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nickdleblanc's review against another edition
3.0
I had never read Westlake before, but given that Hard Case Crime has served me well so far this year, I figured I'd give it a try. I like Westlake as a writer, he has a nice touch with humor, which can be difficult to write well. He doesn't clobber you over the head with jokes which is nice. But, for almost the whole story, there was at least a smirk on my face. This is a story about a brotherhood of monks no one cares about who accidentally become the target of a real estate mogul who has optioned the block that their 200 year old monastery sits on. Their 99 year lease on the property is up and they need to save their home. It's a weird sell for a book, but it's a decent read, mostly because Westlake is a good writer. Though, it should be about 100 pages shorter. He seems to really love NYC, and to especially love writing the fish out of water perspective of a monk walking through a rapidly changing NYC in the 1970s. Over a few stretches it goes from endearing to boring to annoying. With pulpy conceits like this one, spending too much time away from the plot or character development can really take you out of the headspace you need to remain in to "believe" the story. This happens a few times too many for me. Once Brother Benedict (the narrator) gets to Puerto Rico, things pick up quite a bit and it ends well, but there's a stretch in the middle 100 pages (of a 300 page book) where I almost put the book down out of frustration. If Westlake wasn't such a charming writer, I just might have done it.
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tl;dr-- A decent weird read, but not something I'd recommend to many people. Though, for me, it was enough to convince me to pick up one of his other books, or at least another of his books under his psuedonym Richard Stark. This book could have used an editor with a heavier hand, someone willing to cut out some chunks in service of the story.
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tl;dr-- A decent weird read, but not something I'd recommend to many people. Though, for me, it was enough to convince me to pick up one of his other books, or at least another of his books under his psuedonym Richard Stark. This book could have used an editor with a heavier hand, someone willing to cut out some chunks in service of the story.
loopyjazz's review against another edition
2.0
This was one of the first books that I've checked out from the library in at least 20 years and I did so purely on the basis of the cover. Although they say not to judge a book by its cover, clearly by the effort put into book covers, many of us readers do. This cover is amazing in such a ludicrous way. The book itself has its moments of being funny and fun to read. Unfortunately, a story about a monk trying to save his monastery from real estate developers does not lend itself to action and excitement. Westlake's writing is good enough to make much of it interesting, but the subject matter wasn't pulling its own weight and the book suffered for it.
mgeake's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
nghia's review
2.0
This isn't really a "crime" novel, so go in with your expectations set appropriately. It is also relatively slow moving, especially for a Westlake book. The book is primarily about Brother Benedict -- who has been a cloistered monk for a decade -- his sudden reengagement with the outside world and subsequent temptations.
I found the book a bit unsatisfying because it was a little bit of this and a little bit of that but not enough of any one thing. It doesn't help that the primary motivator -- the monks are being forced to move -- isn't especially compelling. Even the main character isn't able to mount any credible defense when pressed. It is just "we don't want to move, so we shouldn't have to". They themselves admit that the alternative locations are probably perfectly nice.
So there's no real dramatic tension. The monastery might move to a new location but that's hardly catastrophic, despite what the brothers think. Brother Benedict has a crisis of faith but it doesn't feel especially challenging. For a book about monks and a crisis of faith, the book is surprisingly light on religion and God.
Despite the interesting premise, I felt like it was ultimately a bit under-developed. Only die hard Westlake fans need bother with this one.
I found the book a bit unsatisfying because it was a little bit of this and a little bit of that but not enough of any one thing. It doesn't help that the primary motivator -- the monks are being forced to move -- isn't especially compelling. Even the main character isn't able to mount any credible defense when pressed. It is just "we don't want to move, so we shouldn't have to". They themselves admit that the alternative locations are probably perfectly nice.
So there's no real dramatic tension. The monastery might move to a new location but that's hardly catastrophic, despite what the brothers think. Brother Benedict has a crisis of faith but it doesn't feel especially challenging. For a book about monks and a crisis of faith, the book is surprisingly light on religion and God.
Despite the interesting premise, I felt like it was ultimately a bit under-developed. Only die hard Westlake fans need bother with this one.
jeremyhornik's review against another edition
3.0
Falls a bit between, if you know what I mean. Not a crime novel, for sure. Not a caper novel, although that’s how the jacket copy sells it. Too cynical for a romance, too romantic and plot driven for a spiritual novel, too plotted for a slice-of-life. It’s a good story with engaging though very functional characters (they move the story from A to B to C). The theme of Travel drives a lot of ruminating, some uninspired, some not. Worth reading if you like Stark/Westlake.
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
First things first: I got a free advance copy of the re-release of this novel thanks to the good folks over at Hard Case Crime! I collect HCC books as a hobby and am on their mailing list. I won a contest for a free copy of this one. They are awesome and know how to reward loyal customers. Much love to Charles Ardai and all the good folks over there.
Donald Westlake is the kind of writer I would love to be, someone who’s métier is crime novels but who also writes about an assortment of other topics in thriller/suspense/mystery fashion. This one has a strong religious bend to it and is another winner from the master himself.
The story focuses on a fictional monastery in the 1970s that operates on prime Manhattan real estate. The owner of the land is looking to pull a fast one on the unsuspecting monks who live there by selling it without their knowledge. When they find out, they do all they can to stop it.
The charge is led by Brother Benedict who is worldly enough to be fun and holy enough to respect the premise of the novel. He seeks to stop the deal from happening and along the way gets entangled with the landowners daughter. The predictable secular temptations ensue, making it a bumpy finish for an otherwise enjoyable book. But Brother Benedict is a fun character nevertheless and seeing the struggle of the monks trying to keep their building through his eyes is the best part of the book.
This isn’t some Left Behind Christian fic. Westlake respects the sacred nature of holy orders; he is neither affirming nor patronizing. He is simply using this as a vehicle for a story. And it’s a familiar one to me. I’m a Pastor and I’ve done community organizing in the past. I know how monumental it feels to take on massive companies who have money and power and an interest only in their well being. It was a struggle that felt real to me. This may not be the most exciting Hard Case Crime novel for most but it resonates to this particular reader.
Not really a thriller or a mystery, Brothers Keepers is hard to classify. I guess it’s suspense as you don’t know until the end if they’ll make it or not. The stakes are low to the world but high for these men and Westlake does a great job of examining this, trusting the reader to be smart enough to make their own inferences. A fun book from a legendary, versatile writer.
Donald Westlake is the kind of writer I would love to be, someone who’s métier is crime novels but who also writes about an assortment of other topics in thriller/suspense/mystery fashion. This one has a strong religious bend to it and is another winner from the master himself.
The story focuses on a fictional monastery in the 1970s that operates on prime Manhattan real estate. The owner of the land is looking to pull a fast one on the unsuspecting monks who live there by selling it without their knowledge. When they find out, they do all they can to stop it.
The charge is led by Brother Benedict who is worldly enough to be fun and holy enough to respect the premise of the novel. He seeks to stop the deal from happening and along the way gets entangled with the landowners daughter. The predictable secular temptations ensue, making it a bumpy finish for an otherwise enjoyable book. But Brother Benedict is a fun character nevertheless and seeing the struggle of the monks trying to keep their building through his eyes is the best part of the book.
This isn’t some Left Behind Christian fic. Westlake respects the sacred nature of holy orders; he is neither affirming nor patronizing. He is simply using this as a vehicle for a story. And it’s a familiar one to me. I’m a Pastor and I’ve done community organizing in the past. I know how monumental it feels to take on massive companies who have money and power and an interest only in their well being. It was a struggle that felt real to me. This may not be the most exciting Hard Case Crime novel for most but it resonates to this particular reader.
Not really a thriller or a mystery, Brothers Keepers is hard to classify. I guess it’s suspense as you don’t know until the end if they’ll make it or not. The stakes are low to the world but high for these men and Westlake does a great job of examining this, trusting the reader to be smart enough to make their own inferences. A fun book from a legendary, versatile writer.
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