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juicewrld999's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mixed feelings as i read this book but the end was so good that it left me feeling really good about what i read. abbey tells a damn good story, overlooking his 1960s white manness. made me miss the desert.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism and Sexism
sandra_broadwill's review against another edition
3.0
The writing is often beautiful, poignant, and irreverent, and the story is fun...BUT I couldn't get past the overt racism against Native Americans, the blatant sexism, and the poorly written female character. While some of the problematic elements seemed tongue-in-cheek, others go completely unaddressed. I wanted to love this book, but it just doesn't hold up well today even though the themes of the story are timeless.
zoe_colloredo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
gregoryscottdilcox's review against another edition
5.0
I can't say enough good things about this novel, I had a hard time putting it down once I picked it up. Abbey is amazing when he is describing landscapes, his love of the natural world he is describing oozes through the page. There are times when a novel gets overly descriptive about a landscape that my eyes kind of gloss over but not when Abbey describes them. He never seems to flatter when it comes to knowing just the perfect amount of things to say about a scene, always enough to paint a vivid picture, but never too much to sound overly descriptive or dry. To top it off, his band of ecoterrorist although criminals, and damaged goods are all robust characters that you find yourself wanting to root for. I'm not about to go blow up a bridge myself but Abbey's novel made me long for a time and a place I've never been, giving me a bigger appreciation for the nature we all too often neglect and abuse.
readingoffgrid's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 / 5 I really wanted to like this book. I wanted it to inspire me as it has inspired so many others. It just didn’t.
It’s funny, sometimes. It has moments of brilliance, sometimes. At the end of the day, I couldn’t get past the fact that all of these characters were so unlikeable and had such a complete disregard for actually saving the environment (I know that was kind of the point, but the irony didn’t do the message any favors). If I’d liked a couple of these characters even a little bit, I could have enjoyed this more, but I found every one of them to be so annoying!
If environmental activism strikes me, it won’t be because of this book.
It’s funny, sometimes. It has moments of brilliance, sometimes. At the end of the day, I couldn’t get past the fact that all of these characters were so unlikeable and had such a complete disregard for actually saving the environment (I know that was kind of the point, but the irony didn’t do the message any favors). If I’d liked a couple of these characters even a little bit, I could have enjoyed this more, but I found every one of them to be so annoying!
If environmental activism strikes me, it won’t be because of this book.