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sunbreak's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this one. The author was so cool when he was on Anthony Bourdain's show. I liked Winters Bone. But.. this was just a collection of stories with the same feeling over and over. Too much emphasis on evil or wrong makes it seem diluted. Or, overwhelming, like when you pour too much hot sauce on your dinner and then it's no fun to eat. Great writing and creepy ideas, but just not something I looked forward to reading.
tmathews0330's review against another edition
2.0
It seems to me that the stories stretch into some bizarre place of human possibility but don't leave much room for those of us who dwell solidly in a reality of right and wrong to relate. Sometimes it seemed the point was to shock the reader rather than tell a story. A little dry in terms of writing.
esshgee's review against another edition
2.0
So bleak, so very very bleak... I did enjoy a few of the stories, especially Two Things and Florianne, but some of the others I just didn't warm to. His descriptions are vivid, and he's definitely a talented writer. I would like to read one or two of his novels, probably start with Winter's Bone as I thoroughly enjoyed the film
obnorthrup's review against another edition
3.0
The first and last stories are good, but they don't compare to Winter's Bone.
hatseflats's review against another edition
5.0
Daniel Woodrell is such a pleasure to read! I absolutely love his very unique style. He truly is a master at capturing voice in both his dialogue and in his descriptions.
nicolemhill's review against another edition
3.0
The first couple of stories in this collection are solid 4.5 stars. See the first line of my favorite story:
"Once Boshell finally killed his neighbor he couldn’t seem to quit killing him."
But as you read on, the stories become a little more hit and miss, perhaps because there is so little variation. Don't get me wrong, Daniel Woodrell writes rural melancholy to a T, but when every character's bleak and resigned to some form or another of clapboard bleakness, well, reading loses some of its joie de vivre.
"Once Boshell finally killed his neighbor he couldn’t seem to quit killing him."
But as you read on, the stories become a little more hit and miss, perhaps because there is so little variation. Don't get me wrong, Daniel Woodrell writes rural melancholy to a T, but when every character's bleak and resigned to some form or another of clapboard bleakness, well, reading loses some of its joie de vivre.
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
2.0
I know Daniel Woodrell can write -- his pen is his sword and he wields it with deathly and thrilling precision. Nowhere is that on display more than with his novel [b:Winter's Bone|112525|Winter's Bone|Daniel Woodrell|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1171659430s/112525.jpg|1693257] which left me breathless and humbled and panting for more. The story of young Ree and her perilous hunt for her missing meth-making father is one of rage and pain and beauty, and knocked me flat I loved it so much. It instantly made it onto my all time favorites list. With this collection of mostly very short stories, Woodrell is unable to cast the same lyrical spell over me, and so it is with huge and devastating regret I give The Outlaw Album a paltry two stars.
The collection contains some bright moments of fierce-eyed intensity, but overall, the experience feels muted and unsatisfying. Woodrell has proven to be such a vivid, emotive, and wrenching writer, yet here the effect is just too subtle to do its job (a fault that likely lies more with me than with him). I am not the best reader (or critic) of short stories. It is a problematic format for me that I don't swoon over easily. Just getting a whiff of a story is usually not enough; I want more, more, and more! I realize that yes, in some instances less can often translate into so much more and that's where the short story's power lies, I just didn't feel it here.
In his collection [b:Crimes in Southern Indiana|10713935|Crimes in Southern Indiana Stories|Frank Bill|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1317793923s/10713935.jpg|15624459], Frank Bill is ruthless, his prose savage. There is a shocking, almost overdone, Southern grotesquerie to it all and I loved it!. In contrast to wild Bill, I came to Woodrell's writing hoping for a tempered, mature, evocative approach to essentially the same subject matter, and while there are hints of that, there are more misses (by a mile) than hits.