Rating: 
Summary: Great story...compelling and rich in family history.
Review: From the first chapter, I was hooked. A baby is left on Thomas Mann's doorstep in a basket with only a note saying "Eddie's Bastard". Thomas is overjoyed to have another Mann to raise, as Eddie died in VietNam. He named the infant William, after his great great grandfather. We follow William, or Billy from the time he is a child to his inaguration into manhood at age 18. Billy's grandfather passes on the Mann family history and rich stories of their ancestors and I found each one interesting and kept me turning the pages. Their house had ghosts and I actually felt as if I was part of the Mann family while reading this story. There are plenty of ups and downs in Billy's childhood, and through it all, he is postive and learning what it is to be born of the Mann's. With an unknown mother and a dead father, he comes to accept yet yearn to know more, especially about his mother. It surprises me that this novel has not become a bestseller, because there is bloodshed, ghosts, family secrets, tragedy, sex and lots of family history. A great story worthy of 5 stars and I look forward to reading Kowalski's sequel to continue following the life of Billy Mann.
Rating:
Summary: Story-telling at its best!
Review: The unabridged audio production is a wonderful listening/reading experience. Do not bother trying to distinguish which is the predominant contribution, the author's enthralling story line and characters or the brilliant performance that makes these characters personal acquaintances. The book entertains while providing poignant insights into the human condition. The language brings vivid scenes and characters to life. A satisfying literary journey, whether you listen during your commutes to work or settle into your favorite reading chair. Enjoy this and then do your friends a favor by recommending it to them.
Rating:
Summary: Engrossing and wonderful
Review: I picked this up as a remainder at a used bookstore and I don't understand why it hasn't gotten more press. It was a wonderful story. It reminded me of a good Oprah's book club selection. I loved the characters and wanted to find out what was going to happen next. I wanted to eat a fried baloney sandwich with them. It's sometimes hard to like novels when bad things happen to characters that you like, but this had a good balance between bad things and good things. I also liked the way that it wrapped up in the end.
Rating:
Summary: My first Kowalski experience...and I'm a fan
Review: "Eddie's Bastard" was the first audio book my husband or I ever listened to. It made a very long drive VERY enjoyable. It is rare that we like the same stories, but "Eddie's Bastard" is very much like real life and hard not to like. It was sometimes funny, sometimes ironic, sometimes sad. As a life long resident of Western Pennsylvania, I found his depiction of life in the rural parts of this state extremely accurate and believable. The story puts me in mind of "The Green Mile" and "The Shawshank Redemption" for reasons I can't articulate, it's in the overall feel of the story. The ending was not what I predicted at all, it was not the contrived "and they all lived happily ever after." It was a mature ending even though the character is still quite young. We would definately read or listen to more Kowalski stories in the future!
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