I’ve just finished reading The Edge of Sadness by Edwin O’Connor. I got interested in this because it’s one of the Loyola Classics books: a series of reprints of great Catholic literature. Many of the titles are intriguing, and I’d like to read several of these.

While the book was hardly upbeat (hence the title) it was a wonderful read. O’Connor is an excellent writer and, while the book was fiction, it did not fail to present good food for thought. Maybe that’s what makes it such a good book.

Originally published in 1961, the story and characters still have parallels today–to the point where I didn’t feel I was reading some old, outdated novel. I didn’t have to think about the time in which this book was written; I was just carried along by the story line, the fantastic descriptions, and the characters.

I think somewhere I have another book by the same author: The Last Hurrah. I haven’t ever read it, but O’Connor’s writing inspires me to read more.