Carroll O'Connor Books

I really enjoyed this book, the first detective novel I've felt like that about in a while.
A really well thought out story, with a killer who we are aware of from the first page. Crowan Frayne is not just a killer, he's an intellectual killer with a warped mind. He has an obsession with the poetry of John Donne (around in the 15 and 1600's). He seems to want to be found as he calls upon an expert, Dr Stussman, in Donne's poetry who works at the university to explain 'things' to the police...(and for those out there who aren't 'into poetry' believe it or not it's fascinating how the poetry reads and is explained by Dr Stussman) HOWEVER there is more to his game than that!

This is Ed O'Conner's first novel (I shall be looking up further ones) and he's succesfully managed to make the characters seem very human, even the killer! The main story of the hideous murders he carries out (and eyes he removes) runs simultanously with the Chief Decective on the case's marriage crumbling...and him tipping nearer and nearer the edge.

A captivating read.

I really enjoyed this book, the first detective novel I've felt like that about in a while.
A really well thought out story, with a killer who we are aware of from the first page. Crowan Frayne is not just a killer, he's an intellectual killer with a warped mind. He has an obsession with the poetry of John Donne (around in the 15 and 1600's). He seems to want to be found as he calls upon an expert, Dr Stussman, in Donne's poetry who works at the university to explain 'things' to the police...(and for those out there who aren't 'into poetry' believe it or not it's fascinating how the poetry reads and is explained by Dr Stussman) HOWEVER there is more to his game than that!

This is Ed O'Conner's first novel (I shall be looking up further ones) and he's succesfully managed to make the characters seem very human, even the killer! The main story of the hideous murders he carries out (and eyes he removes) runs simultanously with the Chief Decective on the case's marriage crumbling...and him tipping nearer and nearer the edge.

A captivating read.

Not my usual genre (serial murders are too creepy for me), but I had heard promising things of this new author and thought I'd give it a chance. It was absolutely worth the read. I found O'Connor's writing style to be very original, and quite poetic itself with some really beautiful (and eery) imagery in places.

Several quite fascinating plots make up this remarkable debut by British author, Ed O'Connor. The first concerns a serial killer who has an obsession with the poet John Donne. He uses his poetry as the basis for murder. For some reason, he removes the left eye of his victims and keeps it while leaving a quote from Donne's poetry in blood on the wall. It is up to the local police including Inspector John Underwood to solve the crime before the killer strikes again. Aiding in their investigation is Donne scholar, Heather Stussman who is contacted, not only by the police, but, the killer as well.
Inspector Underwood, however, must deal with his own private hell. His wife of eighteen years is having an affair and it appears his marriage is near the end. His personal life is interfering with his professional life to the extent that he is placing his wife's lover on his list of possible suspects as the killer.
Ed O'Connor displays a remarkable ability, in his first novel, of balancing strong sympathetic characters with a plot that truly makes the reader want to turn the next page. It is not only a gruesome serial killer novel but an intellectual one, as well. Consider it a combination of Thomas Harris (who writes the quintessential serial killer novel with the Hannibal Lecter books) , Ian Rankin (with his depth of characters and balancing several plots) and Reginald Hill (with the academic logic in the killings). There are few weaknesses in this work. Perhaps, it is a bit too gruesome. Perhaps it is a bit too long. However, the whole justifies the means. This is a strong recommendation. Warning: not for the faint of heart.

I was hooked on "The Yeare's Midnight" before I had read a word. The idea that a contemporary thriller would share top billing with metaphysical poet and Dean of St. Paul's, John Donne (1572-1631) is a haughty premise I could not resist.

Mr. O'Connor delivered and then some. This highly original story provides seemingly ordinary characters with traits that send them into an orbit that can only be called bizarre. Our chief detective, John Underwood, is overworked, underpaid, and his marriage is disintegrating. Sound familiar? Not quite. John becomes so overwhelmed with his wife's leave-taking, he disintegrates before our eyes. While detecting, he becomes carried away by fantasies of revenge and mayhem. For one, I become highly nervous when serial killers are running about, and our protagonist has a complete mental and physical breakdown. When John is taken out of the picture, we are left to the mercies of his second in command Det. Sgt. Alison Dexter, an ambitious lady who has worked hard to come up in the ranks. Again, a familiar character in crime fiction except DS Dexter is so ambitious, she plots and connives against all who might take a shred of credit from her. Her assistants despise her in spite of her cleverness and bravery.

The strange killer who removes the left eye of his victims also leaves scraps of poetry written in blood at the scene of the crime. The killer clearly means this poetry to serve as a clue to his motive. He notifies a medieval expert at nearby Cambridge in case the obscurity is too much for the local police. Enter a rather annoying gorgeous lady who is a Donne expert. Many people (self included) enjoy Donne's poetry because it brawny, frank and robust. This is the man who gave us such lines as:

"Busy old fool, unruly Sun
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains call on
us?"

and "For God sake hold your tongue, and let me love."

In the author's hands, the "conceits" and kernels of Donne's love poems are so convoluted and ephemeral, I was lost. I had to have the professor who I didn't like very well lead me by the hand to all the clever conclusions.

However, the pace is good and the trip worthwhile if a little abrupt at the conclusion. I look forward to more books by the clever Mr. O'Connor.

Bravo Shriley!!!!
This is Patty -- Rosemary Wright's daughter. I know Mom is smiling Shriley. I have a picture of you and Mom sitting behind me at my wedding. email me Love you, Patty

"Life is a Circus" was one of the most refreshing true stories that I have ever read! It took me back in time to my first visit to the circus and years later when I took my children to the BIG TOP! I can hardly wait to take my grandchildren.

Who ever wrote the inside cover of this delightful book was 100% right in stating, "When you turn the last page of "Life is a Circus", you will feel as if you have laughed and shared memories with a "new best friend" My only complaint was I read the book in an evening and wanted to read more!

Shirley O'Connor's first book,"Life is a Circus" is undeniably a three-ring circus of her charmingly warm and humorous experiences with the "Greatest show on Earth". Most of us only dream of running away to join the circus,Ms. O'Connor had the circus practically run away to join her! She shares with us her amusing trials and insights in living side by side with the circus community: the clowns,the side show artists,the aerialists and trapeze performers and,with myriad laughter,the animals. Ms. O'Connor's delightfully true story of herself as a young bride sharing her honeymoon with a leopard nervously roaming the back seat of the bride and groom's jalopy will leave you wondering what other outragous adventures lie ahead for these newlyweds;she doesn't let us down! With her circus experiences Ms. O'Connor gained some of the valuable lessons that brought her to a future as a pioneer in a then untried field of women in commercial public relations. One has to marvel at the approaches she must have used during that neoteric time. Every enjoyable page of "Life is a circus" is filled with a delicious freshness of 'feel good' experiences that will leave you wishing that you,too could run away with the circus,no matter what age you may be. So grab a bag of peanuts and snag a front row seat in your own private Big Top with Shirley O'Connor's "Life is a circus".

I really enjoyed "Life is a Circus" by Shirley Carroll O'Connor. It is a warm humorous love story and a first hand insight into what it was like being part of circus life in a bygone era. Shirley writes about of being a newly wed on a Circus train, learning the ropes and class system of Circus life, living on the road and about the friends the bride made among the performers and side show acts. What better training for a woman who later became one of Hollywood's top Press Agents than sharing your life (and car) with wild and dangerous animals. O'Connor's perspectives and insights into the Circus culture can be appreciated by circus fans or anyone who likes a good autobiographical story. Her idea of a bad day was when she (literally) lost a heard of elephants in downtown Hollywood. I found myself smiling and laughing my way through this book. Buy, borrow, or check this book out of the library, it is a great read.

It tells the whole story thru the eyes of Carroll O'Connor!
It is a wonderful book to get lost in.
I started out a fan of All in the Family and ended a fan of O'Connor!!

For those looking for a page by page account of O'Connor's groudbreaking work as Archie, this book will not quench your thrist. However, if you are looking for an erudite and honest memior on Carroll O'Connor the man this is book is a must. Carroll writes in a scholastic yet tangible style that captures your interest in the things beyond Archie. I would dare say this book is a must have for any actor or actress as it details the world of the golden stage on or off camera through the eyes of the actor. Sometimes O'Connor was frusturated with the souless monguls at the network or the ticket pandering stage producer, yet he always stands for what matters most to the actor and audience, the final product. Any skilled or novice actor/actress will gain insight into the journey of the stage. When you finish this work you will quickly learn and hopefully absorb the passion O'Connor had for not only his work but for his desire to aid humanity as a often quiet and sometimes not so quiet reformer. We need more like him.

I'm a huge fan of that show, and believe O'Connor's long portrayal of Archie is the greatest and most groundbreaking acting performance in television history. So the fact that he offers almost no insight into that work in this memoir is a major letdown.
Still, he had a fascinating life and this is a very good read, even though he certainly doesn't always come off as a likeable or tolerant fellow. He has deep, strident beliefs, little affection for those who differ, and he bluntly tells us so.

The final chapter about his beloved son's descent into addiction, madness, and suicide, and a father's inability to stop it, is truly wrenching. That could have been a book by itself.

I'm not going to say much here; Only that this book may be the least interesting autobiography I have ever read. You know Carrol from "All In The Family" moreso than any other role he has portayed, yet he avoids discussing his tenure on that ground-breaking show from the 70's, instead telling us many things about his early history.
It appears he may feel the show overshadowed everything else he did, so to answer that, left it out of his book.
I was disappointed reading it and would not recommend the book to anyone.

I love Archie Bunker and still consider him one of the best TV characters ever created. But I do not like Carroll O'Connor. I THINK I'M OUTTA HERE is a convoluted, self-centered work showing O'Connor to have been a man oblivious to the world around him. This book is dreadful. His belligerence likely sent his editor into hiding, for what else could explain why O'Connor was allowed his digressions into Irish history and his ridiculous footnotes about nothing? At one point, he tells of the "Divil" on his shoulder (with a footnote explaining how the "Divil" is another form of the "Devil") who speaks with an Irish accent, and how this Divil helped steer him through life.

I'm sure that O'Connor worked very hard to get where he did, to get the roles he did. But he makes it seem as if he deserved everything: he was born to his roles, and everyone in Hollywood thought so, too. I'd admire the man more if he told us how hard he did work to become a star. I'd enjoy hearing more about his friends in entertainment, and what he thought of working with Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers.

O'Connor follows the path of others who are known for doing one great thing and then write about it: he skirts around his most important accomplishment. He tells us how brilliant he was when he recreated Norman Lear's Archie Bunker, about how great Jean Stapleton was as Edith (no argument there), but then says something like "Those of you looking for a rehashing of what happened during the production of that show won't find it here," then jumps to his life post-cancellation of the show. Nothing new here.

The final chapter of this book is pitiful, but also made me pity Carroll O'Connor, which I'm sure would have angered the man greatly. His son, Hugh, succumbed to his drug habit, committing suicide after O'Connor attempted numerous interventions with his family at his side. It wasn't enough. Only in this final chapter do we see O'Connor as just another person -- vulnerable, powerless to control the lives of others -- a real man. It's sad that he could not have broken free of the reins of pretentiousness and told us his whole story with such emotion.

If you're a fan of All in the Family, steer clear. If you're a fan of Carroll O'Connor, rent some of his movies, watch episodes of All in the Family and In the Heat of the Night, then turn off your TV. This book does him no justice.