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4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I’m not religious at all. But I can appreciate a good book. And this one made me cry a thousand tears.
What a beautiful story about beautiful characters with a little murder mystery thrown in.
A special shout out to the beautiful souls Abe and Nina
What a beautiful story about beautiful characters with a little murder mystery thrown in.
A special shout out to the beautiful souls Abe and Nina
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
A deeply emotional and heartbreaking tale.
There was so much grief and pain in this story. Yet at the end of it comes healing. I was moved by Benji's grief. The scenes involving his father, both the joyful and sad, brought me to tears.
This story comes off cathartic. As if all the pain, fear and insecurities were poured into the book. As such, there was a rambling air to the story. Sometimes it works, sometimes it drags on a bit too long. The flashback scenes were at times distracting.
The paranormal theme worked well with the story. Cal was an engaging character and it was easy to see how everyone loved him.
All in all, a brilliant story that would not be suited for those looking for a lighter read. This is angst to the max, but beautiful in its glory.
There was so much grief and pain in this story. Yet at the end of it comes healing. I was moved by Benji's grief. The scenes involving his father, both the joyful and sad, brought me to tears.
This story comes off cathartic. As if all the pain, fear and insecurities were poured into the book. As such, there was a rambling air to the story. Sometimes it works, sometimes it drags on a bit too long. The flashback scenes were at times distracting.
The paranormal theme worked well with the story. Cal was an engaging character and it was easy to see how everyone loved him.
All in all, a brilliant story that would not be suited for those looking for a lighter read. This is angst to the max, but beautiful in its glory.
There were gems and jewels throughout this novel but they were buried so deep in extraneous and repetitive prose and plot elements, they required a frustrating amount of effort to unearth. A seriously heavy hand with editing could have made this story soar, unfortunately, it went in far too many directions and beat to death the repetition of metaphors and dream sequences. It was painful reading the same thing over and over. And over. And over. And over.
And over.
The concept and characters were compelling and intriguing and, as I said, there were gems and jewels, moments of breathtaking beauty and heart aching sorrow. These things are what kept me going throughout this novel but I was in so much discomfort along the way, wondering why I was bothering to wade through the rest of the bullshit and if it would be worth it in the end.
Was it worth it? I'm going to have to say no. There were too many plot elements that did not add to or enhance the story. There were too many irrelevant scenes weighing the story down, making it a chore to read rather than something to enjoy. One major plot twist was so outrageous and unlikely, I nearly DNF'd in anger.
In addition to the effort it took to get through the story, there were a handful of things that offended me, not the least of which was when Big Eddie says:
"So you should know by now that I don’t give a rat’s ass if you’re gay or straight or one of those tranny guys that likes to dress up in a slutty skirt and pretend you have a vagina.”
My stomach dropped out when I read that. I get that its meant to be supportive of the fact Benji's gay but it's offensive on so many levels! I'm highly uncomfortable with that kind of thoughtlessness and insensitivity. I already have Withered + Sere on my Kindle so I'll probably give it a chance, but at this point, I'm doubtful I'll be giving TJ Klune any more of my money.
Good concept. Good characters. Execution did not work for me at all! A hard no.
And over.
The concept and characters were compelling and intriguing and, as I said, there were gems and jewels, moments of breathtaking beauty and heart aching sorrow. These things are what kept me going throughout this novel but I was in so much discomfort along the way, wondering why I was bothering to wade through the rest of the bullshit and if it would be worth it in the end.
Was it worth it? I'm going to have to say no. There were too many plot elements that did not add to or enhance the story. There were too many irrelevant scenes weighing the story down, making it a chore to read rather than something to enjoy. One major plot twist was so outrageous and unlikely, I nearly DNF'd in anger.
In addition to the effort it took to get through the story, there were a handful of things that offended me, not the least of which was when Big Eddie says:
"So you should know by now that I don’t give a rat’s ass if you’re gay or straight or one of those tranny guys that likes to dress up in a slutty skirt and pretend you have a vagina.”
My stomach dropped out when I read that. I get that its meant to be supportive of the fact Benji's gay but it's offensive on so many levels! I'm highly uncomfortable with that kind of thoughtlessness and insensitivity. I already have Withered + Sere on my Kindle so I'll probably give it a chance, but at this point, I'm doubtful I'll be giving TJ Klune any more of my money.
Good concept. Good characters. Execution did not work for me at all! A hard no.
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
slow-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
This was super weird. Not bad, but not what I was expecting (I guess? I didn’t really know what it was going in so maybe i had no expectations and it was just weird). anyway… 3.5 stars.
Staggering. What T.J. Klune does with this book is simply staggering and damn near overwhelming.
The atmosphere and emotions in Into This River... are just as much central characters as Benji and Cal. By the end of the book, I could imagine standing at Mile Marker 77 and know what it looks like, how it feels. The grief, pain, hope and love experienced here damn near leave me speechless. As always, I am amazed at the depth of feeling that T.J. Klune can evoke with his writing.
This is a weighty book, and definitely not an easy read (at least it wasn't for me). I had to take a break and read something a bit lighter every now and then! That said, it was extremely rewarding. I would urge any reader to stick it out through the halfway mark, because the latter half of the book is one hell of a ride.
I am glad that I have read other books by Klune before reading this one. Many of the themes (and indeed phrasing) featured in [b:Wolfsong|29233804|Wolfsong (Green Creek, #1)|T.J. Klune|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1463862865l/29233804._SY75_.jpg|49474397] are repeated here, though this does not detract in the least - rather, I feel it allows a glimpse into the author's thinking.
Finally, a very surprising element was
I highly, highly recommend this book. Simply incredible.
The atmosphere and emotions in Into This River... are just as much central characters as Benji and Cal. By the end of the book, I could imagine standing at Mile Marker 77 and know what it looks like, how it feels. The grief, pain, hope and love experienced here damn near leave me speechless. As always, I am amazed at the depth of feeling that T.J. Klune can evoke with his writing.
This is a weighty book, and definitely not an easy read (at least it wasn't for me). I had to take a break and read something a bit lighter every now and then! That said, it was extremely rewarding. I would urge any reader to stick it out through the halfway mark, because the latter half of the book is one hell of a ride.
I am glad that I have read other books by Klune before reading this one. Many of the themes (and indeed phrasing) featured in [b:Wolfsong|29233804|Wolfsong (Green Creek, #1)|T.J. Klune|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1463862865l/29233804._SY75_.jpg|49474397] are repeated here, though this does not detract in the least - rather, I feel it allows a glimpse into the author's thinking.
Finally, a very surprising element was
Spoiler
the tie-in with [b:Burn|13411825|Burn (Elementally Evolved, #1)|T.J. Klune|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1348018827l/13411825._SX50_.jpg|18672681]. I don't think it will detract if someone hasn't read Burn, but you do gain a little from the knowledge of Seven and Felix. I fear that with the sequel to Burn being put on hold, we may never find out what all of the references here mean.I highly, highly recommend this book. Simply incredible.
Well, this is a beautiful book. A lot of mourning and berievement is packed in this story about the love between a father and a son. Their history together and what happens when the dad died is being told in flashbacks. You also get glimpses of Benji's dreams, wich become more and more relevant to the story.
It is also a bit about Faith in God. And that made me a bit uncomfortable. It sometimes felt a bit too much Christian and I don't like that in a book (even though I am Christian, I know, people are strange and I am no exception). It is not about believing in God without questioning, there even is a lot of anger towards Him. And it does fit the story. I just am uncomfortable about it. It is not a big part of the book and if this part would keep you from reading it, I think that would be a shame. Because it really is a good story and being uncomfortable about something doesn't make it less valuable. Maybe it makes it even more valuable, because it made me question myself about why I would be uncomfortable about my own religion in a book? I don't know the answer but it is good to think about that. And now I have written way too much about a little part of the book.
Anyway, this is a great story about the connection between a father and a son, about loss, about grieving, about love between two great guys and how a community can be very important in the lives and minds of its people, even helping them survive in ways you never dreamed of.
The story starts sad, becomes more hopefull, gets really thrilling and the end is really exciting. T.J. Klune knows how to write a story.
It is also a bit about Faith in God. And that made me a bit uncomfortable. It sometimes felt a bit too much Christian and I don't like that in a book (even though I am Christian, I know, people are strange and I am no exception). It is not about believing in God without questioning, there even is a lot of anger towards Him. And it does fit the story. I just am uncomfortable about it. It is not a big part of the book and if this part would keep you from reading it, I think that would be a shame. Because it really is a good story and being uncomfortable about something doesn't make it less valuable. Maybe it makes it even more valuable, because it made me question myself about why I would be uncomfortable about my own religion in a book? I don't know the answer but it is good to think about that. And now I have written way too much about a little part of the book.
Anyway, this is a great story about the connection between a father and a son, about loss, about grieving, about love between two great guys and how a community can be very important in the lives and minds of its people, even helping them survive in ways you never dreamed of.
The story starts sad, becomes more hopefull, gets really thrilling and the end is really exciting. T.J. Klune knows how to write a story.