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alexcarbonneau's review against another edition
4.0
Everybody needs a little bit of Ron Rash in their lives.
liloud0626's review against another edition
3.0
I've read almost all of his books, and this wasn't my favorite, but a not-as-good Ron Rash story is better than most. The last 40 pages will not let you put this down. 3.5 stars
that_bookish_life's review
3.0
Years ago, around the same time the movie adaptation came out, I read Serena and found it to be ok, but not great. I wasn't rushing out to read any more Ron Rash after that.
Several months back I read Kelly's glowing review of The World Made Straight which mentions a thumbs up from a favorite author [a:David Joy|143962|David Joy|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png]. I read the synopsis got all the David Joy vibes and happily set out to read a gritty, character driven, southern gothic type story.
This was not that. It was good, but it was not nearly to the caliber of the likes of David Joy and perhaps because of those high expectations I was left feeling rather disappointed.
I found the characters and the story to be a little weak, which left me feeling disconnected overall. Also of note, I felt rather disoriented for a good portion of the story trying to figure out when the story was set. Eventually, after many (mostly music related) clues I settled on assuming the story is set in the mid- to late-70s.
I understand The World Made Straight started as a short story and I'm guessing the short story version likely packs a bigger punch than this diluted novel length version.
Several months back I read Kelly's glowing review of The World Made Straight which mentions a thumbs up from a favorite author [a:David Joy|143962|David Joy|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/m_50x66-82093808bca726cb3249a493fbd3bd0f.png]. I read the synopsis got all the David Joy vibes and happily set out to read a gritty, character driven, southern gothic type story.
This was not that. It was good, but it was not nearly to the caliber of the likes of David Joy and perhaps because of those high expectations I was left feeling rather disappointed.
I found the characters and the story to be a little weak, which left me feeling disconnected overall. Also of note, I felt rather disoriented for a good portion of the story trying to figure out when the story was set. Eventually, after many (mostly music related) clues I settled on assuming the story is set in the mid- to late-70s.
I understand The World Made Straight started as a short story and I'm guessing the short story version likely packs a bigger punch than this diluted novel length version.
haley313's review
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
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