Scan barcode
mediocreatworst's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest and Sexual harassment
undadarsea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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? No
4.0
billymac1962's review against another edition
1.0
No, no, no.
I have been meaning to read Bentley Little for well over twenty years, but his aguably best, The Store, has been so hard to find.
Recently it has been released for Kindle, so I was pretty quick to grab it.
23% in I had to stop.
As I've said in other reviews, I don't care how depraved things can get. In fact, the more depraved, the better! What I can't stand, though, are writers who defy human nature in their characters.
Even though this happens 23% in, I'll still protect this as a spoiler to that point.
Imagine you are an eighteen year old girl, or young lady if you prefer.
I don't care what small town you're from, but if you allow yourself to be degraded by submitting to a lie detector test TOPLESS, and agree to submit to giving a urine test fully nude in front of your interviewer, take a day or two to let that sink in, THEN run a gauntlet of verbal and physical abuse, only dressed in bra and panties, of course, all this for a MINIMUM wage crap job at a big-box store, you allow yourself all this? And you accept their embaces after, they say they love you and you say you love them, too, wiping tears from your eyes.
If you can accept that as how a character would react, then sure, give The Store a try. You'll probably love it. I may have loved it when I was twelve.
But I have no time for authors that are so out of touch with what people would logically do.
I have been meaning to read Bentley Little for well over twenty years, but his aguably best, The Store, has been so hard to find.
Recently it has been released for Kindle, so I was pretty quick to grab it.
23% in I had to stop.
As I've said in other reviews, I don't care how depraved things can get. In fact, the more depraved, the better! What I can't stand, though, are writers who defy human nature in their characters.
Even though this happens 23% in, I'll still protect this as a spoiler to that point.
Spoiler
Imagine you are an eighteen year old girl, or young lady if you prefer.
I don't care what small town you're from, but if you allow yourself to be degraded by submitting to a lie detector test TOPLESS, and agree to submit to giving a urine test fully nude in front of your interviewer, take a day or two to let that sink in, THEN run a gauntlet of verbal and physical abuse, only dressed in bra and panties, of course, all this for a MINIMUM wage crap job at a big-box store, you allow yourself all this? And you accept their embaces after, they say they love you and you say you love them, too, wiping tears from your eyes.
If you can accept that as how a character would react, then sure, give The Store a try. You'll probably love it. I may have loved it when I was twelve.
But I have no time for authors that are so out of touch with what people would logically do.
grimscribe114's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25
bstanwyck's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I love how forward Bentley Little is with his politics, and how much he hates corporate America. As a former retail chain employee, a lot of this rang true (and seems not too far beyond the realm of possibility).