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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
So here’s the thing…I like a good gangster movie but don’t typically gravitate toward the genre in book form. However, this novel appeared on a fair number of “Best of Year” lists and, since I’ve never read Winslow before, I gave it a shot.
It’s evident he’s a solid writer, because I could keep most of the massive cast of characters straight in my head and enjoyed the protagonist and some of the older, retired dons who still wielded influence. I also liked the side jaunt into Madeline’s backstory because it had more to say about her than how she looked coming out of the water or how she nurtured the baby. There were some moments of fine, cinematic writing to be had.
Sure, it’s a retelling of “The Iliad,” and the RI setting offers something unique. But…at the end of the day, it’s still a story of warring families shooting up and backstabbing one another for assets and ascendancy. The narrative rests on a whole lotta hypermasculine bullshit in which women are largely either revered or denigrated, racism and homophobia are on swaggering display, and there’s a routinized predictability to it all (including some cliched, wonky dialogue). When there’s a glimmer of the story addressing race in a more nuanced way, Winslow cuts it short with one of the more improbably ridiculous scenes in the book.
If you’re into reading mobbed-up crime fiction, this is likely top tier of the genre, but it doesn’t seem to inject anything inspiring into a tired formula. It was worth a try, but I think I’ll swerve back to my lane now.
It’s evident he’s a solid writer, because I could keep most of the massive cast of characters straight in my head and enjoyed the protagonist and some of the older, retired dons who still wielded influence. I also liked the side jaunt into Madeline’s backstory because it had more to say about her than how she looked coming out of the water or how she nurtured the baby. There were some moments of fine, cinematic writing to be had.
Sure, it’s a retelling of “The Iliad,” and the RI setting offers something unique. But…at the end of the day, it’s still a story of warring families shooting up and backstabbing one another for assets and ascendancy. The narrative rests on a whole lotta hypermasculine bullshit in which women are largely either revered or denigrated, racism and homophobia are on swaggering display, and there’s a routinized predictability to it all (including some cliched, wonky dialogue). When there’s a glimmer of the story addressing race in a more nuanced way, Winslow cuts it short with one of the more improbably ridiculous scenes in the book.
If you’re into reading mobbed-up crime fiction, this is likely top tier of the genre, but it doesn’t seem to inject anything inspiring into a tired formula. It was worth a try, but I think I’ll swerve back to my lane now.
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
4.75 stars
the whole time you're thinking shit can't get worse and then it gets worse. the story keeps you locked in. I had to force myself to put this book down while on vacation! a captivating mix of Helen of troy/the trojan war and east coast crime families
the whole time you're thinking shit can't get worse and then it gets worse. the story keeps you locked in. I had to force myself to put this book down while on vacation! a captivating mix of Helen of troy/the trojan war and east coast crime families
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Look, does this book have some capital P Problems? Yes. Is it a helluva page turner? Also yes. Can’t wait to read the rest of the trilogy.
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No