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cursingnurse's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ashleykritzer's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to Putnam Books for my gifted copy of “Godspeed” by Nickolas Butler
This book. It was not on my radar at all until a copy arrived from the publisher. It’s a very different type of thriller than what I’d usually read — male author, male protagonists, literary thriller, slow burn. And yet: I loved it!
Blue collar buddies and business partners Cole, Bart and Teddy have been winning steady if not meaningful construction jobs for years. They’re the owners of True Triangle Construction in Jackson, Wyoming. One day, they get a call for the project of a lifetime: a stunning home in the mountains that Gretchen, the owner/developer, is pushing toward completion on an impossible deadline. There’s a bonus at stake that could change all of their lives forever, but the path to payday is fraught with so many pitfalls.
This book is about so much more than an insane construction project. Jackson is in transition; with so much California money flowing in, many locals are feeling like they no longer fit in. It’s a commentary on the haves and have-nots. My job — reporter covering commercial real estate — exists within a subrealm of construction and development and I can’t think of any other books like this, with construction workers as the main characters. You can’t help but root for these guys, even as they make awful decisions.
There’s a masterfully woven tension throughout the book. This isn’t a twisty turner thriller, but the sense of impending doom keeps you steadily hooked. There are vivid descriptions of drug use, violence and injuries so if that bothers you approach with caution.
This book. It was not on my radar at all until a copy arrived from the publisher. It’s a very different type of thriller than what I’d usually read — male author, male protagonists, literary thriller, slow burn. And yet: I loved it!
Blue collar buddies and business partners Cole, Bart and Teddy have been winning steady if not meaningful construction jobs for years. They’re the owners of True Triangle Construction in Jackson, Wyoming. One day, they get a call for the project of a lifetime: a stunning home in the mountains that Gretchen, the owner/developer, is pushing toward completion on an impossible deadline. There’s a bonus at stake that could change all of their lives forever, but the path to payday is fraught with so many pitfalls.
This book is about so much more than an insane construction project. Jackson is in transition; with so much California money flowing in, many locals are feeling like they no longer fit in. It’s a commentary on the haves and have-nots. My job — reporter covering commercial real estate — exists within a subrealm of construction and development and I can’t think of any other books like this, with construction workers as the main characters. You can’t help but root for these guys, even as they make awful decisions.
There’s a masterfully woven tension throughout the book. This isn’t a twisty turner thriller, but the sense of impending doom keeps you steadily hooked. There are vivid descriptions of drug use, violence and injuries so if that bothers you approach with caution.
jeffmauch's review against another edition
3.0
To this point I've really loved all of the books I've read of Nickolas Butler's, but this wasn't my favorite. I much preferred Shotgun Lovesongs and a short story collection of his to this one. I really wanted to like this, but I found many of the characters too hyperbolic and out there at the extremes. I understand there are people like this, but it just seemed like each character was taken to the edges of their biggest characteristics and lacked genuine depth. The premise here is simple, how far are you willing to go to build a house under an extreme deadline for a chunk of life changing cash? Would you resort to drugs? Murder? The possible ruin of your family relationships? It's funny sometimes the lengths we are willing to go, just one time, to change the paths of our lives. This book is essentially multiple perspectives on time, money, and what you're willing to do with one for the other. Overall, I just found too many of the characters extreme or unlikable, though there was enough here to wrap up a fairly interesting story, it just wasn't for me. 3/5
averyb79's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written, great characters, and a twist I never saw coming.
martaaraqui's review against another edition
4.0
Llegir a Nickolas Butler és sempre un plaer, i aquesta novel·la m’ha agradat tant com esperava. No sé si em convenç el final, però he gaudit la lectura.
kdowli01's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
hemingway23's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5