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jolenemarie's review against another edition
3.0
Excellent writing, but the graphic violence and all the bits I had to skim or skip brought it down a star.
hmendiola's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to love this book given the topic and the fact that I was a big fan of the movie version, Lawless. In the end this book and its characters are sad and boring without any real adventure, and the whole thing falls flat. I give it three stars because the story itself is fascinating, and I've always enjoyed reading about this time period. But dang if this book isn't a snoozer.
canaanmerchant's review against another edition
4.0
One of the critics blurbs on the back described the prose as muscular. I can't really think of a better word for it.
The flaw of this book is that the timeline shifts but that doesn't create dramatic tension so much as confusion over where we are supposed to place the events that have already happened. We follow along with Sherwood Anderson as he tries to piece together what happened but since he's large ineffective at learning anything all it does it frustrates the reader and hurries them through his chapters. That was a part that could have used a little more fiction and less the imagined Anderson's insecurities about writing.
However the story is riveting and Bondurant has created a palpable world where you begin to know the brothers like they know the mountain tops and hollers of Franklin county.
An the book will make you thirsty for some whiskey as well.
The flaw of this book is that the timeline shifts but that doesn't create dramatic tension so much as confusion over where we are supposed to place the events that have already happened. We follow along with Sherwood Anderson as he tries to piece together what happened but since he's large ineffective at learning anything all it does it frustrates the reader and hurries them through his chapters. That was a part that could have used a little more fiction and less the imagined Anderson's insecurities about writing.
However the story is riveting and Bondurant has created a palpable world where you begin to know the brothers like they know the mountain tops and hollers of Franklin county.
An the book will make you thirsty for some whiskey as well.
mrsmhamil's review against another edition
I got bored reading this and thought the pace of this book would pick up but it really didn't.
jenhern920's review against another edition
3.0
It is a book that is set in the depression about a family in the bootlegging business during prohibition. It was interesting to learn about this time in history. It it written by the grandson of the the Bondurant family. His grandfather and uncles are what this book is based upon.
The movie "Lawless" is based on this book and comes out in August.
The movie "Lawless" is based on this book and comes out in August.
sarahturnsthepages's review against another edition
5.0
This book will probably be added to my favourite list. After watching the movie, the book answered a lot of questions that I had, and it also added a lot more "visual"'as well. It was well written & I would definitely recommend this book to anyone!
jcpdiesel21's review against another edition
Despite its intriguing summary, this book is just not sufficiently grabbing my attention to warrant finishing it. I like the dynamic between the three brothers, who are all interesting in different ways, but the portions devoted to Sherwood Anderson aren't nearly as engaging in comparison and I've resorted to skimming through these. I may give this another try further down the road when I'm in the right frame of mind for it.
wiki765's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0