Tammany-style politics take a bow as an old-school politician in an unnamed city makes one last run for office.
My thoughts
The book is supposedly based on James Michael Curley, a mayor/governor/representative from Boston. There are some statues of him around here somewhere, but I don't know much about him other than that he was still hanging around at the beginning of the Kennedy era (around the same time this book was written). This way of governing is long dead now, but O'Connor brings it vividly to life.
It was incredibly interesting to read this book in a presidential election year. Frank Skeffington would be considered corrupt by any standard today, but his brand of politics emphasizes the human connection between citizens and the politicians they elect - something that's entirely missing from any election today. It's a testament to O'Connor's skill as a writer that he makes you view Skeffington as a champion of the underdog instead of a corrupt politician.
There's one passage that illustrates this perfectly - with a few requests and a bit of persuasive rhetoric (read: threats), Skeffington arranges for one man's wake to be well-attended and his widow taken care of financially.
I didn't think there'd be any question about who would win the race (the hero, of course), but O'Connor manages to inject some suspense into the story. I didn't realize how invested I was in the story until I started to care about Skeffington's political fate. Skeffington is quite a character - engaging, boisterous, charming, decisive, just.
Bottom line
A must-read for anyone who's interested in politics. Probably boring as hell for anyone else. There's a movie, too.
Fine print
The Last Hurrah, by Edwin O'Connor
Genre: fiction
Photo from Goodreads
I borrowed this book from the library
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