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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.
mxsallybend's review against another edition
5.0
Considering the fact that I have been anxiously awaiting this for about 4 months now, I am absolutely delighted to say Long Black Veil did not disappoint. In fact, this is precisely the kind of story I trusted Jennifer Finney Boylan to tell, full of hope and drama, but also deeply relevant to those of us approaching it from a transgender perspective.
Minor spoiler there, I guess, but if you have ever read anything by Jennifer Finney Boylan, or even have a cursory awareness of who she is, then the cover blurb is all too transparent (no pun intended). A woman whose family and identity are threatened by the secrets of her past, who is a very different person from the woman she is today? That can only mean one thing.
While most reviewers have approached this as a mystery/thriller, I would actually like to stick with that transgender angle. Long Black Veil is a story that explores the question of gender identity, complete with all of the secrets and prejudices that entails. As exemplified by the fact that her chapters are the only ones narrated in the first person, Judith is the heart of this story. It is her identity, her journey, and her circumstances that drive so much of it. She has a difficult choice to make, but either she risks losing the family and life that she has built, or a good friend ends up wrongly imprisoned for a murder he did not commit.
I loved the way the story moved between narrators and time periods, teasing out the core mystery of what happened and to whom. The historical scenes in Eastern State Penitentiary are incredibly creepy, like something out of a Stephen King novel, but that mystery is really just the foundation of the novel. It is the character study and the relationship stories that distinguish this, with a sad, often tragic look at how friendships dissolve and how identities crumble. The climax of the story does feel a bit rushed, and does rely a bit too heavily on a few coincidences, but they lend it an element of black humor that is very much needed going into those final dark moments.
To be honest, I was not sure how Long Black Veil would end, and I really worried about the fate of Judith's story, but Jennifer Finney Boylan does a stellar job of tying up loose ends.
As reviewed by Sally at Bending the Bookshelf
Minor spoiler there, I guess, but if you have ever read anything by Jennifer Finney Boylan, or even have a cursory awareness of who she is, then the cover blurb is all too transparent (no pun intended). A woman whose family and identity are threatened by the secrets of her past, who is a very different person from the woman she is today? That can only mean one thing.
While most reviewers have approached this as a mystery/thriller, I would actually like to stick with that transgender angle. Long Black Veil is a story that explores the question of gender identity, complete with all of the secrets and prejudices that entails. As exemplified by the fact that her chapters are the only ones narrated in the first person, Judith is the heart of this story. It is her identity, her journey, and her circumstances that drive so much of it. She has a difficult choice to make, but either she risks losing the family and life that she has built, or a good friend ends up wrongly imprisoned for a murder he did not commit.
I loved the way the story moved between narrators and time periods, teasing out the core mystery of what happened and to whom. The historical scenes in Eastern State Penitentiary are incredibly creepy, like something out of a Stephen King novel, but that mystery is really just the foundation of the novel. It is the character study and the relationship stories that distinguish this, with a sad, often tragic look at how friendships dissolve and how identities crumble. The climax of the story does feel a bit rushed, and does rely a bit too heavily on a few coincidences, but they lend it an element of black humor that is very much needed going into those final dark moments.
To be honest, I was not sure how Long Black Veil would end, and I really worried about the fate of Judith's story, but Jennifer Finney Boylan does a stellar job of tying up loose ends.
As reviewed by Sally at Bending the Bookshelf
nlwisz's review against another edition
DNF—Couldn’t really get into it, and have to return to the library.
meg37's review against another edition
3.0
I was fortunate enough to win this in a Goodreads giveaway. There was a constant desire to know more the entire time I read it. I found it engaging and intriguing. A good read.
pattiecarlin's review against another edition
4.0
It's hard to say why I liked this book without being spoilery. Suffice it to say that I was hooked after the first big twist. TW for violence against an animal.
strawberries_for_sal's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
jessielynn99's review against another edition
it was not at all what the blurb promised.