Scan barcode
eowyns_helmet's review
3.0
Much of this is very beautiful. But too much reads like a straight trial transcript.
charf47's review
3.0
I absolutely loved Snow Falling on the Cedars and had high hopes for this book. These hopes were met in the first half of the book. The writing is descriptive and beautiful, throughout. Each of the characters are well developed and interesting. The case at the heart of the book is horrifying and evokes in the reader a great despair and a desire for the perpetrators to be adequately punished.
Then an incident occurs, which I will not elaborate on for fear of giving too much away, and no more is said about the case again, until very close to the end of the book. In the intervening pages the description of people, events, relationships and emotions remains beautifully evoked and expressed, but, to me, is totally removed from what I consider to be the focus of the book. This left me feeling somewhat frustrated. There may well be a parallel social commentary in this part that I have failed to discern, in which case the fault is mine and I apologise.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
Then an incident occurs, which I will not elaborate on for fear of giving too much away, and no more is said about the case again, until very close to the end of the book. In the intervening pages the description of people, events, relationships and emotions remains beautifully evoked and expressed, but, to me, is totally removed from what I consider to be the focus of the book. This left me feeling somewhat frustrated. There may well be a parallel social commentary in this part that I have failed to discern, in which case the fault is mine and I apologise.
Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.
soliteyah's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
By turns depressing and boring. Having certain characters speak in multiple-page blocks didn't really work for me; nor did the florid, paragraph-long sentences. The crime and trial were the most interesting parts of the book, while all the bloviating about aging and tea (my god, enough about the tea!) had me nodding off. I read and enjoyed Snow Falling on Cedars back in the day, but I think I'm going to skip this author from now on.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Child death
cesttemps's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jonahbarnes's review
Well, that was a little story. I'm not sure what to think of it yet. If you lean one way Guterson is saying one thing, if you lean the other, then he is saying that. I'll just assume Guterson is on the correct side, and say that it was an enjoyable read.
kristen_howe's review
sad
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
3.0
debbiecuddy's review
4.0
This book is so much more than a courtroom drama. The author takes you on a journey that explores topics as varied as family relations, the meaning of one's work, justice, religion, and aging. I really enjoyed that this book took me in a direction I wasn't expecting.
shirin_mandi's review
5.0
"You already know about sadness, there can’t be anything in the book sadder than what you already know."
It is very hard to express my feelings, heartbroken, touched, sorrowful, and even wonder, how could this happen! How’d we come to this?
"The whole thing was sad. To tell you the truth, a lot of things in my work are sad. It’s sort of a sad world to have to move around in.”
This could be three stories. A writer, the narrator, his criminal attorney father, and his last case, an Ethiopian girl.
This was mostly a court story, not a mystery. An American parent was accused of killing her adopted Ethiopian daughter. When their four other children described the day their sister died, it was so sad!
"She’d had the sinking feeling, hurrying home, leaving everybody else behind, running, finally, with tears blurring her vision, that something was wrong with people. You would think, she said, that people were better than that."
This was a very emotional story with a unique writing style. The relationship between father and son is beautifully expressed. The story of the tragic life of Abigail was so moving. A very unforgettable read.
Undying Thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group via NetGalley to give me a chance to read The Final Case by David Guterson, I have given my honest review.
Pub Date: 11 Jan 2022
Review Date: 04 Jan 2022
It is very hard to express my feelings, heartbroken, touched, sorrowful, and even wonder, how could this happen! How’d we come to this?
"The whole thing was sad. To tell you the truth, a lot of things in my work are sad. It’s sort of a sad world to have to move around in.”
This could be three stories. A writer, the narrator, his criminal attorney father, and his last case, an Ethiopian girl.
This was mostly a court story, not a mystery. An American parent was accused of killing her adopted Ethiopian daughter. When their four other children described the day their sister died, it was so sad!
"She’d had the sinking feeling, hurrying home, leaving everybody else behind, running, finally, with tears blurring her vision, that something was wrong with people. You would think, she said, that people were better than that."
This was a very emotional story with a unique writing style. The relationship between father and son is beautifully expressed. The story of the tragic life of Abigail was so moving. A very unforgettable read.
Undying Thanks to Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group via NetGalley to give me a chance to read The Final Case by David Guterson, I have given my honest review.
Pub Date: 11 Jan 2022
Review Date: 04 Jan 2022
devynne12's review
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5