Collected here in one volume is James T. Farrell's renowned trilogy of the youth, early manhood, and death of Studs Lonigan: Young Lonigan, The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan, and Judgment Day. In this relentlessly naturalistic portrait, Studs starts out his life full of vigor and ambition, qualities that are crushed by the Chicago youth's limited social and economic environment. Studs's swaggering and vicious comrades, his narrow family, and his educational and religious background lead him to a life of futile dissipation.
Ann Douglas provides an illuminating introductory essay to Farrell's masterpiece, one of the greatest novels of American literature.
With an introduction by Ann Douglas.

Customer Reviews:

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0

The American Dreamer:

This book is sublime. The blurb on the cover said that the trilogy has a cumulative effect, so I waited until I had a stretch of free time to read all 874 pages and can confirm this assertion.
Lonigans life is charted from 1916 to 1931. He's a smart kid,looking for a niche in the City where he lives. He's stuck in the middle of wanting to be a hard guy to gain the admiration of the neighbourhood and his asthetism;love of beauty and the church. The two are an impossible mixture for Studs to... more info

a great potrayal of Chicago's South Side:

(i'm 13 and Irish)Studs Lonigan is a great book which potrays Chicago back in the days when all the tough neighbourhoods were White and te blacks were beginning 2 invade. Studs is born into an Irish-Catholic working class family with a mother and father who want the best for him. his father wants him 2 grow up 2 be better than he did and wants him 2 work hard, his mom wants him 2 be in Priesthood. Studs doesn't want either of those things. he is young and foolish ii guess and wants 2 do his own thing which... more info

When a Lot Amounts to Very Little....:

I spent about a month and a half slogging my way through James T. Farrell's magnum opus, and the most pressing question I was left with after finishing was this: What in the world did Farrell find interesting enough about this protagonist to warrant an entire trilogy devoted to him?
Studs Lonigan is born into a fairly well-to-do Irish Catholic family in Chicago and spends the majority of his formative years trying to convince himself that he's the toughest kid on the block and will amount to something... more info

Character Development at its Finest:

If you are looking for a plot driven story, then this may not satisfy. However, if you do not approach the story with the same kind of expectations you might bring to a work of popular fiction, Farrell maintains a high level of interest. I believe Studs Lonigan is one of the most developed characters in twentieth century American fiction. I am especially impressed that this depiction comes across so strongly without the aid of contrived catastrophes that land on the character from out of the blue. Although... more info

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