Flesh And Blood

In Flesh and Blood, Michael Cunningham takes us on a masterful journey

through four generations of the Stassos family as he examines the dynamics of

a family struggling to "come of age" in the 20th century.

In 1950, Constantine Stassos, a Greek immigrant laborer, marries Mary Cuccio, an

Italian-American girl, and together they produce three children: Susan, an ambitious

beauty, Billy, a brilliant homosexual, and Zoe, a wild child. Over the years, a web of

tangled longings, love, inadequacies and unfulfilled dreams unfolds as Mary and

Constantine's marriage fails and Susan, Billy, and Zoe leave to make families of

their own. Zoe raises a child with the help of a transvestite, Billy makes a life

with another man, and Susan raises a son conceived in secret, each extending

the meaning of family and love. With the power of a Greek tragedy, the story

builds to a heartbreaking crescendo, allowing a glimpse into contemporary life

which will echo in one's heart for years to come.