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Robert Sullivan
Robert Sullivan has written several books on his own and dozens in his day job as Managing Editor of LIFE Books. The late Frank McCourt once said that reading Sullivan was "like sitting by the fire with a lively and scholarly seanchie, as satisfying as a pint of Guinness or a Connemara sunset."... show more

Robert Sullivan has written several books on his own and dozens in his day job as Managing Editor of LIFE Books. The late Frank McCourt once said that reading Sullivan was "like sitting by the fire with a lively and scholarly seanchie, as satisfying as a pint of Guinness or a Connemara sunset." Thomas Keneally called Sullivan "a writer of great charm." His books include a baseball memoir and a golf collection, but closest to his heart are three collaborations with the artist Glenn Wolff: Atlantis Rising, Flight of the Reindeer and the soon-to-be-published A Child's Christmas in New England. Publishers Weekly, in a starred review, called Flight of the Reindeer "a charming new Christmas classic," and the book became a TV movie, The Christmas Secret, in which Beau Bridges played Santa and Richard Thomas was, well, the Sullivan character. It was perhaps inevitable that Sullivan and Wolff would approach Christmas again, and this time it is with a memoir of life north of Boston in 1950s and '60s. Some folks have already said nice things about A Child's Christmas in New England:* "The childhood memories that the father tells his daughter in this warm and wonderful book can't help but bring back similar memories for other parents-- memories they, too, will be inspired to share with their own children." --Daniel Okrent, author of Last Call and The Way We Were: New England Then, New England Now* "Master collaborators Robert Sullivan and Glenn Wolff have done it again! This time, they breathe inspired life into the ghosts of Christmas past, capturing the good old days when Christmas was always white, the snow really was waist-high, the turkey was perfectly cooked, the tinsel shimmered on a towering tree, and the sledding runs went on forever. When I reached The End, I felt that same empty-full-happy-sad feeling that used to wash over me after the last present under the tree had been unwrapped and I'd begin counting the days till Christmas came again." --George Howe Colt, author of The Big House and Brothers* "Who could have guessed that Christmas memories from the epoch of paisley couches, of young boys with paper routes, of wall phones that ring only in the event of an emergency, of multicolored plastic toothpicks on holiday hors d'oeuvres plates, of a kid designated as "Husky" rather than as obese, of Erector sets and Christmas tree tinsel, and of the guarantee of snow in December--could be so charmingly told, so magically illustrated, as if arising from a village in a folk-tale? Wistful, gentle, and surprising, this sweet book is like a gift-box of holiday peppermints, filling a room with merriment and sparkle." --Melissa Fay Greene, author of Praying for Sheetrock and No Biking in the House Without a HelmetSullivan no longer lives in Massachusetts but in Westchester County, New York, with with his wife, three children and a psychotic Springer Spaniel.
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Community Reviews
Peace, Love & Books
Peace, Love & Books rated it 12 years ago
This is not my favorite of Sullivan's books but if you enjoy his typically personal, idiosyncratic, and frequently humorous approach to history, you find this book interesting and entertaining. I grew up in New Jersey so I particularly enjoyed reading about the places Sullivan visits with which I'm ...
guiltlessreader
guiltlessreader rated it 13 years ago
Full review here:Rats, yes, I am writing about a book about RATS!The book in one sentence: A man observes rats in a obscure alley in New York ... for fun!My thoughts: I first mentioned this book in a Friday 56 way back in October 2011. I read this over several months and I wanted to write about this...
Uncertain, Fugitive, Half-fabulous
Uncertain, Fugitive, Half-fabulous rated it 13 years ago
"If they are not eating, then rats are usually having sex."Shudder.This is a great book. I haven't read much in the way of popular science books, but Rats was immensely enjoyable. Weaving in and out of discussions about the behaviors and history of rats to move into bits about the strange people who...
Peace, Love & Books
Peace, Love & Books rated it 15 years ago
I didn't always agree with Sullivan but I thoroughly enjoyed his approach.
NinthWanderer
NinthWanderer rated it 15 years ago
Fascinating account of a trip into a ruined New Jersey wilderness. Sullivan manages to find beauty in the sludge.
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