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allenjd's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jakewritesbooks's review
4.0
And so I circle back to the beginning of William Boyle’s catalog, with his new one Shoot the Moonlight Out already in hand.
I tried reading Gravesend multiple times over the years. But it didn’t stick. It reminded me of George Pelecanos’ work, which I admire more than enjoy: character-focused neighborhood-centric stories in which crime just randomly happens and people get drawn in because they can’t escape their circumstances. Those books always sound like fun more than they read like it.
At the onset of the pandemic, with nothing else to do, I tried The Lonely Witness, since it seemed like a straightforward crime story. And it was, but I also think it’s Boyle’s weakest book. It tells the story from only one perspective, a character I wasn’t much interested in. Boyle’s strength is doing multiple character’s and their POVs.
City of Margins was his newest one as of last year and I grabbed it while still quarantined. It was very good, a step up over everything and made me think there was something to this Boyle. And then I got to A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself, which rocketed him to my favorite authors list. An excellent book.
So at last, for white whale, I went back to where it all began and this one is as good as anything he’s written. Now that I know his rhythms as a writer, I appreciate them more. He has a GRRM-esque ability to write characters that play against type: the vengeance-seeking brother of a murdered kid whose heart isn’t into revenge, the released ex con who wants to die but doesn’t know how, the failed actress who knows its over even if she refuses to say it out loud, the wannabe tough guy 15-year old with a bad limp. Above them are the older folks that populate the depressed area of Gravesend, Brooklyn, waiting for their turn to die.
I loved how the story unfolded, particularly around the revenge narrative and Alessandra’s. The kid’s less so, though it had a great conclusion.
All in all, it’s a great effort from Boyle who is one of the best out there with these outerboro NYC crime stories in which people can never really leave their neighborhoods.
I tried reading Gravesend multiple times over the years. But it didn’t stick. It reminded me of George Pelecanos’ work, which I admire more than enjoy: character-focused neighborhood-centric stories in which crime just randomly happens and people get drawn in because they can’t escape their circumstances. Those books always sound like fun more than they read like it.
At the onset of the pandemic, with nothing else to do, I tried The Lonely Witness, since it seemed like a straightforward crime story. And it was, but I also think it’s Boyle’s weakest book. It tells the story from only one perspective, a character I wasn’t much interested in. Boyle’s strength is doing multiple character’s and their POVs.
City of Margins was his newest one as of last year and I grabbed it while still quarantined. It was very good, a step up over everything and made me think there was something to this Boyle. And then I got to A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself, which rocketed him to my favorite authors list. An excellent book.
So at last, for white whale, I went back to where it all began and this one is as good as anything he’s written. Now that I know his rhythms as a writer, I appreciate them more. He has a GRRM-esque ability to write characters that play against type: the vengeance-seeking brother of a murdered kid whose heart isn’t into revenge, the released ex con who wants to die but doesn’t know how, the failed actress who knows its over even if she refuses to say it out loud, the wannabe tough guy 15-year old with a bad limp. Above them are the older folks that populate the depressed area of Gravesend, Brooklyn, waiting for their turn to die.
I loved how the story unfolded, particularly around the revenge narrative and Alessandra’s. The kid’s less so, though it had a great conclusion.
All in all, it’s a great effort from Boyle who is one of the best out there with these outerboro NYC crime stories in which people can never really leave their neighborhoods.
kaisu's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, and Suicidal thoughts
okenwillow's review against another edition
3.0
« Noir c’est noir, il n’y a plus d’espoir… » Voilà, qui illustre à merveille l’ambiance promise par la collection et la quatrième de couverture. Ce premier roman est saisissant de réalisme, l’auteur manie les descriptions avec une grande justesse, ses personnages sont presque palpables, l’ambiance est effectivement très noire, parfois glauque, et l’espoir y a bien peu de place.
[Vous pouvez lire la suite sur mon blog, merci :)]
[Vous pouvez lire la suite sur mon blog, merci :)]
tdblaylock's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
tommooney's review
3.0
GRAVESEND by William Boyle. A dark, sad modern noir that, while not at all original, is well written and very evocative of Brooklyn. Ray Boy Calabrese is just out of prison after serving 16 years for a hate crime that left a gay teenger dead. The victim's brother, Conway, thinks he has more to pay than just prison time. And so follows a plot with other interesting characters twisted in and an explosive ending that leaves a bitter, depressing taste in the mouth. This is all fine and well and I enjoyed reading it. But it's been done a hundred times before (to better and worse extents) by George Pelecanos, Dennis Lehane et al.
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
And so I circle back to the beginning of William Boyle’s catalog, with his new one Shoot the Moonlight Out already in hand.
I tried reading Gravesend multiple times over the years. But it didn’t stick. It reminded me of George Pelecanos’ work, which I admire more than enjoy: character-focused neighborhood-centric stories in which crime just randomly happens and people get drawn in because they can’t escape their circumstances. Those books always sound like fun more than they read like it.
At the onset of the pandemic, with nothing else to do, I tried The Lonely Witness, since it seemed like a straightforward crime story. And it was, but I also think it’s Boyle’s weakest book. It tells the story from only one perspective, a character I wasn’t much interested in. Boyle’s strength is doing multiple character’s and their POVs.
City of Margins was his newest one as of last year and I grabbed it while still quarantined. It was very good, a step up over everything and made me think there was something to this Boyle. And then I got to A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself, which rocketed him to my favorite authors list. An excellent book.
So at last, for white whale, I went back to where it all began and this one is as good as anything he’s written. Now that I know his rhythms as a writer, I appreciate them more. He has a GRRM-esque ability to write characters that play against type: the vengeance-seeking brother of a murdered kid whose heart isn’t into revenge, the released ex con who wants to die but doesn’t know how, the failed actress who knows its over even if she refuses to say it out loud, the wannabe tough guy 15-year old with a bad limp. Above them are the older folks that populate the depressed area of Gravesend, Brooklyn, waiting for their turn to die.
I loved how the story unfolded, particularly around the revenge narrative and Alessandra’s. The kid’s less so, though it had a great conclusion.
All in all, it’s a great effort from Boyle who is one of the best out there with these outerboro NYC crime stories in which people can never really leave their neighborhoods.
I tried reading Gravesend multiple times over the years. But it didn’t stick. It reminded me of George Pelecanos’ work, which I admire more than enjoy: character-focused neighborhood-centric stories in which crime just randomly happens and people get drawn in because they can’t escape their circumstances. Those books always sound like fun more than they read like it.
At the onset of the pandemic, with nothing else to do, I tried The Lonely Witness, since it seemed like a straightforward crime story. And it was, but I also think it’s Boyle’s weakest book. It tells the story from only one perspective, a character I wasn’t much interested in. Boyle’s strength is doing multiple character’s and their POVs.
City of Margins was his newest one as of last year and I grabbed it while still quarantined. It was very good, a step up over everything and made me think there was something to this Boyle. And then I got to A Friend is a Gift You Give Yourself, which rocketed him to my favorite authors list. An excellent book.
So at last, for white whale, I went back to where it all began and this one is as good as anything he’s written. Now that I know his rhythms as a writer, I appreciate them more. He has a GRRM-esque ability to write characters that play against type: the vengeance-seeking brother of a murdered kid whose heart isn’t into revenge, the released ex con who wants to die but doesn’t know how, the failed actress who knows its over even if she refuses to say it out loud, the wannabe tough guy 15-year old with a bad limp. Above them are the older folks that populate the depressed area of Gravesend, Brooklyn, waiting for their turn to die.
I loved how the story unfolded, particularly around the revenge narrative and Alessandra’s. The kid’s less so, though it had a great conclusion.
All in all, it’s a great effort from Boyle who is one of the best out there with these outerboro NYC crime stories in which people can never really leave their neighborhoods.
moreadsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Three & 1/2 stars, because while this did not quite make me laugh out loud at how perfectly it was crafted as did Boyle's other books (which makes sense since those other books came after this) the seeds of spectacular are all here & it is a pretty fine book if relentless bleakness and flawless dialogue is your thing. I get a real kick out of William Boyle as a writer and I hope he continues to rock my world with his Brooklyn books for a long time to come.
gracesp's review
4.0
I thoroughly enjoyed the writing, setting, characters. Wasn't sure why the book ended where it did. It was sort of like a bad night out -- things started poorly and got worse from there. I hate random color in a book; it has to be meted out. I'm not sure about some of this Brooklyn color. I'd waited so long for this book to be printed and then to turn up at my library I was a tiny bit disappointed in the end.
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