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adunnells's review against another edition
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
aldendms's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
fast-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
3.5
celestelee's review against another edition
4.0
My first book by this author. I was looking at reviews from this and other books of his and they felt somewhat like a cult following. I don't mean that in a negative way. It's just that there is something about the way he writes and his fans seem to hold that sacred, especially when his works are compared to another author. His character development puts me in mind of Fredrick Backman, whom I believe to be phenomenal. Didn't give it five stars because it began a bit mundane and I wasn't sure it was going anywhere...until it did. The ending was awesome and totally unexpected which almost made me forget about the more mundane. Worth the read or a listen, which is the way I roll
kyholio15's review against another edition
4.0
I rather enjoyed the tone and style of Klosterman's short novel. Well thought out, with interesting characters. The pathos was exactly what I needed at the time I read it.
teenytinylibrary's review against another edition
3.0
It took me a while to get into this book, but I started to really enjoy it around sixty pages in (I had seriously thought about abandoning it, but the bearded picture of Chuck Klosterman earnestly imploring me from the inside flap of the book jacket kept me reading) I started to like the characters and I liked the town. The characters were complex and interesting. However, I have one big beef with the book and that is the ending. I liked the blizzard, the great Deus ex Machina that it was. I didn't like that instead of resolving sticky situations in completely awkward or nonawkward ways, Klosterman kills them off. He leaves us at the end with half of a newspaper article that doesn't reveal the rest of the "six" deaths that occured during the blizzard. I felt like it was a cop-out. It's so hard reading a book that has your attention and has, against your better judgment, made you like the characters, just ends abruptly.
shanaleigh70's review against another edition
1.0
I gave myself permission to bail on this one...just didn't grab me.
vanessakm's review against another edition
3.0
I know a little something something about growing up in a small town in the mid-80's. Granted, my hometown in Kentucky was about 8000 people which makes it ten times the size of the fictional Owl, North Dakota. But still, parts of this book just felt so right to me, like driving around with your friends and parking under the water tower listening to Van Halen's 1984 on cassette. I sometimes hesitate to say a book is funny because there's this notion among some people-including me-that a book can be funny OR it can be a worthy read. But this novel is funny and worthy. I laughed out loud in several places. The one scene in English class where Klosterman lists out what all 22 students are thinking ("Robot cows", "My boyfriend has amazing hair", the meaning to the opening lines of Def Leppard's "Rock of Ages", how to kill the teacher with a crossbow) was so funny I had to resist the urge to pick up the book and start calling people so I could read it to them.
I look at reviews I've written sometimes and think, "WTF was I thinking?" and this will probably be one of those. This book reminded me a little bit of Steinbeck's [b:Cannery Row|4799|Cannery Row|John Steinbeck|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309212378s/4799.jpg|824028], which is a book I talk about way too much anyways. Owl certainly isn't up to that level but it has the same kind of episodic leisure and seeks to create a super-quirky, real-ish and beloved community in the round. The story is narrated (except for two segments) by three citizens of Owl. One is Mitch Hrlicka, a high school junior and unexceptional athlete. One is Horace, an elderly farmer and widower. The last is Julia who has just moved to Owl from Milwaukee for her first post-college teaching job. I loved them all.
It's really hard to synopsize and review books like this so I'd like to mention the two most common criticisms of it. One is that all the characters sound like Chuck Klosterman, who is better known as a pop culture essayist. The small but important distinction is it's really the omniscient narrator who sounds like Klosterman or his doppelganger. So I didn't mind that.
The other criticism is the ending. I won't spoiler anything but it's a...bold choice that Klosterman makes. I'm not sure I cared for it. In fact, I think I didn't. And I don't understand Klosterman's choice for the epilogue. What was he trying to say? I went to bed and kept waking up thinking about it. You owe me an Ambien or something, Klosterman.
But that's good when a book works overtime. I gave it three stars because--I'm not sure why. It misses the cusp of greatness. But it's greatly entertaining and engaging and it clearly stayed with me. I really was invested in Mitch, Julia and Horace. Also, I learned important blizzard survival tips.
I look at reviews I've written sometimes and think, "WTF was I thinking?" and this will probably be one of those. This book reminded me a little bit of Steinbeck's [b:Cannery Row|4799|Cannery Row|John Steinbeck|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309212378s/4799.jpg|824028], which is a book I talk about way too much anyways. Owl certainly isn't up to that level but it has the same kind of episodic leisure and seeks to create a super-quirky, real-ish and beloved community in the round. The story is narrated (except for two segments) by three citizens of Owl. One is Mitch Hrlicka, a high school junior and unexceptional athlete. One is Horace, an elderly farmer and widower. The last is Julia who has just moved to Owl from Milwaukee for her first post-college teaching job. I loved them all.
It's really hard to synopsize and review books like this so I'd like to mention the two most common criticisms of it. One is that all the characters sound like Chuck Klosterman, who is better known as a pop culture essayist. The small but important distinction is it's really the omniscient narrator who sounds like Klosterman or his doppelganger. So I didn't mind that.
The other criticism is the ending. I won't spoiler anything but it's a...bold choice that Klosterman makes. I'm not sure I cared for it. In fact, I think I didn't. And I don't understand Klosterman's choice for the epilogue. What was he trying to say? I went to bed and kept waking up thinking about it. You owe me an Ambien or something, Klosterman.
But that's good when a book works overtime. I gave it three stars because--I'm not sure why. It misses the cusp of greatness. But it's greatly entertaining and engaging and it clearly stayed with me. I really was invested in Mitch, Julia and Horace. Also, I learned important blizzard survival tips.
boygirlparty's review against another edition
1.0
Among the worst books I have ever read, probably because it reminds me of the kind of tripe I used to write when I thought I was a writer. The ending is the worst part, which is hard to imagine when you're about 100 pages in and can't tell the characters apart because their voices are all the same. Don't bother.
zoemig's review against another edition
1.0
A couple years ago I read the book Chuck Klosterman is most famous for, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs. This is pertinent, because I went into reading his first novel, Downtown Owl, wanting to enjoy it. I wanted it to be clever and smart like Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs was, but while telling a story. Unfortunately it didn't. The focus of Downtown Owl is three characters, with each chapter alternating between Mitch, a seventeen year old not so great football player, Horace, a widower who spends most of his time drinking coffee with his friends, and Julia who just moved from the big city of Milwaukee to start her career as a teacher at the tiny local high school.
All the people in Owl sound exactly like Klosterman. It's not a book you can loose yourself in because his voice is so strong, you're constantly aware that this is Chuck Klosterman. That may be a good thing when you want to have a recognizable voice for magazines, but in fiction it's usually crucial to let the characters speak for themselves, instead they all felt like Klosterman puppets. There are a few clever one liners, but overall the book lacked the energy and intelligence that Klosterman is able to take to pop culture when it comes to straight opinion pieces. Downtown Owl also lacks something which is usually required in fiction but not editorial articles- a plot, which means that ultimately I think Klosterman should stick to his expertise. *
All the people in Owl sound exactly like Klosterman. It's not a book you can loose yourself in because his voice is so strong, you're constantly aware that this is Chuck Klosterman. That may be a good thing when you want to have a recognizable voice for magazines, but in fiction it's usually crucial to let the characters speak for themselves, instead they all felt like Klosterman puppets. There are a few clever one liners, but overall the book lacked the energy and intelligence that Klosterman is able to take to pop culture when it comes to straight opinion pieces. Downtown Owl also lacks something which is usually required in fiction but not editorial articles- a plot, which means that ultimately I think Klosterman should stick to his expertise. *
sarahcastic's review against another edition
4.0
The first time I have seen the rural Red River Valley portrayed accurately. Seriously. If you're from the area you can't miss this book, and if not, read it anyway so you can understand where we come from (and why we left :) )