The Given Day: A Novel

By Dennis Lehane

"Gut-wrenching force...A majestic, fiery epic. The Given Day is a huge, impassioned, intensively researched book that brings history alive." - The New York Times

Dennis Lehane, the New York Times bestselling author of Live by Night—now a Warner Bros. movie starring Ben Affleck—offers an unflinching family epic that captures the political unrest of a nation caught between a well-patterned past and an unpredictable future. This beautifully written novel of American history tells the story of two families—one black, one white—swept up in a maelstrom of revolutionaries and anarchists, immigrants and ward bosses, Brahmins and ordinary citizens, all engaged in a battle for survival and power at the end of World War I.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Oct 6, 2009
• ISBN: 9780061982286

Dennis Lehane

Dennis Lehane is the author of thirteen novels—including the New York Times bestsellers Live by Night; Moonlight Mile; Gone, Baby, Gone; Mystic River; Shutter Island; and The Given Day—as well as Coronado, a collection of short stories and a play. He grew up in Boston, MA and now lives in California with his family.

Reviews for The Given Day

[asxz-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Meaty and enthralling. Indisputably Ellroy-inflected, but that's not a bad thing. Lehane has more heart and he cares more for his characters, taking them on tough journeys but with less nihilistic outcomes.

I wanted to get out in front of the Coughlin clan before Ben Affleck's Oscar-bait adaptation of this book's sequel. Based on this I'm looking forward to the next two books.

[littlepage · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great epic novel in the tradition of Ragtime.

[vintagereader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was one of those books that I raced through, and then immediately started missing the characters as soon as I was done. But I'm sure we'll be seeing them again; Luther, after all, was left in Greenwood in 1919, just two years before the Tulsa Race Riot. It will be interesting to see what Lehane does with that.

[elkehannover · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Inhaltsangabe:Boston 1917: Es ist noch immer Krieg, aber auch in der Heimat ist vieles los. In Anlehnung an die russische Revolution versuchen auch in Boston und anderen amerikanischen Städten die Bolschewiken und ähnliche Gruppierungen ihr Unwesen zu treiben. Die Polizei, allen voran Danny Coughlin, versucht alles, dem ein Ende zu treiben.Danny ist der Sohn von Captain Thomas Coughlin, der im gesamten Department hohes Ansehen genießt. Obwohl Thomas selbst einst ein Einwanderer gewesen ist, hat er sich mit Haut und Haaren dem Recht und Gesetz verschrieben, scheut aber auch nicht vor kleinen bezahlten Gefälligkeiten zurück.Danny hätte bereits eine höhere Laufbahn einschlagen können, doch er fühlt sich mit seinen Kollegen stark verbunden, die wie er unter unmenschlichen Bedingungen ihren Dienst verrichten müssen und dafür weniger Geld bekommen als die offizielle Armuts-Grenze. Sie wollen sich gewerkschaftlich organisieren, aber verschiedene Dinge kommen ihn da in die Quere.Luther Laurence ist schwarz. Als er in Columbus seine Arbeit in der Munitionsfabrik verliert, geht er mit seiner großen Liebe Lila nach Tulsa. Dort wird erstmal schnell geheiratet, denn Lila erwartet ein Kind von ihm. Er liebt sie zwar auch, aber er ist innerlich rastlos und möchte noch ein wenig die „Abenteuerluft schnuppern“. Dabei kommt er der organisierten Kriminalität in die Quere und ermordet einen hohen Boss in einem Handgemenge. Luther muss fliehen und kann schließlich in Boston Unterschlupf und Arbeit bei den Coughlin’s finden.Dannys und Luthers Wege treffen sich immer wieder und dabei stehen ihnen die größten Prüfungen noch bevor …Mein Fazit:Dies ist mein erster Lehane-Roman und es wird wohl nicht mein letzter gewesen sein.Die Geschichte beginnt (und endet) mit einer Anekdote über Babe Ruth. Babe Ruth, der berühmte Baseball-Spieler, begleitet die beiden (Danny und Luther) nur am Rande, dennoch ist er eine feste Größe in der damaligen Geschichte. Der Spieler lernt erst Luther in Columbus kennen und dann am Ende Danny. Während Ruth ja tatsächlich gelebt und gespielt hat, sind Danny und Luther fiktive Figuren in einer unruhigen Zeit.Dennis Lehane beschreibt die Stadt Boston zum Ende des Ersten Weltkrieges. Einwanderung, Gesindel und die politischen Unruhen durch die Russische Revolution angestachelt beherrschen das Klima. Die Cops setzten die Stadtverwaltung mit ihrer erheblichen Unzufriedenheit ebenfalls unter Druck. Die Situation spitzt sich immer weiter zu.Danny und später auch Luther folgen ihrem Gewissen. Denn die zum Himmel schreiende Ungerechtigkeit wollen beide nicht mehr hinnehmen. Luther hingegen, der ja mit seiner Hautfarbe schon genug Diskriminierung erlebt, möchte einfach nur noch ein ganz normales Leben führen mit seiner Frau Lila und dem noch ungeborenen Kind. Lila bleibt allerdings in Tulsa, da sie dort für sich eine neue Heimat gefunden hat. Luther versucht allein in Boston zu Recht zu kommen und erlebt die Stadt auf seine eigene Art und Weise.Zugegeben, die erste Hälfte war die Lektüre jetzt nicht so spannend (aber auch nicht wirklich langweilig). Der Autor hat das Leben der drei Hauptfiguren beschrieben und über das Leben in Boston erzählt. Er neigte dabei zu kleinen Ausschweifungen, die ihm aber angesichts des Fortlaufs der Geschichte zu verzeihen sind. Denn ab der Hälfte etwa steigert sich die Spannung, Familien überwerfen sich, Cops lehnen sich auf und die Bolschewiken scheinen tatsächlich zuzuschlagen. So viele Personen fanden vorher Erwähnung, aber es rundet sich in einem satten Ende ab und keine Frage bleibt unbeantwortet. Dabei sind Danny und Luther sehr sympathische Helden, mit dem Herzen am richtigen Fleck und einer unstillbaren Sehnsucht nach Gerechtigkeit und Würde.Eine tolle Geschichte vor einem historischen Hintergrund, auf die Fortsetzung (In der Nacht) freue ich mich und er wird sogar schon verfilmt und kommt 2017 in die Kinos. Dieser erste Teil der Reihe bekommt trotz des nicht ganz so spannenden Anfangs fünf Sterne und eine klare Lese-Empfehlung für alle Fans von großen Polizei-Romanen!Veröffentlicht am 21.07.16!

[barb_h_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This one really surprised me. I did expect to like it because I think Dennis Lehane is a terrific author, but I did not expect to like it as much as I did. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the series which I won in a giveaway. It was so well written and captivating. I'm still blown away that an historical fiction novel could be so compelling. It's really not a book I would have normally picked up. I only read it since I'd won the 2nd book.

[ken1952 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow! Dennis Lehane gives us an historical look at Boston from the 1918 flu epidemic through the 1919 Police Strike in this powerful novel. Absorbing characters and fascinating events come together in a city that Lehane knows so much about. You can really sink your teeth into the book's 703 pages (hardcover version). The story continues in the recently released Live by Night (2012). Can't wait to read it.

[bogopea · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Extremely interesting story of blacks and whites in Boston after WWII. The city was filled with revolutionaries, anarchists, immigrants, ward bosses, Brahmins and ordinary citizen, all engaged in a battle of survival and power. Focuses of two families, one Boston Irish cop family; the other a Black family of whom some have made it and some are still finding their way. Enjoyed it.

[brainella · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I had forgotten how vulgar Dennis Lahane's books are. Dang. Outside that, I enjoyed this book. I learned quite a bit about the history of Boston in the early 20th Century and the various race riots around the country at that time; I tend to do a bit of research on the side to see how the real compares to the fiction. The author did good research in trying to keep it on point. I appreciate that. The characters are, for the most part, well done. A few I would have liked to been developed more -- especially Danny's mother. Luther's character was intriguing and I really enjoyed the interaction with Babe Ruth.

[patriciamoss · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've been a union activist all of my adult life and found the historic framework with respect to the trade union movement and politics to be compelling. 2013 is the 100th anniversary of many of the historic social actions that are a backdrop and a part of the story being told.

There was a definite sense, though, that I was reading about the future to come as well as the past that had been. Worker exploitation, economic inequality, grinding poverty, racism, discrimination, economic power wielded from behind closed doors to control politicians and government institutions -- the past described by Mr. Lehane is closely paralleled by the world in which we now live.

As for Boston, my next visit to places like the North End will have an entirely new dimension.

Loved it.

[bluesgal79 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"What molds us is what maims us."

These words from Dennis Lehane's powerfully affecting new novel capture succinctly the outcome of the historic events about which he writes. The deadly outbreak of influenza that followed the soldiers home from WWI; the formation of the NAACP; the violence of class and race riots; the burgeoning organized labor movement; shattered love affairs; family strife -- it's all here, it's all too much for any but the most masterful author.

Dennis Lehane, however, has established himself as that author.

Ground Zero for the confluence of all these events was Boston in 1919, and Lehane's flawless melding of historical figures and events with some of the most fully-drawn fictional characters brings the era into laser sharp focus.

Nobody writes dialog like Lehane, and it is this gift perhaps more than any other that sets "The Given Day" so well above any other novel of its scope. So crisp and authentic are the voices one feels one has pulled up a seat at every conversation.

Lehane's accomplishment with this leap out of genre is nothing short of stunning.

[reannon_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dennis LeHane is one of those authors whose books I eagerly look forward to. He can be uneven... some of his things I've disliked, some I've liked, but two, Gone, Baby, Gone, and Mystic River, left me sitting dazed at how good the book was. The Given Day is an epic. I'm not surprised after reading it that it has been a while since he published anything else... the book is long, epic, and rich, and took a lot of research to make it real. The setting is Boston, in 1918 and 1919. It was an eventful time. World War 1 ended, the influenza epidemic happened, there was labor unrest, a red hunt, anarchist and Bolshevik agitation with some violence. The main character is Danny, a policeman and son of a policeman. He is assigned to infiltrate various radical groups, and meanwhile gets involved in a nascent policemen's union. Meanwhile a young black man, Luther, is introduced in a baseball game. Babe Ruth shows up, and some of his team mates, and they play Luther's team. It doesn't add to harmony between the races. Luther, after various unfortunate events, winds up in Boston. The events slowly lead up inexorably to a strike by the Boston police and subsequent riots.The book is about 700 pages long, yet never flags. It is an ambitious work, with a large number of characters, events, and forces. In less capable hands, it would be a mess. But LeHane slowly weaves a rich tapestry, character by character and event by event, until all collide in a cataclysmic event. The characters are astonishingly real and complex.Excellent work.

[doondeck · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A thrilling story of Boston and the Irish in the early twentieth century. The pace of the story is exhillirating and the characters are real and well developed.

[kellyn_903682 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Coughlin family is typical of immigrant families in Boston. Thomas Coughlin arrived from Ireland with nothing—literally. He was stowaway who was caught and chained to the galley sink. While on the ship he met Eddie McKenna and together they escaped their chains and ran off the ship in Boston. Eddie and Thomas eventually became policemen and made a good life for themselves and their families. Thomas’ oldest son, Aidan or Danny, followed his father’s lead and became a policeman as well. It is through Danny that Lehane tells the story of Boston in 1918 and 1919. Boston experiences racism, corruption, the rise of unions, fears of Communism and massive deaths due to influenza. All of these directly impact the Caughlin family. This is a raw, violent filled book that is also filled with love, discovery and unexpected kindness. Lehane's gritty language mirrors the grittiness of the story of Boston and the Caughlins. In spite of the length (720 pages) Danny's story never falters.

[vdunn-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A hard look at what life was like before unions, labor laws, and civil rights.

[dooney-2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dennis Lehane's The Given Day really surprised me. I thought it was a good novel and I got completely wrapped up in the story and the characters. Well, truthfully there are only two characters who are fully developed, Danny Coughlin, and Luther Lawrence, with everyone else basically acting as set pieces needed to fill in the narrative or illustrate certain points. So basically to like this book you have to like Danny and Luther, or you have to get wrapped up in the historical aspects of the novel, which is set in Boston immediately following WWI, between the influenza epidemic and the policemen's union strike. I liked both the history and the main characters, who I found quite compelling. Perhaps I've known too many young men just like them, and I could hear their words in my mind, superimposing the characters in the novel with other people I've known. Both men start out as rather shallow, happy-go-lucky young men, who glide through life, both try to do the right thing but learn that knowing what the right thing is far more complicated than it would seem. Lehane handled the complexities and the subtleties of both men's struggles well, and I thought he also dealt well with the idea of family, and the unfortunate truth that we often start out thinking of our families with a hazy glow, wanting what is best, but woefully unprepared for the repurcussions when life doesn't turn out quite the way we imagined it. Lehane has a gift for capturing the cadence of a speaker, and many times the voices would ring in my haad, so that even a simple dialog could be filled with meaning. I also loved the sense of history: the details of time and place and a period of history I don't know enough about. The book seems to be well researched but it is quite dense, as it seems this was a very dense and volatile period. There were sections that dragged, almost as if there was just too much in to the story, and yet I would say that most of the detail and various plots were important to the development of the characters and the conclusion of the story. Reading about the influenza epidemic was powerful, and reading about young police officer Danny dragging bodies out of buildings reminded me of a story we read in fifth grade, where a girl was describing looking out her window onto the bodies stacked on the sidewalk, waiting to be picked up and carted away, something I am sure I had not thought of once in the intervening 45 years. The rather long section leading up to the strike, and Danny's infiltration and exploration of the various labor groups and leftist organizations, as long as the rather paranoid reactions of the people in power were tedious at times, but were important for Danny's growing understanding that the world was more complicated than the world as seen from his parent's house. Danny was a character of great hope and naiveté, and yet possessed of a great inner strength (not just physical strength which is played up in the book). There are also some minor sections that are profoundly powerful. Eddie McKenna is one of the polarizing characters of the book, and I feel his presence is necessary. Near the end when he is speaking to Luther, telling him that he can never be an American, never be as much of an American as he (Eddie), the first reaction is to pull back from the appalling violence and racism of his statement. Of course many felt the same way. But upon thinking further, you realize that Luther's family had been in this country for generations even though they were originally brought to this country as slaves, and Eddie had come to America as a boy, trying to escape a kind of slavery, the bleak prospects and lack of promise of his lot in Ireland. Not only did Eddie embrace America as a place for those who would change their lives, as he did, and embrace it with a proud love, in this scene Eddie also reminds of the dark side of an emotion that exists in all of us. We see it all the time. Another extreme example is the rich New Yorker I knew, who upon buying and restoring an old run down estate in an economically downtrodden town, became obsessed with buying up small properties near his house, partly because he wanted more land, but partly because he didn't want to see their mobile homes or run down houses, when he drove up his driveway. The presence of a poorer population violated his sense of how the world should be, so his response, much like Eddie's, was to make it go away. Although I thoroughly enjoyed reading the novel, I can't say that it left me feeling like it is something I want to read again. It was not a novel that brought new insights or understanding, Well, it left me with a profound dislike of Calvin Coolidge.

[paulagraph · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

What can I say? A novel to read on vacation, perhaps--plot and character driven, historically set immediately post WWI in Boston in a milieu of Irish cops, Italian "anarchists" and African-American supporters of the new NAACP. Leads up to the Boston Police Strike of 1919. Along the way an unlikely friendship develops among Danny Coughlin, an Irish cop, son and godson of two of the most powerful police officers in the department; Nora, housekeeper in the Coughlin household, whose past in Ireland is a tainted one from the Coughlins' perspective and for love of whom Danny accepts banishment from his family; and Luther Lawrence, black baseball-playing wizard from Tulsa, on the run from events that left dead or wounded a powerful drug dealer and his two muscle men. Transitions in the novel are introduced by short chapters focusing on Babe Ruth, the first Home Run king of baseball, who during the period played for the Boston Red Sox. Another big novel that follows all the rules of narrative desire, pushing the reader forward at a relentless pace. Some of the characters are well drawn (Danny & Nora) and others less convincing (Tessa the Terrorist). Lots of male violence (even though the "terrorist" is a woman)and not much of substance to chew over after the novel is finished.

[66usma · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thoroughly enjoyed this work. Maybe a touch bit long, but really enjoyed the story of family relationships set in Boston in 1917. Was interested in both Irish and African-American viewpoint during the period. Particularly like efforts that have a historical backdrop . Also a baseball fan so the Babe Ruth inclusion was interesting.

[awriterspen_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Given Day was one of the most interesting and complex books I’ve read in a long time. Most central to this book is the story of Danny Coughlin, a Boston police officer caught before, during, and after the famous 1919 Boston Police Strike. Alongside him are a vast array of characters, from dirty politicians to his two closest confidants who hide a sordid past, and everything in between. Also just as important to the novel is Luther Lawrence, a black man on the lam from Tulsa, Oklahoma after being blind sided by being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. The lives of Luther and Danny intertwine to create a captivating story of friendship that defies race, economic status, and social norms. Luther is perhaps the warmest character in the book, and he comes to confront his past with honor and courage when a lesser man would have run. The final integral character is Nora, a young lass that’s run away from her hopeless life in Ireland. Her past catches up with her just as she almost finds happiness, nearly destroying her life once again. The lives of these three characters weave their stories within the lives of police officers, co-workers, family members, neighbors, politicians, and anarchists to create a vivid portrait of so many historical events that occurred in 1919 including the mind boggling Molasses flood, the May Day riots, and ultimately culminating in the city-wide Police strike that brought the city to a grinding halt with out of control crime and riots everywhere. These three characters manage to extricate themselves from the situation pretty much intact, but the cost is high, almost too high at times. This is an epic novel, which should be of great interest to fans of historical fiction, Boston history, early NAACP history, as well as the labor movement. Although there was little sunshine in this long 700 page novel, if you can tolerate that, you will probably come away with a greater appreciation for the brilliant crafting of this famous time period in the history of Boston.

[readingrebecca · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Given Day by Dennis LehaneAll readers should have the opportunity to give one book more than the standard five stars. The Given Day would be my choice. The writing in this book is excellent and the research is obviously extensive. I would deem this to be the best book I’ve read in a long time.This is the story of Danny Coughlin, a Boston police officer, and Luther Laurence, a black man who is running from some trouble in Tulsa, Oklahoma. These are characters you will come to know and care about a great deal. The story begins in 1918 in Boston, a time of unrest with the end of the First World War and the influenza plague. Police worked long hours for very little pay in terrible conditions. The reaction to Bolsheviks and anarchists, who were labeled terrorists, is relevant to today’s world. Dennis Lehane paints a picture of racism, hatred and distrust.Mr. Lehane has worked historic people, such as Babe Ruth and Massachusetts Governor Calvin Coolidge, into the story. The stories about Babe Ruth sparked many interesting conversations as half my family are Boston Red Sox fans and the other half New York Yankee fans. I learned quite a bit of history from reading The Given Day. It is so captivating that I wanted to find corroborating material on the Internet as I was reading. For instance, I had never read about the East St. Louis race riots.This is a stay up late, can’t put down book. When it is published in September I believe that it will fast become a bestseller. I would recommend this book to anyone with an interest in history. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to read this book.

[ealaindraoi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I’m a big Lehane fan, so it really wasn’t a surprise that Early Reviewers choose me to read and review this book. I love the way Lehane writes, so this was a huge love-in for me with 700+ pages of story.Someone is bound to call it “sweeping” because it feels sweeping, but it’s not. It’s a microcosm of two men set in 1918-1919 Boston. I grew up outside of Boston 50 years after this novel was set, but I can speak to it’s authority, change came slow to New England in those days and much was still the same 50 years later.This book was a real change and gamble for Lehane, with the exception of Shutter Island (set in 1954) all of his novels have been set in a present, yet undefined, time. This gamble pays off in spades, as it is apparent even without looking at his acknowledged source material, that he’s done extensive homework. Yet his writing stays true and the turns of phase that I love are still present now regarding the beginnings of unions, baseball, anarchists, Massachusetts political twists and turns, race, love, family, particularly Irish family, and changing attitudes towards all of the above.Quote:“This country,” his father said, with one of the many smiles in his collection, this time the wry one. “Everyone thinks it’s okay to hire on for work but then sit down when that work turns out to be hard.”The primary focus is on Luther, a black man who comes to Boston on the run from Elsewhere, and Danny Coughlin and the rest of his family. The characterization is masterful, but most successful in the Irish characters. The plot moves right along with just the right amount of twists and turns. It’s an absorbing page-turner even at 700 pages.I almost completely and wholeheartedly loved this book I re-read Mystic River once a year, and now I’ll be re-reading both Mystic River and The Given Day once a year. I only have two nit picks and they’re small ones. There are people who are blessed with an ability to “read” other people with an ease that awes the rest of us, but they’re rare. You’re lucky to find one of these people in a lifetime, but there are easily 3, maybe 4 of these people in this book. It stretches the credibly a bit. Also, I could have done without the Babe Ruth bits, but I guess if you’re talking about Boston at that time, you HAVE to mention Babe Ruth. I don’t find them particularly interesting or successful and they slow the pace down a little.

[jmeisen_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“The Given Day” is a flawed but greatly enjoyable historical novel. Many of the characters, especially Luther, are fascinating, and Lehane does a good job of getting into the heads of even the most despicable characters. In these days of union decline, it is worth reminding people what conditions were like before labor organized effectively, and the author has chosen a fascinating historical even to illustrate his point. He does a fine job of depicting the horrors of the Spanish influenza epidemic and the Great Molasses Flood. Lehane is as good at evoking 1918-19 Boston as he was today’s Boston in his previous novels. Babe Ruth’s recurring appearances serve as a kind of Greek chorus.The book’s main flaw is some of the characters, particularly protagonist Danny Coughlin. Clearly the author wants us to like him, and towards that end has given him social attitudes — particularly on race — more suited to the early 21st century than the early 20th. That damages his believability as a historical character, although the raising of his consciousness about labor and his realization that he is a natural leader give him an interesting trajectory. Similarly, some of the antagonists — particularly Eddie McKenna — are too unrelievedly vile, almost cartoonishly villainous. In Luther Laurence, Lehane created a flawed but likeable character who is credible as a man of his time; it is unfortunate that not all the characters are as successfully three-dimensional.Despite these reservations, I would recommend the novel to anyone who enjoys Lehane’s work or who is interested in the history of Boston, organized labor, race relations, or baseball.

[bumpersmom · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love Dennis Lehane. I enjoyed this book, but I have some vague feelings that something was missing. This is a historical thriller about events taking place and leading up to the Boston police strike. The characters, are brought to life and each could have a book of their own, their individual stories are covered in depth, and how they come together from vastly different backgrounds. Each story has a conclusion, but after almost 700 pages of building up to that point, their endings are somewhat cut and dried and expected.....no twists or mysteries left untold. The writing is smooth, and Dennis Lehane has done it again, bringing this epic story to his readers. I was worth the wait.

[trishbrowning · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I received The Given Day by Dennis Lehane through Library Thing’s Early Reviewers. I was really excited because Dennis Lehane is the author of Mystic River, and while I didn’t read the book, I thought the movie was incredible.Last Saturday, my husband and I rented the movie Gone Baby Gone, not knowing it was based on a book by Dennis Lehane. When I realized who had written the book, I was stoked! After watching that film, I wanted to immediately go to Borders and buy every single book Mr. Lehane has ever written. Wow. I was blown away by the dialogue (you’ll see a theme with that), the storyline, the moral dilemma…everything, really.Getting back to The Given Day…this opens in late 1918 with a scene featuring Babe Ruth stumbling upon a group of “coloreds” playing baseball. Amazed by their abilities, he stops to watch and is soon joined by other teammates who challenge these black men to a game. When it becomes clear that the black men will beat the professional baseball players, Ruth’s teammates start cheating, intentionally calling a runner safe when he was clearly out. This game is indicative of the rest of the story…rules can be changed on the whim of one person, depending on who has the power.I don’t even know how I’m going to tell you about this book. There is SO MUCH going on, and yet it’s easy to keep everything straight. I have NO IDEA how the author pulled this off, and even though the Cast of Characters is listed at the beginning of the book (’cause there’s a buttload of peeps in this book), I only had to reference it once. Because The Dude is THAT GOOD at telling a story.SO, there’s this guy, Danny Coughlin, and he’s a copper with the Boston Police Department. The poor cops haven’t had a raise since 1903…it’s now 1918, and the year before saw 76% inflation. Cops were below poverty level and protecting this lame town that won’t even pay cops enough to feed their kids. And Danny…oh, Danny. He fell in love with Nora, who is Danny’s parents servant (for lack of a better word), but when he found out she still had a husband back in Ireland, he dropped her like a hot potato, ’cause being with a married woman isn’t respectable. It’s slightly more complicated and Danny’s kind of a doofus to dump her without hearing her out but oh well the damage is done. In the meantime, Danny’s attending all these meetings, some for anarchists that the police are trying to infiltrate, some for the coppers who are thinking of forming a union and he gets all caught up with the union bidness…his life is crazy complicated.And that’s only part of the story!Then there’s this other guy, Luther, who has a wife that’s preggers and he’s not really into THAT ’cause he’s young and dumb and still wants to have fun, and he has a friend who’s REALLY dumb and gets involved in drugs and owes this big guy lots of money and eventually this big guy comes to collect…and there’s lots of blood spilled and it ain’t pretty. Luther goes home and tells his wife and she tells him to get the hell out, which he does, and ends up in Boston. In Boston, his path intersects with Danny’s ’cause he works for Danny’s parents.SO, in amongst all this is: the Spanish Influenza pandemic, corrupt people from very high up to regular ol’ Joes, nice decent people, Babe Ruth’s story, and real history about the Boston Police Department strike.What kicked ass about this novel? The dialogue. The freaking dialogue. I don’t know if Dennis Lehane records himself talking or what, but he makes his dialogue so real, so gritty, that I would just like to know how he does it.And the story! Oh, the story, in it’s amazing complicatedness, is so easy to follow and so packed. Dennis Lehane gives John Steinbeck a run for his money.And yet there’s so much to talk about: the strike, human nature, right and wrong. What can I say other than: LOVED IT LOVED IT LOVED IT.

[aplomb1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dennis Lehane knows how to tell a gripping story, and his talents are on full display in The Given Day – it’s 720 pages of unbroken, wildly swerving plotting that’s loads of fun to navigate. His chronicle of the 1919 Boston Police Strike is constantly interesting and as immersive as the best historical novels. In addition, he writes confidently in the various voices of the early 20th century, from the black man’s to the Irish police family’s, not to mention Babe Ruth’s. I haven’t come across more believable dialogue in any other novel (that doesn’t have “Cormac McCarthy” on the cover).But while The Given Day is fun and fascinating, it doesn’t offer much beyond the plot. The protagonist, Boston policeman Danny Coughlin, is the kind of stock conflicted hero who can never arouse much empathy in the reader. And while the events leading up to the strike and the strike itself are interesting, the story seems to transcend the mundane and become memorable at only one point—a scene of children flying kites from rooftops during the devastating Spanish flu epidemic. The rest is forgettable brawls and bombings. Which brings up another criticism—for all his skill at plotting and dialogue, his descriptive prose sucks. He simply doesn’t have the capacity for the kind of focused, hyperreal language that a book with this much action demands. Too often I was left out of seemingly exciting scenes by their clumsy execution.None of this is to say The Given Day is a bad book, because it’s one of the better I’ve read in a while. But for all the nights it kept me up burning through its meaty length, the flaws stick out to me now more than the strengths, and it hasn’t grown in my mind the way really brilliant novels do.

[etrainer_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

After I saw the movie Mystic River I read everything I could find by Dennis Lehane (Well, except for Mystic River itself - I already knew what was gong to happen). Shutter Island wasn't my favorite, but the Kenzie and Gennaro novels were terrific. The stories were compelling and I turned the pages to see how Patrick and Angie would solve the mysteries and untangle the plots.The Given Day is a historical novel set in Boston prior to and during the Boston Police Strike of 1919. It is a story of two families of the time, with curious appearances by Babe Ruth throughout the novel, on the periphery of the action. I found this distracting, since I could not understand the relevance of Ruth to Lehane's story.Danny Coughlin, a Boston cop from a powerful family, and Luther Laurence, a black man fleeing the law, move the plot forward towards the Police Strike. Their independent struggles and connections with each other make an interesting story. I learned about a historical period and event that I know little about. But ultimately I was disappointed. I want Lehane to supply mysteries and solutions, preferably by Kenzie and Gennaro.

[mdexter_12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first historical novel by Dennis Lehane and it is grand. Set in early 20th century Boston, the novel traces events leading up to the Boston Police Strike of 1919. More than that, though, the book encompasses the time, detailing issues of race, the early labor movement, the influenza epidemic, and Bolshevism. The story revolves around two main characters, Danny Coughlin, son of a high-ranking police official and brother to a district attorney, and Luther Laurence, a black man on the run from a justifiable murder in Tulsa. Danny's undercover work with the labor unions and Bolsheviks influences him to become a leader in the efforts to unionize the police. Meanwhile, Luther finds his way in Boston while working for Danny's family and ultimately serves as Danny's guardian angel while avenging his own past. At 700 pages, the book is heavily plotted and detailed. At times it seems that Lehane has bitten off more than he can chew -- with so many details of the period some seem artificially woven into the plot. But he manages to keep the plot moving and the threads come together for the most part. Lehane's gift, more than character development and plot, is dialogue. No matter the setting of the scene, his dialogue is flawless and realistic, making the book a real page-turner.Lehane's most interesting period piece in the book is the interludes featuring Babe Ruth who played for the Boston Red Sox at the time of the police strike. The opening vignette with Babe Ruth in a pickup game of baseball with a group of black ballplayers could stand alone as a classic baseball short story.Overall the book is a tour-de-force for Lehane and one that establishes him as a foremost American author. Highly recommended.

[myckyee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It’s 1917 and Babe Ruth is 24 years old when his train, on its way to his next game, is delayed by mechanical problems. He disembarks and finds a pick-up game of baseball and this begins the story of Luther Laurence and Danny Coughlin, as well as their respective families and friends - not to mention enemies. The story weaves back and forth between Luther and Danny until their stories mesh seamlessly. The author’s detailed description of the times and the atmosphere conveyed rings true, and a cursory search of the internet will reveal to the reader that minor characters really did exist and major events depicted actually did take place. Throughout the novel, Babe Ruth makes several seemingly gratuitous appearances - he doesn’t have much to do with the plot – but it’s interesting to see the sometimes chaotic history though the eyes of a character not personally involved.Dennis Lehane’s A Given Day is an excellent story – one of those contradictory novels that both compels you and makes you almost afraid to turn the page to find out what happens next. I was delighted and fortunate to receive such a great book as an ARC.

[pstotts_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A great historical novel not only should maintain a verisimilitude to the era it is set in, but craft a greater story that transcends its setting, making social and political observations that are utterly relevant to the current world. It is a story that instructs by unfolding the mistakes of the past and laying them out in front of us. It is history as a teacher and social critic. Following this criteria, Dennis Lehane’s new novel “The Given Day” is undeniably great, since it is a reflection on the past that also speaks quite loudly about the social and political events of the current day. In fact, “The Given Day” is an astute political and social commentary, which is not surprising considering Lehane has spent the last few years writing for the brilliant HBO show, “The Wire”. Just as “The Wire” shined a light on the political and social implications of the inner city drug trade in Baltimore, “The Given Day” focuses on these same implications in the immigrant communities of Boston in 1918-1919. Terrorism in the Boston immigrant community has a foremost role in the novel, and it is in these parts that most readers will most readily grasp the similarities to current American events. Furthermore, other issues tackled in the novel like racism, class division and exploitation of labour are still pertinent to the American social structure.Danny Coughlin is a patrolman in the Boston Police Department. He comes from a well-respected family where his father is the powerful and tough Police Captain Tommy Coughlin, a self-made man and survivor. Various immigrant groups in the Boston community are organizing at the time, spouting rhetoric that runs from unionism to progressivism to communism. Eventually, Danny finds himself involved against his families’ wishes in the Boston Social Club, a group of Boston police, who are striving to unionize. Danny must overcome harsh political resistance to the Boston Social Club’s newfound activism, treachery and estrangement from his family and the woman he loves, Nora. Luther Lawrence is an incredibly gifted baseball player, a man that leaves Babe Ruth, who stumbles across Luther playing, stunned by his athletic prowess. But Luther is a black man, and not only baseball, but the world, is still a white man’s game. Luther is starting to build a life in Tulsa with his pregnant wife, Lila, when an unexpected confrontation forces him to flee Tulsa, leaving behind Lila and his unborn child. He eventually finds his way to Boston where Isaiah and Yvette Giddreaux take him in. Isaiah Giddreaux also gets Luther a job as a houseman for the Coughlin family. While working for the Coughlins, Luther befriends both Nora and Danny, who are instrumental in helping him navigate the racism and violence he encounters in Boston.Lehane has written a powerhouse of a novel, vast and Dickensian in scope and filled with intelligent social commentary without any cloying melodrama. The pace is astonishingly brisk which makes the novel a real page-turner, which is quite a surprise considering “The Given Day” clocks in at around 700 pages. The main characters have tremendous depth, evolving beautifully along with the story. They sincerely breathe, filled with life and ambition, doubt and deceit, love and hate. I cared about the plights of Danny, Nora and Luther and their seemingly futile struggle against an unfair world.Last Word:“The Given Day” is an incredible achievement, an immensely engaging, brilliant and entertaining novel infused with a well-crafted historical milieu, an astute world-view, radiant and believable characters and tight plotting. The social and political aspects of the story will reverberate with today’s reader, provoking further thought and awareness of American society. It is one of the very best novels of 2008.

[rglossne · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Boston near the end of the First World War is the setting for this richly layered novel of two families. The Coughlins are Irish, deeply embedded in the police and political structure of the city. Luther is black, running away from a crime committed in the Midwest, working for the nascent NAACP in Boston. Baseball, anarchists, immigrants, Brahmins, all form a part of this satisfying historical novel, the first of the Coughlin Trilogy.

[abycats_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Another of the novels tracing family members thru eras of history. Better than most in conveying the spirit of the times, but -- despite being a fast reader -- I found the switches in perspective often cut stories short just when they were becoming compelling. Makes it very difficult to maintain continuous interest. Bought all three volumes in anticipation and now wonder how I'll get thru.

Compare this to another recent release by Lehane, "The Drop," which didn't contain an extra word and was made into a terse but unnoticed wonderful movie with Tom Hardy and James Gandolfini. Concerned that Lehane is becoming generic after being unique and incredibly atmospheric in early novels like the Kenzies-Gennaro series, Mystic River, and Gone Baby Gone.