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prokomds's review against another edition
4.0
Thoroughly enjoyable and undoubtedly Ray Bradbury. His writing voice is so distinctive, I wonder if I could recognize it without knowing what I'm reading.
suziesuzuki's review against another edition
5.0
Okay but like...Noir and Bradbury together in one little booknugget? What more can a girl ask for?
junglebright's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
This is one of those books where I've read the whole thing and couldn't tell you what it was really even about.
brisk28's review against another edition
4.0
I would have liked to have a physical copy of this, but I was in the mood for a Bradbury novel and my library offered the audiobook.
Of all the things that made this book enjoyable for me, I think the most enjoyable parts were when he would refer to stories that the main character had written and they were actually short stories Bradbury had published himself. It was fun to recognize them and really added to the story itself.
Of all the things that made this book enjoyable for me, I think the most enjoyable parts were when he would refer to stories that the main character had written and they were actually short stories Bradbury had published himself. It was fun to recognize them and really added to the story itself.
owenreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
“Melt all the guns, I thought, break the knives, burn the guillotines-and the malicious will still write letters that kill.”
This is a well-written book about a writer, written in a writerly fashion - and if that sentence confused you, it touches on explaining why, at times, I had a hard time holding onto the story within these pages.
It's also about murder, loneliness, social change, urban decay, old movies, and poetry.
... and the ending is very satisfying.
alinaanna's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
venicechick's review against another edition
5.0
I picked this book off my grandfather's bookshelf and saw that it was a signed copy. I asked my Gramps about it, and then I was treated to a wonderful tale about his childhood friend, Ray Bradbury, with his coke bottle glasses, riding bikes, and drinking malted milk in downtown LA.
I enjoyed Death is a Lonely Business even more because I live in Venice and have been in Los Angeles for over twenty years. Some reviewers commented that the plot was thin, but it was perfect to me. When I moved here I rollerbladed up and down the walk streets of Venice by the boardwalk and sat and talked to all the people in the tattoo parlors, living in RVs with conspiracy theories, and artists who have impromptu drum circles in their living rooms. Venice can be like that. You wander from interesting person to creative individual to outright eccentric if you move around the neighborhood and talk to people like Ray did when he was young. I get it. He tells all of their little stories as he walks through the novel.
It was fun to have the noir and sci fi mix that can fit in "this so odd no one would believe it is true neighborhood." My neighborhood gets more upscale all the time, but it still always has a hint of danger lurking around the corner.
I enjoyed Death is a Lonely Business even more because I live in Venice and have been in Los Angeles for over twenty years. Some reviewers commented that the plot was thin, but it was perfect to me. When I moved here I rollerbladed up and down the walk streets of Venice by the boardwalk and sat and talked to all the people in the tattoo parlors, living in RVs with conspiracy theories, and artists who have impromptu drum circles in their living rooms. Venice can be like that. You wander from interesting person to creative individual to outright eccentric if you move around the neighborhood and talk to people like Ray did when he was young. I get it. He tells all of their little stories as he walks through the novel.
It was fun to have the noir and sci fi mix that can fit in "this so odd no one would believe it is true neighborhood." My neighborhood gets more upscale all the time, but it still always has a hint of danger lurking around the corner.
michaelstearns's review against another edition
4.0
It's funny, but thinking back to this more than a quarter-century after I read it, I remember two things: First, that I wasn't in love with the ultimate solution to the "mystery" in the novel. And second, that the opening paragraphs were brilliant and so Bradburyesque as to verge on—but not cross over into—parody. From memory, then, something along the lines of: "Venice in the thirties was a wonderful place to live if you liked being sad." Something like that, anyway, has stuck in the craw of my mind ever since.
kmdra06's review against another edition
4.0
A wonderful romp through Bradbury's imagined post-war LA and past stories. Fans of his will treasure the sly references to his biblio- and bio-graphies. The sentimentality is not overdone and the descriptions resonate with the power of poetry. The conventional mystery within drives a story that meanders through feeling, reflection and relationships. The trip is well worth it for most but no great truth is laid exposed, just a gleaming ensemble of characters, descriptions and beautiful phrasing.