Todd
I'm glad I didn't read the reviews first; this handily entered my list of top 10 favorite books in my 5.5 decade life span.
I suspect it's because I related so much to many of the plot points and characters. I grew up in the south, modest family income, and lacking the beguiling looks or athletic ability that brought the right kind of attention. Instead, I was “tender hearted” as we would say, pudgy, book smart, never had the right brand of shirt / pants / shoes or jacket to satisfy the social shot-callers, and painfully shy. I also had parents who loved me deeply, but also struggled to express at times.
As a result, I relate to the main character, from the derogatory nickname to the blessing of finding a few “misfits” like yourself to not only weather the schools but also overcome. Like the story itself, I lost a few of those friends along the way. Not in as spectacular fashion, but with the same impact as the main character experienced.
So, if you can identify with any of the above, push past these reviews and give it a try. As for me, this will go in my childhood cache of meaningful memories and possessions that perplexes the “normal” people. ;)
Enjoyable and interesting book
I didn't want to like this book. My first impression was that it was written by a self indulgent millennial that refused to acclimate to society. And let's face it, as a middle aged, middle class, cranky white republican that's a repugnant thought.
But the author, and his honest, open quest to find his purpose in life, grew on me. By living a life I'd never choose to live, he was able to live a life I'll never get to live. I couldn't put it down after the first few chapters, and soon found myself rooting for him.
People are complex, unique, beautiful souls that have more in common than not. Here's to celebrating our differences and learning that happiness has many different faces.
Reminded me of college assignments with word count requirements
It was a very interesting story, but it seems there was some arbitrary word count requirement as there are sections of text that are repeated over and over needlessly. It got to the point that I just skimmed the last 20% of the book as I couldn't take another chapter of heating up my coffee with c4, circling at the RON, last shift guard duty, and all the other minor details that the author insisted on repeating every single time.
Like a satisfying meal
This book made me cry, which normally makes me angry. However, they wear wholesome, satisfying, good feeling tears.
I'm a sucker for rags to riches / beauty from ashes stories, and I love happy endings. This book was all of that and more, weaving a detailed and interesting storyline with relatable, if not always likable characters.
Like life, bad choices were made and abrasive personalities ran amuck. And, like life sometimes happens, those had lifelong consequences. But, unlike life, we get a first row seat to see how those choices play out and how the story ends.
So, if you're like myself and have had your fill of horror, tragedy, disappointment and bad news, this makes the perfect escape. Maybe it's a little too idealistic, but for me that's a perfect counterbalance to the negativity and endless bad news were all exposed to. So, like any good meal, this is tasty, filling, easy to digest, and doesn't leave you with regrets for hours afterward.
Outstanding book
Hands down, one of my top ten favorite books. Every character felt relatable and every chapter was heartfelt and intriguing. It had none of the elements I hate (neatly packaged ending, fantastical situations, unrealistic relationships) but was chock full of LIFE. Imperfect, frustrating, sad, life. I could picture myself as several of the characters, and found myself emotionally invested in all of them. Highly, highly, recommended!
IMPORTANT: If you choose to read this book, do NOT look at the color photos in the middle of the book until after you read it!!! The first and second photo pages are fine, but the third one container a major spoiler! I don't know who's decision that was, but it almost ruined the reading experience for me.
This book started out slowly and leisurely, and I almost abandoned it in the first 100 pages. But then, I thought of the handful of people I've met that are great sailors or hunters, and I thought of how I always felt like they weren't bound by the same laws of time as myself. Their wealth of knowledge required investing the time required for them to disclose it at their pace and with the level of detail they chose.
With that mindset adjustment, I pressed on and was drawn deeper and deeper into Lynn's story.
The fact that this is his first book is almost unbelievable to me. About 75% through the book, a sense of dread began forming and I began subconsciously feeling the remaining pages to see how much was left. I rarely feel that way with a book, but I flipped to the end just to see how many blank or appendix pages were included so I wasn't caught off guard prematurely.
This book will cause cravings, or at least it did for me. It made me crave the outdoors, adventures, solitude, a deep and genuine friendship. It also caused me to consider the passage of time and how loss impacts us.
This is a fantastic book, and I highly recommend reading it as well as giving it my absolute highest rating.
Interesting story, although it stumbles a bit as the writer tries to infuse profanity at awkward moments. I'm not against salty language, but he reminds me of being 12 or 13 and, having just learned some new cuss words, you wait for the first chance to wedge it into a sentence whether it works or not. Then again, Gary Vaynerchuk spends every waking moment doing that so maybe it's a thing.
The ending was the worst part of the book as he tries to quickly (in 2 pages) pack in a missed opportunity / where are they now montage that would have been better suited developed over the last few chapters, not pages.
Meh. Started out interesting, but it's one of those books where you get the feeling they were writing the book and a message popped up that said “Caution....book is complete in one chapter” so they hurried up and wrapped it up.
It also kind of chapped me that there seemed to be a good deal of arrogance and pride when he described his “fall”. It's one thing to mention that you had several wild flings, it's another thing to name and describe several of them in a complimentary fashion.
For instance, you could say “I slept with numerous women during that time” instead of “Then there was Christy, a long legged blonde with stunning features and high cheekbones”.
I got the impression he was torn between wanting to portray himself as Charlie Sheen and Jim Baker; either proud for his exploits, or humbled and sorry that he took the path he did.
Not judging, just passing on my impression.
Outstanding book, but not at all what I had expected.
I expected a rather straight forward, Western style thriller in the genre or a John Wayne movie or a Louis L'Amour novel. It was anything but.
The book is several things at once; it is a study in understatement, it is a philosophical commentary on today's society and politics, and it is a dark yet conflicted account of what is probably a fairly common situation at the Texas-Mexico border with a sincere and heartfelt tribute to a solid marriage mixed in.
It is also a complete rebellion against the writing rules espoused by every college in the country. The author writes in a very disorganized style, seemingly opposed to quotation marks, paragraphs, apostrophes, and dialogue clarifying pronouns. He will also launch into a back and forth dialogue that often lead me to backtrack to the beginning so I could keep track of who said what. Ironically, the book felt like a quick read so maybe the author has successfully proven that all those grammar rules just slow us down.
If you like tidy endings, closure, and a prevailing sense of justice and order, this is not the book for you. If you'd like to step inside the head of an imperfect man trying to balance enforcing the law and protecting the public with his desire to enjoy spending the rest of his life with the woman he adores, then it's an easy choice.
Great book and story, my only complaint is the same reason that I read the book after viewing the movie: it ends with the story unfinished.
I thought the movie covered the first book of a series, but turns out the author just abandoned the story after the first book.
And yes, I am “one of those” that needs closure in my book / series, so it loses a star for leaving me hanging.
I loved Charles Kuralt, but this book was disappointing. It was basically the text for the 30 second segments they used to air. Impossible to get interested or learn anything from the stories.
I almost gave up on this book during the first few chapters. It was too chaotic, written in a speaking style that I couldn't relate to, and didn't seem to have any direction. When that happens, a small percentage of the time I end up pushing through and finding a new favorite. This is one of those instances.
Although this is an emotionally draining book, it is a fantastic treatise on mental illness and living with someone who suffers from it. I have no experience with that, but at the end of the book I was empathizing to the point that I felt like I was living it.
If you love “life stories” that either shed light in an area you're not familiar with, or help you sort out your own situation, this is a must read. Highly recommended.
Great read, although best done a quickly as possible to maintain continuity. The author writes from 3 different viewpoints chronologically, so if time has lapsed it's easy to forget previous accounts.
A fascinating fact for me was how the author wrote the book. He wrote “in character” one at a time, composed a daily journal entry until finished. After a 2 week break, he'd assume the next personna.