Let the Great World Spin

I just finished "Let the Great World Spin" by Colin McCann last night.  I thought it was a great book; I was thoroughly engrossed by all the stories and characters.  I really enjoy reading books written this way: seemingly disparate characters and stories that all come together at the end.  The book slowly unravels and you don't know how it is all going to make sense and come together until the very end, and there is a certain satisfaction in reaching that ending.  It definitely keeps your attention; it makes you want to keep reading.  The book is set in the mid-1970's in NYC and revolves around many different characters in the different boroughs in different socioeconomic classes who are all somehow linked to this one event where a man walks a tightrope across the World Trade Centers.  Of course it brought me back to all the emotions of 9/11, even though it took place in a different time.  The book manages to evoke all sort of intense feelings: sadness, pity, discomfort, hopelessness, and even optimism.  It's not an easy read, given some of the darker themes, but I found it thought-provoking, moving and rewarding when it was all over.