Lisa
Well.... If you like using cats as a self defense method when you get in close contact fights on your yacht, dead bodies in the trunks of cars, snorting cocaine and smoking weed, coffee, men who love their doggies so so much, Los Angeles, endearing amputee drug addicts, twisty plots, long lost loves, floating brothels, nefarious intentions, gluttons for punishment, guns, bribery, revenge, forgiveness and codependency this novel is for you!
Chuck Chuck Palahniuk meets Dashiell Hammett? Perhaps.
Received this book in Goodreads book giveaway. Thanks!
The premise was interesting, but for all the research into Indian boarding schools the author talks about in his notes, he has given us a 444 page novel about White kids (yes, the White kids) who attended a boarding school as orphans and their escape of the brutality they saw there.
The three Native characters are minor and played as side kicks, ghosts or tropes. I find it beyond inappropriate that the main minor Native character doesn't even have a voice - he's mute. I am not kidding. And even worse, when he decides to claim his native name, in the end as it's difficult for his White friends to wrap their heads around it, he signs to them that they can still call him Moses. Jesus help us all.
If I could give this book zero stars I would.
After learning more about this author, I could not finish this book. There is nothing worse than someone purpetrating a fraud and stealing culture under the guise of a memoir.
http://www.laweekly.com/news/navahoax-2141610
I was so excited when I happened upon this book in the library, but was quickly disappointed with it. Had there been something else to read in the house I wouldn't have bothered finishing. Tone, pacing and character development all fell flat. As a fan of Wool, I wanted to have my 14 year old read it, but the misogynist overtones and references to rape which did nothing to develop the plot or further characterize the archetypal bully were a total turn off. The best part of the book was reading on the jacket that AMC has Wool in development.
Absolute perfection. Does exactly what we all need books to do. Pulls you through an intricate adventure with characters you wish were family members and your best friends, thrills with harrowing moments, abounds with incredulous amounts of luck good and bad, and did I mention a stand up hero of an old panther hunting dog who makes me feel sheepish about being so dang lazy? Keeping my fingers crossed that Elizabeth Crook dives in again and lets Sam narrate her side of the tale.
Discovered Diane Arbus years ago thanks to the film Fur. Stroke of luck in 2012 brought me to discover her exhibition at the Tate. She came back to me in 2021 while escaping reality in the art section at BookPeople. So pleased to have been able to stop and see the world through her eyes.
Done for now.. a bit too much too soon for this girl. I'd love to see a primer to this disease that eases you in. I am sure if the inevitable, just not ready for it yet. That being said, it's valuable.
This book is the perfect length for MSP to AUS. Saw the preview for Mirren and Hopkins' film and had to do a little source material reading. Very strange and very good - written in 1959.
I love that when I travel I know that any Louise Erdrich novel is the perfect find. Four Souls gave another look into the lives of several excellent characters from previous novels.
It's beautifully written and clearly she's a major talent but sadly, I could not complete the novel. I lost track of the story about 50 pages in and with much trying couldn't grasp the flow again.
It's not you, it's me....?
I think this series is good - moves fast, interesting characters. However the trope of the reckless and independent, yet highly skilled assassin can feel a little contrived at times. I just want badass competence.
The concept is great, but I had a hard time getting connected to characters or wading my way through the dialect.
Everyone needs the McPherons on their side.
So much of this novel left me lonely for my Aunt Kay, Uncle Jerry and Grandma Barr. The humble of birth, the salt of the earth.
Solid 3.5 - certain sections were more effective than others. The concept itself is very interesting - what happens in the same home years and year on, while certain ghostly residents never leave. Made me think of the graphic novel (but more on the graphics side than novel side) by Richard McGuire. Time to pull it off the shelf and enjoy it again.
DNF
This book had an interesting premise, but once several of the main characters find themselves in a “ghetto” it gets beyond racist. At first I skipped over sentences and soon it became chunks. I was trying to make the book still work, meaning was the story lost if I wasn't reading these parts? And while the plot worked just fine using this technique, I realized I didn't even want the book on my bedside table.
I'm not even going to give Carrion Comfort the old, it was written in the 80's excuse. Dan Simmons is clearly a racist, it wouldn't come to him to write this way if he wasn't.
If I could give it zero stars I would.
I wanted to learn more about the author part way through listening to this audiobook because I was really enjoying the pacing and tone. I loved the sense of humor and how well the novel flowed with authentic portrayal of the roller coaster of adolescence. Then, I came across something that tanked my enthusiasm.
Unfortunately, Alexie has admitted to allegations that were brought from several women who were sexually assaulted by him. It's really sad to think of not only the impact on these women, but also on his family.
I'm sure there are people out there who have no problem separating his behavior from his writing, I'm just not one of them. This will be the only book of his I'll read.
Well... more like a 3.5.
As other reviewers have stated... we get it, your dad sucked. The balance on father issues was a little too weighted where at times it felt a wee bit, get on with your life.
That being said, the main character is 17 and if you haven't hung out with a 17 year old lately, they are pretty much all about themselves. It tracks.
But what I really loved about this book was listening to it 20 minutes at a time before bed. Many sections of it were edge of your seat and as his air levels decreased in his tanks you felt the tension rising. Also did you know you could use a jellyfish as a nightlight? Very cool.
What pulls it to a 3.5 for me was it could have been cut by 40-50 pages, because at a certain point I was just ready for him to die already.
Since I'm not a jerk I won't spoil the ending, but there is a 50 / 50 outcome and I'm pretty sure you can guess what happens before cracking the book and be right.
Does it count if I read most of it but had to stop because it was way too rapey?
My dark side has me enjoying the right kind of post apoplectic writing, but encountering more than a handful of rape scenes will never work for me.
As a fan of Ms. Butler, I was really sad to not be able to finish this book, but I just couldn't. This especially because I did enjoy the previous novel in the series and was looking forward to what came next.
Two stars because I really respect Ms. Butler.
I really like S.A. Crosby's work. It has an interesting noir feel to it. There are also ways laugh out loud moments and allusions to pop culture that make you chuckle.
The only thing I don't care for is cringy descriptions of women and sexual encounters. For me, these situations don't push the plot forward or develop more nuanced characters. But hey - maybe his male readers vibe on this?
It's for this reason I'm more in the three on this one, but I really loved Blacktop Wasteland.