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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
This was my attempt to join the mainstream and read a popular contemporary author. I really enjoyed the first three quarters of this book about a WWII veteran who is having some success in the postwar Texas oil industry until he runs into the dastardly oil baron who sets out to destroy the hero. I particularly liked the early scenes - the terse dialogue between the hero as a teenager and his grandfather is inviting. I also liked the pacing, though I'm not entirely sure what pacing means. I think I mean I liked the way the harassment of the hero and his people intensified. The fact that I was liking this book so much made me very sad. I thought I'd become common. But, thankfully, I thought the last part of the book was a big let down after the great build up. I also disliked the characterisation of the hero's wife. She was beautifully and she orgasmed three times every time she had sex with him. Give me a break! Women don't orgasm at all, let alone have three in a single session.
A good story set mainly in the USA in the booming oil times after WWII. Weld on Holland's struggle against bigotry and the powerful.
A solid 3.5! Hemmed and hawed between a 3 & 4 for quite a while.. lol Maybe a spoiler or two here. My first book by this author.
Pros: The big pro is the prose - the writing is lyrical in places, mesmerizing, even when describing the horrors and atrocities of WWII. I adored the narrative, setting, characterization and particularly the changing POV. I actually thought the two females, Rosita and Linda Gail were exceptional - complete opposites and perfect foils to one another where I saw the two men as almost identical, good-intentioned, honest men. I guess to juxtapose what can happen to one good man and yet another good man. I also liked the grandfather who was an enigma.
Cons: The book moved too slowly in so many places, and the ambiguous references to Bonnie and Clyde while in the beginning seemed like foreshadowing started to turn into well, not making much sense as the book went on. Such a short, insignificant event when taking in everything the main character, Weldon endured in his life, I thought the Bonnie/Clyde reference was minor. It was almost as if the story didn't have a place to go. Was it ending in a shoot-out? If not, then what's the point of the references? The relationship between Weldon and his grandfather I thought was so integral to the plot, yet I didn't quite understand how in the beginning it was a bit antagonistic toward the end where it was congenial. That closure that occurred didn't seem logical to me, almost like I missed a step in the dance of the book. I completely didn't understand the role of Roy's father and wife and thought if Roy were truly the bad guy in this (and it's not really certain was he? Wasn't he?) just make him confidently or surprisingly so. The ambiguity wasn't pleasing and I wanted some resolution to that.
Pros: The big pro is the prose - the writing is lyrical in places, mesmerizing, even when describing the horrors and atrocities of WWII. I adored the narrative, setting, characterization and particularly the changing POV. I actually thought the two females, Rosita and Linda Gail were exceptional - complete opposites and perfect foils to one another where I saw the two men as almost identical, good-intentioned, honest men. I guess to juxtapose what can happen to one good man and yet another good man. I also liked the grandfather who was an enigma.
Cons: The book moved too slowly in so many places, and the ambiguous references to Bonnie and Clyde while in the beginning seemed like foreshadowing started to turn into well, not making much sense as the book went on. Such a short, insignificant event when taking in everything the main character, Weldon endured in his life, I thought the Bonnie/Clyde reference was minor. It was almost as if the story didn't have a place to go. Was it ending in a shoot-out? If not, then what's the point of the references? The relationship between Weldon and his grandfather I thought was so integral to the plot, yet I didn't quite understand how in the beginning it was a bit antagonistic toward the end where it was congenial. That closure that occurred didn't seem logical to me, almost like I missed a step in the dance of the book. I completely didn't understand the role of Roy's father and wife and thought if Roy were truly the bad guy in this (and it's not really certain was he? Wasn't he?) just make him confidently or surprisingly so. The ambiguity wasn't pleasing and I wanted some resolution to that.
Damn, Burke sure knows how to write some gritty, flawed but relatable characters that you can't help but love and sometimes hate. Those you love, you root for to come through whatever hardships they face. Those you hate, well, you can only hope they get what they deserve at the end.
This was a great start to a series that I know I will stick with and hopefully the rest are as great as this first in the series.
This was a great start to a series that I know I will stick with and hopefully the rest are as great as this first in the series.
Somewhat improbable tale with a pure-as-snow MC, but a wonderful and engrossing good yarn. Loved it! 4.5 stars
learning to really like Burke after reading 3 of his books now
While I didn't particularly care about the plot and characters, I really enjoyed the authors writing style.
He also depicted the blatant sexism towards women during that era very well.
He also depicted the blatant sexism towards women during that era very well.
Wayfaring Stranger is a thriller at its core, but a love story at its heart and a tale of perseverance in its head. As such, the story is both ambitious and darkly beautiful as it shares the life of a man who grew up and out of the American Depression.
In telling the tale, Burke manages to capture both the promise and the plague of the American dream in that it invites both honorable underdogs and unscrupulous elitists to the same table. In doing so, however, there is never any guarantee elitists will like it. They are just as inclined to shake someone's hand to buy someone's ingenuity as they are to bite it and then take what they want.
In telling the tale, Burke manages to capture both the promise and the plague of the American dream in that it invites both honorable underdogs and unscrupulous elitists to the same table. In doing so, however, there is never any guarantee elitists will like it. They are just as inclined to shake someone's hand to buy someone's ingenuity as they are to bite it and then take what they want.
Enjoyed this thrilling ride and appreciated this book as it was our book club pick and I would not have picked it up on my own!