You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
tense
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:
Yes
Joan Samson’s The Auctioneer is among the most impressive debut novels I’ve read. It’s an immense loss to readers that Samson died before writing a second.
Perly Dunsmore, a charismatic auctioneer, arrives in Harlowe, New Hampshire with plans to help its citizens sell *everything*. Those who resist and those who do his bidding all find they do so at their own peril. Grady Hendrix notes in his introduction that contemporary marketing materials compared it to Shirley Jackson, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Samson wrote The Auctioneer as a reaction to—or at least in conversation with—Jackson’s “The Summer People” and “The Lottery.”
Perly Dunsmore, a charismatic auctioneer, arrives in Harlowe, New Hampshire with plans to help its citizens sell *everything*. Those who resist and those who do his bidding all find they do so at their own peril. Grady Hendrix notes in his introduction that contemporary marketing materials compared it to Shirley Jackson, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Samson wrote The Auctioneer as a reaction to—or at least in conversation with—Jackson’s “The Summer People” and “The Lottery.”
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Imagine if you had to give your life up a little at a time. How much would you give before you fought back or would you fight back at all? That's what is happening to the residents of Harlowe when a slick auctioneer moves into town. The suspense in this book starts almost at once and builds and builds throughout. I really liked reading about John and Miriam and trying to figure out what they would do next. This is a great classic novel that's definitely worth a read.
This was an easy 4 star read for me-I enjoyed this very much and would highly recommend, but be forewarned this is a slow, slow burn of a book and not much happens in the way of action/thriller/suspense and your traditional horror elements. BUT..in my opinion this book embodies the kind of quiet horror that is in the realm of possibility that is way more terrifying than any sort of ghost or monster.
This book left me so angry and frustrated with the central characters while simultaneously wanting to scoop in and save them. Their vulnerability is so relatable, as much as we all like to believe that we are very unlikely to be in a situation that would strip us of everything and render us victims-this book actually had me thinking, “this is something that could happen to me and to people I love”. That’s just a testament of how effective and powerful Samson’s writing is.
Long story short, lol. If one of your fears is the idea of being powerless and falling victim to the “powers that be”and feeling completely helpless to your circumstances, this book is for you.
This book left me so angry and frustrated with the central characters while simultaneously wanting to scoop in and save them. Their vulnerability is so relatable, as much as we all like to believe that we are very unlikely to be in a situation that would strip us of everything and render us victims-this book actually had me thinking, “this is something that could happen to me and to people I love”. That’s just a testament of how effective and powerful Samson’s writing is.
Long story short, lol. If one of your fears is the idea of being powerless and falling victim to the “powers that be”and feeling completely helpless to your circumstances, this book is for you.
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Absolutely hated this book. Should have listened to my gut and stopped reading at page 120. This book is extremely slow and there's really no payoff. Feels like there's a libertarian message of being taxed so much you can no longer provide for your family. Do yourself a favor and read anything else.
Un romanzo basato sull'indecisione e sull'insicurezza. Quella dei personaggi che non sanno reagire in alcun modo o che quando ci provano non ottengono alcun effetto significativo. Ma anche l'indecisione di una trama che prepara e prepara ma non decolla mai per davvero. L'astenia di un'intera comunità basata ormai sull'individualità e che ha dimenticato i valori di un tempo. L'indecisione di un finale non finale.
L'ho letto aspettando tutt'altro, ma se la missione di Samson era trasmettere angoscia, senso di oppressione e rabbia impotente... c'è riuscita!
L'ho letto aspettando tutt'altro, ma se la missione di Samson era trasmettere angoscia, senso di oppressione e rabbia impotente... c'è riuscita!
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No