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timna_wyckoff's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this author's memoirs so much. And, the premise for this novel is so compelling. But, the characters are shallowly drawn and the rest of the plot is pretty over-the-top ridiculous. I was expecting something more serious.
flying_monkeys's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.5
"An incomprehensible theory of the universe isn't necessary if your only ambition is to embrace another soul. What you need, maybe all you need, in fact, is the willingness to love."
nathel's review against another edition
5.0
This book contained so many twists. Jennifer Finney Boylan’s writing captivated me; I didn’t want the book to end and will definitely read more of her works.
bullfish_2006's review against another edition
The reader was ok. So far, characters kind of getting in my nerves. Writing is good, just pretentious. Might come back later.
vizira's review against another edition
i didn't read far enough to really grasp the plot, but the writing was just driving me up the wall
thalia16's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
owlyreadsalot's review against another edition
3.0
There were many great aspects to this novel. It was a read that kept me wondering and full of story. I was filled with different feels though, many of them good, but at times not always fond of the writing to describe characters.
"He was a generously obese young man wearing a striped engineer's hat upon his head."
"...but then there he was, invited to the wedding of Jon Casey and the Irish girl, or the Geordie, or whatever she was, the girl with the ironically exaggerated accent."
Long Black Veil took the reader in, making sure there were never really any dull moments and when we were introduced to the big reveal it was a shocker for sure. There are questions that rise from it, several as to how that person was able to get away with something so life altering without being questioned about it, or discovered in all those years, but it still didn't drive from how great those parts of the novel were written in.
"The photo in the Post was grisly, a close-up of the skull. It didn't look like the person I had known. Of course, we'd always assumed that the day had ended in murder. So no, it wasn't exactly a surprise. But it had taken all these years for the corpse to turn up, and it was still shocking. Waiting there in the line at LaGuardia, I felt all the hairs on my arm stand up. This was it. It was all going to get churned up again."
It made for an interesting read, as every friend tried to live their life past that dreadful day when one of their own went missing, but none of them really moving forward. As things came back to the surface everyone's life is shown in shambles, mostly mentally, but all due to what happened that day Wailer went missing and the many questions none of them are able to fully answer.
"It's funny how you can know a person, think of him as your closest friend, and still never gain access to the secret chambers in his heart. I know I'm the poster child for that, but it's not just me. The things people carry around in silence--the shames, the weird private dreams, the things they did when they though no else could see--it's terrible to think about."
Even though I may have had issues with some of the context, I kept reading because I just had to know what really happened and like I said it was a nice twist to the story. It was a quick enough read, and sometimes that is exactly what I want when my curiosity takes over. Long Black Veil was pretty good, even with its faults.
***I received this copy from Crown Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
"He was a generously obese young man wearing a striped engineer's hat upon his head."
"...but then there he was, invited to the wedding of Jon Casey and the Irish girl, or the Geordie, or whatever she was, the girl with the ironically exaggerated accent."
Long Black Veil took the reader in, making sure there were never really any dull moments and when we were introduced to the big reveal it was a shocker for sure. There are questions that rise from it, several as to how that person was able to get away with something so life altering without being questioned about it, or discovered in all those years, but it still didn't drive from how great those parts of the novel were written in.
"The photo in the Post was grisly, a close-up of the skull. It didn't look like the person I had known. Of course, we'd always assumed that the day had ended in murder. So no, it wasn't exactly a surprise. But it had taken all these years for the corpse to turn up, and it was still shocking. Waiting there in the line at LaGuardia, I felt all the hairs on my arm stand up. This was it. It was all going to get churned up again."
It made for an interesting read, as every friend tried to live their life past that dreadful day when one of their own went missing, but none of them really moving forward. As things came back to the surface everyone's life is shown in shambles, mostly mentally, but all due to what happened that day Wailer went missing and the many questions none of them are able to fully answer.
"It's funny how you can know a person, think of him as your closest friend, and still never gain access to the secret chambers in his heart. I know I'm the poster child for that, but it's not just me. The things people carry around in silence--the shames, the weird private dreams, the things they did when they though no else could see--it's terrible to think about."
Even though I may have had issues with some of the context, I kept reading because I just had to know what really happened and like I said it was a nice twist to the story. It was a quick enough read, and sometimes that is exactly what I want when my curiosity takes over. Long Black Veil was pretty good, even with its faults.
***I received this copy from Crown Publishing in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***
meghan111's review against another edition
4.0
Reminded me very much of [b: The Secret History|29044|The Secret History|Donna Tartt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1451554846s/29044.jpg|221359] by Donna Tartt.
schwarmgiven's review
4.0
SARGE read this to get a deeper understanding of Trans issues.
Reads kind of like a Donna Tratt light book, but there are some great moments and an ending worthy of Shakespeare. The book is not as political or preachy as I had been lead to believe--simply reads as a Modern American Mystry with some interesting characters, fun dialog, and Backflip Boyfriend who may be my favorite character of the year!
Recommended summer read--smooth and easy.
Reads kind of like a Donna Tratt light book, but there are some great moments and an ending worthy of Shakespeare. The book is not as political or preachy as I had been lead to believe--simply reads as a Modern American Mystry with some interesting characters, fun dialog, and Backflip Boyfriend who may be my favorite character of the year!
Recommended summer read--smooth and easy.
stormiclouds's review against another edition
2.0
I voluntarily received an ARC of Long Black Veil by Jennifer Finney Boylan in exchange for an honest review.
This book is labeled as a mystery/thriller, but it was too slow paced for my enjoyment. There were also so many characters introduced at once that it was too hard to keep track of who was who at first. I had to reread the introductions multiple times to grasp who was who. The concept of the storyline was an interesting one and if the book had been faster paced, I probably would have enjoyed the book more and given it a higher rating.
This book is labeled as a mystery/thriller, but it was too slow paced for my enjoyment. There were also so many characters introduced at once that it was too hard to keep track of who was who at first. I had to reread the introductions multiple times to grasp who was who. The concept of the storyline was an interesting one and if the book had been faster paced, I probably would have enjoyed the book more and given it a higher rating.