Atomic Candy

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Burke's debut ``pops and fizzes, but overdoses on confection,'' wrote PW . ``Breezy, jazzy, joke-packed, this novel, which opens a window on blue-collar Boston Irish, could have been a delight--but, padded with repetition and cliche, trivializes recent history and human experience.'' (June)

Library Journal

The time is September 1952, the place Boston. Kate Albion, tireless Irish politico and foremost champion of JFK, is thrown into such a state by Nixon's Checkers speech that she prematurely gives birth. Husband Joe, having recently served as Marilyn Monroe's Marine honor guard, is so smitten with the blonde bombshell that he insists on naming their baby daughter for her. Kate consents, provided that Joe agrees to run for office. Aided by this eccentric duo, and the novel's cast of colorful characters, little Marilyn grows up to fulfill her destiny as an actor in Nixon's downfall. Interspersed with quotes from political speeches, contemporary songs, and the Nixon impeachment hearings, Burke's first novel is a rich and zany tale that admirably re-creates the pre-Watergate era and conveys a wacky nostalgia for our turbulent past. Humorous and engaging.-- Kimberly G. Allen, Georgetown Univ. Law Lib., Washington, D.C