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4.04 AVERAGE
4.04 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This YA books was recommended to me by two high school english teachers. It did not disappoint! Wish I could give it 4.5 stars. Although a murder mystery I found it to be highly engaging and well written.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
This started wonderfully. The kids being stalked was intense & Miss Maggie's story was hilarious. The rest of the book didn't match the beginning but it was still good.
Joe R. Lansdale is predominantly known as a horror writer, but lookie here: The Bottoms won the Edgar Award (Mystery) for best novel.
Now, despite being a mystery, there weren't any big surprises for me, but where the novel truly shines is as the coming of age story of a 13 year-old boy in the early 1930s.
I was surprised at what a quick read this was. For some reason I was under the impression that this was a denser read, but in no way was I disappointed at that. I'm a big fan of less is more. Lansdale writes in a very economical fashion, but I was totally drawn in to the sense of place and time in this story. The characters were well developed, and the description and feel of racial tensions are worthy of Harper Lee's classic.
The only thing that could have been better was maybe being rocked or
blindsided by a revelation at the end, and for this reason only, my rating will fall only a smidgen short of awesome.
On second thought, as I write this review, images from the story are still flashing through my mind, and there are feelings that I think will continue to linger for a while yet. I love books that will do that to me.
So, 5 stars it is. It's such a fast read, but it'll take a long while to shake the feeling of East Texas in the 1930s. Highly recommended.
Now, despite being a mystery, there weren't any big surprises for me, but where the novel truly shines is as the coming of age story of a 13 year-old boy in the early 1930s.
I was surprised at what a quick read this was. For some reason I was under the impression that this was a denser read, but in no way was I disappointed at that. I'm a big fan of less is more. Lansdale writes in a very economical fashion, but I was totally drawn in to the sense of place and time in this story. The characters were well developed, and the description and feel of racial tensions are worthy of Harper Lee's classic.
The only thing that could have been better was maybe being rocked or
blindsided by a revelation at the end, and for this reason only, my rating will fall only a smidgen short of awesome.
On second thought, as I write this review, images from the story are still flashing through my mind, and there are feelings that I think will continue to linger for a while yet. I love books that will do that to me.
So, 5 stars it is. It's such a fast read, but it'll take a long while to shake the feeling of East Texas in the 1930s. Highly recommended.
The best book on race and the South since To Kill a Mockingbird. A strong contender, in my view, to replacing TKAM on reading lists for students.
Slow thru-out but finished pretty strong. Epilogue was sad.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Wrote my review, Goodreads locked up, tossed me out and I lost it. Bottom line - some flaws but the memorable characters and the creepy story outweighed these. Not for the squeamish. Oh and I loved Toby.....
This book was magnificent in both writing and plot. I've seldom read a book that so brings home the passage of years, the longing for the golden times in youth, and the indifference of time as the world moves on. This could be one of my all-time favorite coming-of-age stories. Sometimes I'm a little high on books right after finishing, so time will tell. However, I'd heartily recommend The Bottoms to any people even remotely interested in reading Lansdale or experiencing a good novel.