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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
This story was told from multiple points of view and at times, I had to go back and reread sections to make sure I was understanding and keeping the story straight, but that may have just been because I was so caught up in reading and finding out what was happening.
This was a great story that shows actions do have consequences... even years later.
This was a great story that shows actions do have consequences... even years later.
I didn’t feel a connection to the characters outside of what happened in the beginning.
fast-paced
This one is as contrived as his first novel
(Black Chalk), and is again filled with
bloated prose. Lots of tangential information
that does not move the story along -- one
character's political ambitions, another
character's dissertations on rocks and
glaciers, another one's cooking abilities.
Yawn, yawn, yawn.
And as well it has a similar formula to the
first novel where it takes place in several
different times with various voices.
The motive for what happens in the first chapter:
Atrocious and contrived. Hated it.
And the ending! Ugh. again disappointing
as it was in the first novel. Confusing to many
of the readers yet again.
I'm done reading this author.
(Black Chalk), and is again filled with
bloated prose. Lots of tangential information
that does not move the story along -- one
character's political ambitions, another
character's dissertations on rocks and
glaciers, another one's cooking abilities.
Yawn, yawn, yawn.
And as well it has a similar formula to the
first novel where it takes place in several
different times with various voices.
The motive for what happens in the first chapter:
Atrocious and contrived. Hated it.
And the ending! Ugh. again disappointing
as it was in the first novel. Confusing to many
of the readers yet again.
I'm done reading this author.
Christopher J. Yates was author unknown to me, but the premise of this book was so intriguing that I had to read it & I'm very glad I did. What a talented author Yates is! Grist Mill Road is a multi-layered, nuanced story that will keep you guessing, break your heart numerous times, and cause you to ponder events in your own life that served as the foundation for later developments. Yates takes his readers back to, alternately, 1982 and 2008. Two friends, Matthew and Patrick ("Patch"), ages 13 and 12, try to find their way through pubescence. Patrick is a follower, Matthew a leader, but a tragedy separates them until 2008 when they are reunited and events unfold quickly. By that time, Patrick has been married for 4 years to Hannah, their young friend who suffered immeasurably and permanently because of the actions of both Patrick and Matthew. Yates employs all three characters as narrators as he skillfully reveals what really happened on that fateful day in the New York woods, and shows how assumptions propelled the three forward until, 26 years later, the inevitable reckoning occurs. Grist Mill Road would make an excellent selection for book clubs because there are a number of provocative, deliberation-inspiring themes ripe for exploration and discussion. Grist Mill Road deserves to be a major best-seller. I can't wait to read more from Yates.
I rounded up a 3.5 to 4 stars. I REALLY like the twists and resolutions to the plot in 1982. I did not expect the intricacy.
The way they resolved the present day (2008?) issues was really disappointing. How did Patch get away with Matthew’s murder? Wasn’t the homicide detective with Hannah? Why on earth would Hannah take him back? Does Hannah EVER admit her faults rather than being the tragic hero? Or am I missing the whole point - Hannah and Patch are both awful and we should be glad they’re keeping each other busy?
The way they resolved the present day (2008?) issues was really disappointing. How did Patch get away with Matthew’s murder? Wasn’t the homicide detective with Hannah? Why on earth would Hannah take him back? Does Hannah EVER admit her faults rather than being the tragic hero? Or am I missing the whole point - Hannah and Patch are both awful and we should be glad they’re keeping each other busy?
I found this book frustrating, as it felt like it could have been so great but instead felt repetitive and annoying. It's told from the point of view of three characters, two male and one female, and the female voice was not believable to me. Also, one of the male characters seemed very repetitive; those sections could have been tightened up with some editing. Additionally, it wasn't explained how one of the characters became immensely wealthy and powerful, which I found highly annoying and not believable. I loved Yates' prior book but didn't enjoy this one so much. When what was supposed to be an important twist was finally revealed after far too much teasing, it didn't carry the emotional weight it needed to make the plot work.
When it comes to the plot and content of Grist Mill Road, this novel is one of those books that is hard to describe without revealing spoilers.
The novel opens with a horrific act that binds three adolescents - Patrick, Hanna, and Matthew - together and further proceeds with how the act has impacted their lives moving forward. Each of the three characters reveals the story in alternating past and present chapters, which not only reveals what happened but how and why the disturbing incident occurred.
From reading the novel, the narration is done by not one, but three unreliable narrators which added to the enjoyment of the discovery of what truly happened between the three teenagers on that terrible day in the woods.
For this reader, ninety-five percent of the novel was headed for a five-star, knock out review. The plot was original, the characters wonderfully developed and the story compelling and interesting. As the story was revealed, the reader is pleasantly teased and led astray and just when the reader thinks the plot is known, a new kernel is added that sends it spinning in a different direction.
Unfortunately, the ending to the novel was a disappointment. There is a glaring plot development that goes completely unexplained and another one that created an ambiguous nature to the motives of one of the character's in such a manner that it derailed the story enough to lessen the impact of the ending for this reader.
Still, the novel is recommended for fans of Dennis Lehane and George Pelecanos.
The novel opens with a horrific act that binds three adolescents - Patrick, Hanna, and Matthew - together and further proceeds with how the act has impacted their lives moving forward. Each of the three characters reveals the story in alternating past and present chapters, which not only reveals what happened but how and why the disturbing incident occurred.
From reading the novel, the narration is done by not one, but three unreliable narrators which added to the enjoyment of the discovery of what truly happened between the three teenagers on that terrible day in the woods.
For this reader, ninety-five percent of the novel was headed for a five-star, knock out review. The plot was original, the characters wonderfully developed and the story compelling and interesting. As the story was revealed, the reader is pleasantly teased and led astray and just when the reader thinks the plot is known, a new kernel is added that sends it spinning in a different direction.
Unfortunately, the ending to the novel was a disappointment. There is a glaring plot development that goes completely unexplained and another one that created an ambiguous nature to the motives of one of the character's in such a manner that it derailed the story enough to lessen the impact of the ending for this reader.
Still, the novel is recommended for fans of Dennis Lehane and George Pelecanos.
Thanks to Goodreads for this book, which I won in a give-away! I enjoyed it, and am sure that this will be coming soon to a silver screen near you.
The story begins in 1982, somewhere in a seemingly idyllic town of upstate New York. Three young teens (Matthew, Patrick and Hannah) spend a day together, a brutal and disturbing crime is committed, and their lives are changed forever. This is the first Christopher Yates book I’ve read, and I will go back to read his debut novel, Black Chalk. Narration alternates between Matthew, Patrick and Hannah. The characters are complex, yet the writing is concise and conversational. You are able to just allow the flow of the book and the characters’ emotions take you along on their journey. Another praise for the writing style is that it really paints a picture you can see in your mind. You can see the places where this is happening with such clarity.
As for a synopsis of the book, I don’t want to give anything away! There are quite a few plot twists that you are better off not knowing. Suffice it to say that August 18, 1982, will link these three together forever. As I started the book, I really thought that perhaps it wasn’t for me (after the horrible crime that was committed). Then bam, there is a surprise fairly early in the book, and you are left scratching your head, thinking what?? I had to keep reading to find out how in the world that happened, and became totally engrossed in the story. So stop reading other people’s review! You really want to go into this not knowing what happens next. It is an intense read, full of love and tragedy, truth and lies, good and evil.
https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/
The story begins in 1982, somewhere in a seemingly idyllic town of upstate New York. Three young teens (Matthew, Patrick and Hannah) spend a day together, a brutal and disturbing crime is committed, and their lives are changed forever. This is the first Christopher Yates book I’ve read, and I will go back to read his debut novel, Black Chalk. Narration alternates between Matthew, Patrick and Hannah. The characters are complex, yet the writing is concise and conversational. You are able to just allow the flow of the book and the characters’ emotions take you along on their journey. Another praise for the writing style is that it really paints a picture you can see in your mind. You can see the places where this is happening with such clarity.
As for a synopsis of the book, I don’t want to give anything away! There are quite a few plot twists that you are better off not knowing. Suffice it to say that August 18, 1982, will link these three together forever. As I started the book, I really thought that perhaps it wasn’t for me (after the horrible crime that was committed). Then bam, there is a surprise fairly early in the book, and you are left scratching your head, thinking what?? I had to keep reading to find out how in the world that happened, and became totally engrossed in the story. So stop reading other people’s review! You really want to go into this not knowing what happens next. It is an intense read, full of love and tragedy, truth and lies, good and evil.
https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/