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joshish's review against another edition
5.0
AHHHH Love this so much! 10/10 read for those whole like storytelling as a whole.
savaging's review against another edition
4.0
There is so much to love about this book. A humble magical realism, where a dirty seaside town includes an over-loquacious crow, a helpful bear, and a human who can smell pain.
A star knocked off for so much 'grinning.' Everyone's always grinning, like we're in a Manic Pixie Dream Village. Also Doyle seems to have a kind of conservative bent regarding cops and abortion and the New Testament.
A star knocked off for so much 'grinning.' Everyone's always grinning, like we're in a Manic Pixie Dream Village. Also Doyle seems to have a kind of conservative bent regarding cops and abortion and the New Testament.
wanderinglynn's review against another edition
This is the second time I've tried to read this book and I'm finally calling it quits at 15%.
This is not a book for me. Most of the time I felt myself skimming because nothing happened. This book, at least as far as I read, basically contains vignettes or interludes on various residents' day to day lives. The story, if there is one, focuses on the town than on any character. And so, there doesn't seem to be an actual plot. Maybe had the town actually come to life somehow. . .
At first, some of the prose was quite descriptive. But the run-on nature felt more like poetry and made me skim more and more in an effort to try to find a plot. For example, from the first page (as is printed in the book):
This is not a book for me. Most of the time I felt myself skimming because nothing happened. This book, at least as far as I read, basically contains vignettes or interludes on various residents' day to day lives. The story, if there is one, focuses on the town than on any character. And so, there doesn't seem to be an actual plot. Maybe had the town actually come to life somehow. . .
At first, some of the prose was quite descriptive. But the run-on nature felt more like poetry and made me skim more and more in an effort to try to find a plot. For example, from the first page (as is printed in the book):
Not an especially stunning town, stunningtownwise—there are no ancient stone houses perched at impossible angles over eye-popping vistas with little old ladies in black shawls selling goat cheese in the piazza while you hear Puccini faintly in the background sung by a stunning raven-haired teenage girl who doesn't yet know the power and poetry of her voice not to mention everything else.
Yes, that is 1 paragraph as it is written. Run-on, no punctuation save for the em dash. (And he seems to love em dashes as there are 4 on the first page.) It felt as if the author was trying too hard to be "literary". Some sentences went on and on and on, with so many metaphors or descriptions. I had to often stop and reread a half page (or more) because I'd lose the thread of the sentence due to the lack of punctuation and run-ons. A prime example is this overly wordy sentence from part 1, chapter 9 that introduces Owen and his pet crow Moses:
Close your eyes for a minute and think of all the closets you have ever crammed with stuff, and all the basement workbenches asprawl with tools, and the shelves crowded with fishing gear and sports equipment and paintbrushes and furnace filters and nails and eyelets and grommets and washers and such, and merge them all in your mind, not haphazardly but with a general sense of order a relaxed and affectionate organization sense, such that you would have a pretty good rough idea where something might be if you need to find it, and when you went to look for it you would find it in less than a minute and even when something took more than a minute to find, you would find something else that you'd been looking for not desperately but assiduously; then think of all the rich dark male smells you have ever liked, the smells that remind you of your dad, your grandfather, your uncle, your older brother.
At least this "sentence" had some punctuation.
He also uses the technique of repetition, which can work if not overused. But he would fill an entire page, and the use felt more poetic than prose (italics added):
Grace is on her knees in a bed. No Horses is on her knees in the woods in the dark by her unconscious son who is face-down his shattered knees wet with blood and mud. Maple Head is on her knees in her kitchen looking for a broiling pan. The doctor is on his knees in his closet looking for his mudding boots. The man who lied in court is kneeling on the beach praying. Cedar is on his knees in the doctor's tool shed looking for rope. Worried Man is on his knees on the porch of the Department of Public Works praying. Rachel is on her knees in the tub of the cabin up in the hills. Her boyfriend Timmy is on his knees facing her. . . .
And this goes on for an entire page. And this is basically the entire "chapter".
While something like conversations occur, there aren't any quotation marks. So I wasn't clear if it was supposed to be dialogue or some record of an exchange. So I'll call it an "exchange" instead of "dialogue" because of the lack of quotation marks. Given that there was no plot, it's hard to tell. But these exchanges are written one paragraph at a time, often as short sentences, such as:
Yum, says the taller of the two men.
Yup, says the other.
Not everyone likes salmonberries.
Vulgarians.
I am told they are an acquired taste.
Vulagarians?
Salmonberries.
Yeh. Listen this afternoon we have to get back to work on. the Oral History Project. We promised that we would get back to work on it the day after the rains stopped and the rains stopped last night and we have to get to work We are behind something awful on the Oral History Project.
One of our best ideas absolutely. Whose idea was that?
Yours.
Was it?
And this exchange goes on page and a half. And dialogue didn't always feel authentic, didn't flow as a conversation would. Again, it felt more like poetry than prose.
This book is largely about the town overall, not about individuals, which made it difficult to distinguish between the individual characters. And there certainly wasn't any character development because the characters were all flat and lifeless. Maybe I missed the deeper point or meaning because I didn't get far enough into the book. But since I found it difficult to read because of how disjointed it was and how much the writing meandered, I couldn't make myself read more than I did.
Sadly, not for me.
romylu's review against another edition
5.0
Beautifully written, enchanting book. I was sad to part ways with the characters with whom I had become so enthralled.
emath98's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
hunnyblood's review
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sunrays118's review against another edition
2.0
Before you read this book you need to ask yourself a couple questions. 1. How do you feel about lists? 2. How do you feel about the word "fecking"?
If you can stand those two things, lists and the word "fecking", consider that in this book, both are used about 300 times.
There is no plot to this book. It is an impressively Pacific Northwest story. The author is not trying to write about anything he does not know. This book is essentially his version of his story. The characters, well, truly, there is only one character, are just names with no personalities. The story is simply a series of facts happening at the same time, "He washed a dish." "A person in another house washed a mug." There is no plot, no characters, no development. Nothing changes, at all. There is nothing here really. The author tries again and again to lead you to think something might happen but then 'everyone went home.'
There is no real moral or lesson. Nothing is gleaned from the novel. My only real take away is a profound hatred of lists and the word "fecking".
One last point, the book does not seem to contain grammar. If you like commas or periods or quote marks, steer clear. The lack of punctuation, correct formatting, sentences that are actual sentences, made this book a confusing mess of words with no point. The author I'm sure was convinced it made the writing unique and memorable but all it did was add layers upon layers of distance and frustration. It is impossible to feel anything for anyone in the book or the "story." It is just a mess of words and lists and the word "fecking."
Of the three books read this year with talking crows, this is by far the worst.
If you can stand those two things, lists and the word "fecking", consider that in this book, both are used about 300 times.
There is no plot to this book. It is an impressively Pacific Northwest story. The author is not trying to write about anything he does not know. This book is essentially his version of his story. The characters, well, truly, there is only one character, are just names with no personalities. The story is simply a series of facts happening at the same time, "He washed a dish." "A person in another house washed a mug." There is no plot, no characters, no development. Nothing changes, at all. There is nothing here really. The author tries again and again to lead you to think something might happen but then 'everyone went home.'
There is no real moral or lesson. Nothing is gleaned from the novel. My only real take away is a profound hatred of lists and the word "fecking".
One last point, the book does not seem to contain grammar. If you like commas or periods or quote marks, steer clear. The lack of punctuation, correct formatting, sentences that are actual sentences, made this book a confusing mess of words with no point. The author I'm sure was convinced it made the writing unique and memorable but all it did was add layers upon layers of distance and frustration. It is impossible to feel anything for anyone in the book or the "story." It is just a mess of words and lists and the word "fecking."
Of the three books read this year with talking crows, this is by far the worst.
proustiansquid22's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
smokyseagoat's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5