablackwood · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is a difficult book to explain and frankly was a difficult book to read. The style of writing is straightforward and detailed. It felt contrived to me. The characters were well described yet undeveloped. I couldn't get a handle on what the point of the book was. There was a murder, Lizard's parents are shot in front of him. There is a wealthy ballerina next door with a husband who is a rock star. There is a sister with mental health issues. It was confusing and boring. I gave it one and a half stars because I think some of the writing was really good.

[_debbie_ · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I really wanted to like this book, but I couldn't even finish it. I made it more than halfway and it just never got any better for me. Ended up leaving it in my hotel room for the next person! I wouldn't call it "perverted" as another reviewer did, but I might have if I had finished it. Just not my cup of tea. I didn't care about any of the characters or the story line. Sorry!

[jcervone-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"Life Among Giants" was an excellent novel about a young man growing up in unusual and somewhat extreme circumstances. It was a unique view into the perceived lives of the famous and wealthy and those that attempt to attach to them.The book charts the course of one young man's life as it twists and turns through his associations with a murder, a world famous ballerina and her rock star husband, his sister's mental health challenges, his own career, and his transition into retirement. It is a beautiful and mostly honest depiction of the pain that life can inflict as well as the hope and joy that accompany so much of life.I would highly recommend it :)

[techeditor_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

What a disappointment! I read so many good reviews of this book last year that I entered a librarything.com Early Reviewers contest for LIFE AMONG GIANTS. I won the book and now I'll be giving it away.The worse thing for me was not being able to figure it out until after page 200. That's a long time to wonder what the heck this book is about! But it has so many subjects, and it was difficult for me to decide which was the main subject. I'm still not sure.One of the many possibilities is ballet. Yes, it is as boring as it sounds. Worse than that, it is perverted: a famous ballet star, an adult, seduces a great big high school football player. Is the author, Roorbach, trying to be funny? It isn't.Maybe you should go with the majority and read this book. Just remember: I warned you.

[dallenbaugh_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Life Among Giants is a sprawling, ambitious novel that tries to cover a little too much territory to be altogether successful. Celebrities abound wherever you look as they interact with the Hochmeyer siblings who are struggling to make sense of their lives after their parents' death. The story revolves around the double murder of the Hochmeyer parents and the subsequent need for Lizard, the 6 foot 8 inch male narrator and his obsessed and mentally unstable sister Kate to find out why their parents were murdered and by whom and whether to take revenge. Their father had been involved in a number of illegal schemes which are revealed little by little as is the involvement of their rich and famous neighbors at "High Side", the glamorous mansion across the pond where Sylphide, the world famous dancer and her equally famous musician husband, Dabney reside. Lizard and Kate are both drawn into their lives and fall under their spell.The main characters and also minor characters are interesting and complex, but the story is often hard to follow and loses focus at times, as the author tries to follow too many story lines, plus the ending seems a little far fetched.

[faceinbook · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In several of the reviews I've read, this book has been compared to the work of John Irving. I am not a fan of comparing author's . Almost as impossible to properly compare the works of authors as it is to compare actors......a work of art is specific to the artist. Having said that I will evoke the name of Irving only in reference as to how much I enjoyed this novel. Just as I enjoyed Irving's big stories, so too did I enjoy reading this book. Roorbach's story is big, complicated and peppered with wonderful characters . What more can a reader ask for ? One of the reviews mentioned the mystery within the story.......yes, there is a mystery, however, the book is much more than a mystery novel. The murder plot is sketchy, but true to life. I believe many incidents, happening in everyday life, such as depicted in "Life Among Giants" , remain sketchy. For me, the story was more about the people affected by the murder while the mystery was secondary to Mr. Roorbach's tale.I liked being pulled into the numerous sidebars, and little subplots of this book, it reminded me of an earlier era of storytelling, the novels I poured over years back. When recommending this book, I would say this : "Life Among Giants" is not a quick shower of a read.....more like a long bath.....just sit back and take the time to enjoy the experience. Glad I did !

[nivramkoorb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I also thought that the book had a Irving quality to it. I found it interesting but the plot line was a bit hard to follow. The ultimate crime solution had holes in it. In fact the murder plot aspect was the weakest part of the book. The best part were the characters and the writing. I can see how this book would work as a book club choice because there is lots going on here. I would be interested in other people's take on the murder plot. It dragged a bit in the middle but finished up okay.

[jenneb_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This reminded me a lot of a John Irving novel, but a little less surreal, a little less perverse. But still WASPy and still warm and still human.
I couldn't quite decide how much I liked it--I'd lose interest for a while and then get pulled back in, over and over. Extra star for great food descriptions!

[schwager_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I NEVER give up on a book part way through, but I did with this one. Slow, trashy, dull story line that I couldn't stand.

[jackieblem · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book has a lot going on: murder (and other crimes), mystery, mental illness, revenge, love stories, professional sports, ballet, rock and roll, gangsters, sex, intrigue, family dynamics, foodie stuff, suicide, drugs and much, much more. It's comic at times, heart breaking at others, moving fluidly around different eras of David "Lizard" Hochmeyer's life. It's sometimes confusing (because Lizard is often confused by what is going on around him) but completely absorbing and very difficult to put down. The characters are vivid and real, and I miss them now that I've read the whole thing, though they will live in my memory for a very, very long time.