Scan barcode
paperbackmo's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyed this book :) Funny in places and found that sometimes I couldn't put it down.
aziz_reads's review against another edition
4.0
I don't even know where to start with this book. I mean, it was good. This book was a well written, really great book to read. The characters were varied and even if a couple fell through the cracks, for the most part they were multi-dimensional characters. The plot was complex without being too complex to follow, and interesting enough to want to read in the course of one day (as opposed to some books that I will put down and scribble or make paper stars at work instead of reading it and then it takes me several days to finish it)
I mean, it was a really good book. Four stars, easy. The fifth always depends on whether I would spend money on it. And here is my problem. People are heralding this book as a literary masterpiece, like it's a modern day classic that should be taught and over analyzed in school. They may not say that, but it's pretty clear in the vocabulary they're using. They are not using the same vocabulary that they use for reviews on Harry Potter, or even The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. No, they are using the exclusive vocabulary reserved for The Scarlet Letter, or Mark Twain books.
I really don't feel like this was a masterpiece. That's a pretty heavy word to give something. It was very good, and I would certainly read it at the library or love it as a gift or even buy the kindle version. But I wouldn't spend more than $3.00 on this.
Overall: We're left at 4.5.
And also, I got this book for free from the author through a Goodreads Giveaway.
I mean, it was a really good book. Four stars, easy. The fifth always depends on whether I would spend money on it. And here is my problem. People are heralding this book as a literary masterpiece, like it's a modern day classic that should be taught and over analyzed in school. They may not say that, but it's pretty clear in the vocabulary they're using. They are not using the same vocabulary that they use for reviews on Harry Potter, or even The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. No, they are using the exclusive vocabulary reserved for The Scarlet Letter, or Mark Twain books.
I really don't feel like this was a masterpiece. That's a pretty heavy word to give something. It was very good, and I would certainly read it at the library or love it as a gift or even buy the kindle version. But I wouldn't spend more than $3.00 on this.
Overall: We're left at 4.5.
And also, I got this book for free from the author through a Goodreads Giveaway.
traphag's review against another edition
2.0
For me, this book started off well but quickly lost steam about two-thirds of the way through. At the beginning I was genuinely intrigued by the characters and their interactions (despite the weird lack of contractions). Things moved at a slow but logical pace, and I remained interested as people's motivations were revealed. Then, all of a sudden, the author decided to cram a bunch of weird, illogical twists and half-thoughts into the last third of the book, as if he'd gotten bored with writing and wanted to wrap things up. I feel this would have been a much better book if the author stuck with the pace he started with and made a book that was 50-100 pages longer. However, even with that, there were still some issues:
1) There's no way that the main character (and why no name?) could have gotten away with publishing John's book as his own. Seriously, a guy's not going to fight for his art because someone might find out he's gay? Even if not at the time, I'm sure it would have come out in the time since publication. Not only was this twist nonsensical, it was borderline ripped off from the Tom Yates character on House of Cards.
2) We're supposed to believe that Moon so badly wanted the main character to be his ghostwriter that he was able to, in a pinch, convince his supposedly intelligent and well-adjusted granddaughter to seduce the guy? How did that conversation even go down? Maybe this part would have been less frustrating if it had been expanded beyond a weird and abrupt footnote.
3) The whole thing with Emily. The author spends a lot of time developing this character with what I consider to be a good purpose, a way to show the main character maturing, developing sexually, etc., and I thought the way she initially left was fulfilling. I saw no need to bring her back years later for a quick "Hey she showed up and they got married but she turned out to be a druggie kbye" afterthought. Again, maybe if the author spent more time on the evolution of their later relationship it might have seemed less odd.
The author shows a lot of potential here, but overall I feel like he'd benefit from spending more time on his next book to have a better chance of fully realizing the ideas he has. But maybe that's just me.
Spoiler
1) There's no way that the main character (and why no name?) could have gotten away with publishing John's book as his own. Seriously, a guy's not going to fight for his art because someone might find out he's gay? Even if not at the time, I'm sure it would have come out in the time since publication. Not only was this twist nonsensical, it was borderline ripped off from the Tom Yates character on House of Cards.
2) We're supposed to believe that Moon so badly wanted the main character to be his ghostwriter that he was able to, in a pinch, convince his supposedly intelligent and well-adjusted granddaughter to seduce the guy? How did that conversation even go down? Maybe this part would have been less frustrating if it had been expanded beyond a weird and abrupt footnote.
3) The whole thing with Emily. The author spends a lot of time developing this character with what I consider to be a good purpose, a way to show the main character maturing, developing sexually, etc., and I thought the way she initially left was fulfilling. I saw no need to bring her back years later for a quick "Hey she showed up and they got married but she turned out to be a druggie kbye" afterthought. Again, maybe if the author spent more time on the evolution of their later relationship it might have seemed less odd.
The author shows a lot of potential here, but overall I feel like he'd benefit from spending more time on his next book to have a better chance of fully realizing the ideas he has. But maybe that's just me.
maggietoussaint55's review against another edition
5.0
Who are we, really?
((Spoiler alert)) A young man who makes questionable choices becomes an imposter. In the heat of the moment he steals another author’s work. He rationalizes his actions, saying he deserved the success, but the move cost him friendships, his social life, and a chunk of his mental health. Years later, paranoid and compulsive, he has another opportunity to become “Someone,” but he bolts at the first sign of trouble. In a diabolical plot twist, this character naturally flows into a second imposter role by legally assuming the rights to another’s name.
Kindle Scout winning Craig Hart’s book is deep, reminding us that we are a product of our choices. From the start, this protagonist bucked the system, choosing to go against tradition and his family’s wishes. Hart cleverly doesn’t name his protagonist, using him as an every man, a masthead for the universal screw-up inside each of us.
Coming from a fundamental Christian background, the main character has qualms about his actions, qualms that result in hallucinations and loathing of his father. The message of the book is: people lie, cheat, and steal. Some get away with it. Or do they?
Another reviewer suggested this book was a modern classic. I second that endorsement. Hart draws you in with simple prose and a man-child driven by the need to succeed. In today’s world of “what’s in it for me?” it’s easy to see how this situation could transpire, even easier to see how morals and ethics are becoming less the fabric of our society and more like the out of date clothing shoved to the back of our closets. I predict you won’t quickly forget this excellent book.
Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews
((Spoiler alert)) A young man who makes questionable choices becomes an imposter. In the heat of the moment he steals another author’s work. He rationalizes his actions, saying he deserved the success, but the move cost him friendships, his social life, and a chunk of his mental health. Years later, paranoid and compulsive, he has another opportunity to become “Someone,” but he bolts at the first sign of trouble. In a diabolical plot twist, this character naturally flows into a second imposter role by legally assuming the rights to another’s name.
Kindle Scout winning Craig Hart’s book is deep, reminding us that we are a product of our choices. From the start, this protagonist bucked the system, choosing to go against tradition and his family’s wishes. Hart cleverly doesn’t name his protagonist, using him as an every man, a masthead for the universal screw-up inside each of us.
Coming from a fundamental Christian background, the main character has qualms about his actions, qualms that result in hallucinations and loathing of his father. The message of the book is: people lie, cheat, and steal. Some get away with it. Or do they?
Another reviewer suggested this book was a modern classic. I second that endorsement. Hart draws you in with simple prose and a man-child driven by the need to succeed. In today’s world of “what’s in it for me?” it’s easy to see how this situation could transpire, even easier to see how morals and ethics are becoming less the fabric of our society and more like the out of date clothing shoved to the back of our closets. I predict you won’t quickly forget this excellent book.
Maggie Toussaint and Rigel Carson for Muddy Rose Reviews
rebeccacarter's review
3.0
I initially liked the story. It started off good, with the strange vision and the trip up to the Upper Peninsula,meeting Nigel Moon. But after that, it felt disjointed. It went off on long tangents--first the character's youth, then later one about how he got "his" first book published. Each of these, in themselves, would have been good individual stories. It felt like there were a lot of details in them that distracted from the main story. I would have liked more explained or shown about the visions, as well, and had them be more relevant to the book.
More...