Word: dan
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...continent of North America in January, 1889. His parents, penniless immigrants, were traveling to San Francisco, where the Atchison Railroad had promised his father a decent wage and a decent living. But while the railroad's promise proved hollow, the lie did not deter the father's son. Dan Lavette was too tough. By the time America's economic bubble burst in 1929, Lavette had dreamed, bluffed and borrowed his way to the top of a sprawling financial empire. He commanded ocean liners and airlines. He had married one of the most beautiful women in San Francisco, the daughter...
...ending of The Immigrants is unexpectedly peaceful and happy after the turbulent and troubled tale Fast spins through most of the 389 pages. Almost any other author would have left Dan Lavette dead, his stomach perforated with ulcers. But Fast leaves him tanned, muscular and poor, smelling of fish and brine, married at last to the Chinese lover he would not wed before. One can almost see Fast the grinning Zen Buddhist, sitting in his solar-heated home, tying off the novel with a quote from Lao Tzu about the wisdom of stepping off the merry-go-round of ambition...
...Immigrants is also different from other '20s novels in that it goes beyond the roaring decade to place the era in the stream of human history. And The Immigrants extends beyond the story of Dan Lavette: he is just the character who gives the story its driving force, just as booming industry pushed America through the '20s. Fast creates many rich, three-dimensional personalities in his book--the powerful bankers, the fishermen, the couple who decide to leave the city to operate a vineyard, the girl who leaves for Hollywood in search of stardom, the man who swindles...
...giving the book a scope beyond the story of Dan Lavette, Fast creates something more than another tale of how the American Dream went sour. He imparts a feeling for the rich variety of life that was swirling in America while the Gross National Product expanded. Fast is, above all, a splendid storyteller, a chef whose recipe is a rich blend of human incident and emotion. And he has an ample stock of ingredients...
...History 1144 notebook belonging to Jane Roy disappeared mysteriously from in front of Longfellow Hall yesterday. Anyone in possession of the notebook is urged to call Dan...