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mystikai's review against another edition
3.0
This has absolutely nothing to do with wizards (only a small mention about one near the end) but all about a man named Jim. It was basically a diary of Jim’s life when he is in Worcester the place he grew up. He is there as his dad is having open heart surgery and he is there to take care of him. During that time he gets in with his old friend Joe, who is much into drinks and drugs and things take a turn for the worse.
I didn’t think much to this book if I am honest, it didn’t capture me. There was no exciting plot, drugs and drink seemed to be all Jim and Joe did together and Jim lending money to Joe. Worcester didn’t sound like a nice place at all. Jim actually annoyed me actually. Yes he may have been having a tough time losing his job, going to look after his dad, but he was in a relationship and just sleeps with a random girl he meets in the hospital waiting room.
The narrator did capture me though; his voice reminded me of the intro to the 80’s TV show of The A-Team.
I didn’t think much to this book if I am honest, it didn’t capture me. There was no exciting plot, drugs and drink seemed to be all Jim and Joe did together and Jim lending money to Joe. Worcester didn’t sound like a nice place at all. Jim actually annoyed me actually. Yes he may have been having a tough time losing his job, going to look after his dad, but he was in a relationship and just sleeps with a random girl he meets in the hospital waiting room.
The narrator did capture me though; his voice reminded me of the intro to the 80’s TV show of The A-Team.
shadda's review against another edition
1.0
Firstly, I am not the target audience for this book. The characters hate the sort of person I am and state it throughout the book, which makes it especially hard to empathize with them when their bad decisions lead to bad places. The narrator, Jim, is himself the sort of person that his friends would presume to hate and this causes him some measure of internal conflict, but Jim isn't really a strong enough character to offer counterpoint. The message seems to be that America rewards those who are willing to "go with the system" and that those who rebel ultimately create their own system of failure that they're unable to escape from. Cool, I guess, if the only America is the America of the working class.
Secondly, the author's writing style ultimately fails to engage me. He has plenty of quotable moments, but the connecting bits drag. He also employs a *lot* of anaphora and polysyndeton (literary devices that use repetition of words or phrases for an effect) and while this is likely meant to make a statement about Jim's life and the lives of the people he left behind, my lack of engagement made them seem gimmicky.
Ultimately, this is a very insular feeling novel, and I think that my colleague from Massachusetts would love it. My fellow non-Americans, however, may that insularity a weakness. Much like mid-western Trump supporters, the concerns of this novel deserve to be heard, but do not outweigh the concerns of everything and everyone else in the world, and when the characters seem intent on shooting themselves in the foot, it's hard to sit back and cheer them on.
Secondly, the author's writing style ultimately fails to engage me. He has plenty of quotable moments, but the connecting bits drag. He also employs a *lot* of anaphora and polysyndeton (literary devices that use repetition of words or phrases for an effect) and while this is likely meant to make a statement about Jim's life and the lives of the people he left behind, my lack of engagement made them seem gimmicky.
Ultimately, this is a very insular feeling novel, and I think that my colleague from Massachusetts would love it. My fellow non-Americans, however, may that insularity a weakness. Much like mid-western Trump supporters, the concerns of this novel deserve to be heard, but do not outweigh the concerns of everything and everyone else in the world, and when the characters seem intent on shooting themselves in the foot, it's hard to sit back and cheer them on.
aaronlindsey's review against another edition
2.0
I didn't hate it. I just didn't really get it. It was like being on a long bus ride, talking to a stranger in the seat next to you. Every once in a while they say something interesting, funny, or even share a bit of wisdom, but when you reach your destination, it's a relief that you don't have to talk to them anymore.
This is a story of Jim Monaghan returning to his hometown to care for his father who is having surgery. We travel with Jim as he wanders around, mostly depressed and downtrodden. Within the few weeks we're with Jim, tragedy strikes, loves are found and lost, and a mean caretaker joins his dad.
I hate giving bad reviews for books, especially books written by very talented authors like Colin Dodds, but I have to be honest or I would not be able to live with myself.
This is a story of Jim Monaghan returning to his hometown to care for his father who is having surgery. We travel with Jim as he wanders around, mostly depressed and downtrodden. Within the few weeks we're with Jim, tragedy strikes, loves are found and lost, and a mean caretaker joins his dad.
I hate giving bad reviews for books, especially books written by very talented authors like Colin Dodds, but I have to be honest or I would not be able to live with myself.
qofdnz's review against another edition
3.0
This was a raw and depressing read. I liked that it was based in New England. I did not like how the dialogue and writing in general was a little off and sometimes stiff. Potential but it slightly missed.
jkuempel's review
4.0
Starts slow, but it made me feel the oppression of Worcester and connected with me in those passages that intimated feelings of futility, being lost, and figuring out who you are.
shadda's review
1.0
Firstly, I am not the target audience for this book. The characters hate the sort of person I am and state it throughout the book, which makes it especially hard to empathize with them when their bad decisions lead to bad places. The narrator, Jim, is himself the sort of person that his friends would presume to hate and this causes him some measure of internal conflict, but Jim isn't really a strong enough character to offer counterpoint. The message seems to be that America rewards those who are willing to "go with the system" and that those who rebel ultimately create their own system of failure that they're unable to escape from. Cool, I guess, if the only America is the America of the working class.
Secondly, the author's writing style ultimately fails to engage me. He has plenty of quotable moments, but the connecting bits drag. He also employs a *lot* of anaphora and polysyndeton (literary devices that use repetition of words or phrases for an effect) and while this is likely meant to make a statement about Jim's life and the lives of the people he left behind, my lack of engagement made them seem gimmicky.
Ultimately, this is a very insular feeling novel, and I think that my colleague from Massachusetts would love it. My fellow non-Americans, however, may that insularity a weakness. Much like mid-western Trump supporters, the concerns of this novel deserve to be heard, but do not outweigh the concerns of everything and everyone else in the world, and when the characters seem intent on shooting themselves in the foot, it's hard to sit back and cheer them on.
Secondly, the author's writing style ultimately fails to engage me. He has plenty of quotable moments, but the connecting bits drag. He also employs a *lot* of anaphora and polysyndeton (literary devices that use repetition of words or phrases for an effect) and while this is likely meant to make a statement about Jim's life and the lives of the people he left behind, my lack of engagement made them seem gimmicky.
Ultimately, this is a very insular feeling novel, and I think that my colleague from Massachusetts would love it. My fellow non-Americans, however, may that insularity a weakness. Much like mid-western Trump supporters, the concerns of this novel deserve to be heard, but do not outweigh the concerns of everything and everyone else in the world, and when the characters seem intent on shooting themselves in the foot, it's hard to sit back and cheer them on.
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