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portajonk's review against another edition
3.0
Some great reflection on second hand goods, really captures a lot. Otherwise a rather thin story though
kricketa's review against another edition
4.0
i'll try not to give anything away before the book club discussion--
wavering between 4/5 stars. i really enjoyed this. it had me scribbling down quotes and also made me cry. the detroit setting is awesome. the character of theresa is awesome. i thought zadoorian really hit the aspect of her mental illness spot on, and all the parts about what she does at work just made me weep. zadoorian also says some very wise words about people and their stuff, why we hold onto what we hold onto and what we think it will do for us. i wrote a bunch of stuff down at home that i'll put in here later.
that said, i didn't get that attached to the main character. i found him just a little bit wimpy. but he redeemed himself in the end, and i wept all through the ending too.
looking forward to discussing this one! i think my favorite part of it is that it is something i never would have chosen to read had it not been for book club.
wavering between 4/5 stars. i really enjoyed this. it had me scribbling down quotes and also made me cry. the detroit setting is awesome. the character of theresa is awesome. i thought zadoorian really hit the aspect of her mental illness spot on, and all the parts about what she does at work just made me weep. zadoorian also says some very wise words about people and their stuff, why we hold onto what we hold onto and what we think it will do for us. i wrote a bunch of stuff down at home that i'll put in here later.
that said, i didn't get that attached to the main character. i found him just a little bit wimpy. but he redeemed himself in the end, and i wept all through the ending too.
looking forward to discussing this one! i think my favorite part of it is that it is something i never would have chosen to read had it not been for book club.
bonniebarley's review
Just not for me. Didn’t care for the writing style or character development.
plaidbrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Another book from the Cranky, Pop Culture Obsessed Twenty/Thirtysomething" school of literature. Think "High Fidelity in a thrift shop," and you'll have a pretty good idea of what it's about. So while it may not be particularly sparkling or original, it's a decent enough read, especially if you're the sort who's drawn to junk culture like a moth to an ironically trendy flame (like myself, for instance).
planet_dar's review against another edition
3.0
I wish I could give this book three and a half stars. It definitely feels like a first novel. There's the familiar slacker main character and the overly strange and aloof love interest but there's also humor and some insightful commentary on growing up and figuring yourself out. I wish the ending would have been the beginning. I would have wanted to learn about the how the characters got to Mexico instead of having that action tacked on at the end.
plaidbrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Another book from the Cranky, Pop Culture Obsessed Twenty/Thirtysomething" school of literature. Think "High Fidelity in a thrift shop," and you'll have a pretty good idea of what it's about. So while it may not be particularly sparkling or original, it's a decent enough read, especially if you're the sort who's drawn to junk culture like a moth to an ironically trendy flame (like myself, for instance).
brgntteva's review against another edition
carino, divertente, ricorda un po' Nick Hornby per lo stile un po' scanzonato. Non proprio memorabile, ma grazioso
sandyd's review
5.0
More fiction that I loved! Part of my love was for the location - Detroit's seedy suburbs. And the junk (the main character is a junk/thrift store dealer) - I love reading about historical junk.
Parts of the book were disturbing - one character works at a very 80's-90's animal shelter with a high kill rate.
I enjoyed the writing style, too, and the storyline about disintegrating families and parental death. Just a fun book (despite the dark portions I just mentioned).
Parts of the book were disturbing - one character works at a very 80's-90's animal shelter with a high kill rate.
I enjoyed the writing style, too, and the storyline about disintegrating families and parental death. Just a fun book (despite the dark portions I just mentioned).
expendablemudge's review
2.0
Rating: 2.5* of five
The Book Report: A twelve-year-old book that discusses the now out-of-the-closet disorder of hoarding in comedic terms. Richard (!) the junque dealer inherits his mom's house, which is packed to the rafters with cool stuff. Among that cool stuff is a collection of photos that completely change his idea of his parents and their public persona. Throw in a hot retro-emo chick with an inexplicable (to me) yen for this musty yutz, cue the schmaltzy waltzes, and you have a ready-for-Lifetime scenario of love, loss, and what she wore (thrift edition).
My Review: Adequate. Even amusing. But slight.
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: "My name is David Brandstetter. I'm a claims investigator for the Medallion Life Insurance Company." He handed her a card. She didn't glance at it. "I'm looking for Peter Oats," he said.
"He's not here. I wish he were. Maybe you can help me. The police don't seem to care."
She was April Stannard. Her lover, Peter's father, had died. April believed he'd been murdered.
Dave Brandstetter's investigation takes him through the rare-book world, to backstage at a community theatre, to the home of a world-famous television performer. Along the way, Dave soon comes to agree with April.
My Review: Small-town California has a lot of atmosphere, according to Hansen; I don't remember it that way, but I was young and miserable, so I'll go with the man who found there something that led to this description of an old mill made into a theater:
Beautiful.
It's with this book, second in the series, that Hansen's chops come fully into play. He's here to wow you, and he's got the story to keep you sitting right there flipping pages. April, the bereaved, is Rita Hayworth in my mind; Oates, the dead guy, looks like John Garfield; Peter, the son and heir, is Cabaret-era Michael York; and so on and so on. (Eve, Oates' ex-wife, is Barbara Stanwyck.) I do this a lot, cast the perfect movie cast as I read along. But this time it felt as if it was all done for me. Oates' murderer, when revealed, was a surprise to me even though this was a re-read. And the actor I'd put in the role was perfect...no testament to my skills, just an example of how beautifully Hansen draws his characters.
Dave's got a man, too...how amazing for the 1970s! I so wish this had been a TV series. Magnum PI only gay! *sigh* What might have been....
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Book Report: A twelve-year-old book that discusses the now out-of-the-closet disorder of hoarding in comedic terms. Richard (!) the junque dealer inherits his mom's house, which is packed to the rafters with cool stuff. Among that cool stuff is a collection of photos that completely change his idea of his parents and their public persona. Throw in a hot retro-emo chick with an inexplicable (to me) yen for this musty yutz, cue the schmaltzy waltzes, and you have a ready-for-Lifetime scenario of love, loss, and what she wore (thrift edition).
My Review: Adequate. Even amusing. But slight.
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: "My name is David Brandstetter. I'm a claims investigator for the Medallion Life Insurance Company." He handed her a card. She didn't glance at it. "I'm looking for Peter Oats," he said.
"He's not here. I wish he were. Maybe you can help me. The police don't seem to care."
She was April Stannard. Her lover, Peter's father, had died. April believed he'd been murdered.
Dave Brandstetter's investigation takes him through the rare-book world, to backstage at a community theatre, to the home of a world-famous television performer. Along the way, Dave soon comes to agree with April.
My Review: Small-town California has a lot of atmosphere, according to Hansen; I don't remember it that way, but I was young and miserable, so I'll go with the man who found there something that led to this description of an old mill made into a theater:
The waterwheel was twice a man’s height, wider than a man’s two stretched arms. The timbers, braced and bolted with rusty iron were heavy, hand-hewn, swollen with a century of wet. Moss bearded the paddles, which dripped as they rose. The sounds were good. Wooden stutter like children running down a hall at the end of school. Grudging axle thud like the heartbeat of a strong old man.
Beautiful.
It's with this book, second in the series, that Hansen's chops come fully into play. He's here to wow you, and he's got the story to keep you sitting right there flipping pages. April, the bereaved, is Rita Hayworth in my mind; Oates, the dead guy, looks like John Garfield; Peter, the son and heir, is Cabaret-era Michael York; and so on and so on. (Eve, Oates' ex-wife, is Barbara Stanwyck.) I do this a lot, cast the perfect movie cast as I read along. But this time it felt as if it was all done for me. Oates' murderer, when revealed, was a surprise to me even though this was a re-read. And the actor I'd put in the role was perfect...no testament to my skills, just an example of how beautifully Hansen draws his characters.
Dave's got a man, too...how amazing for the 1970s! I so wish this had been a TV series. Magnum PI only gay! *sigh* What might have been....
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
random_shoes's review
5.0
The writing is amazing throughout this book. The author makes the characters come alive as you read it.
It's true that the main character, Richard, does not censor anything much but as we are learning of his world and life from his point of view I don't see why he would have to.
I loved following him through the book and seeing how he sees the world.
There are parts where you really just want to give him a good slap upside the head to knock a little more sense into him but that seems to make him more real. He acts and goes through life in a way that you would not be surprised to see someone like that in real life.
He's not the only one, the other characters have life in them too. Some more than others but you learn so much about each character that it's wonderful to keep reading.
I'd recommend this book to anyone willing to share in Richard's adventure.
It's a quick read and it grabs at you on the first few pages.
It's true that the main character, Richard, does not censor anything much but as we are learning of his world and life from his point of view I don't see why he would have to.
I loved following him through the book and seeing how he sees the world.
There are parts where you really just want to give him a good slap upside the head to knock a little more sense into him but that seems to make him more real. He acts and goes through life in a way that you would not be surprised to see someone like that in real life.
He's not the only one, the other characters have life in them too. Some more than others but you learn so much about each character that it's wonderful to keep reading.
I'd recommend this book to anyone willing to share in Richard's adventure.
It's a quick read and it grabs at you on the first few pages.
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