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taisie22's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
This book is probably not for everyone, but it should be read anyway, especially by wealthy elites and politicians (often the same thing). Ms. Chute is the voice of the people trampled by corporatism and a government not taking care of its people.
Set in the early 2000s in the Oxford hills of western Maine, the story centers primarily around Gordon St. Onge, the Prophet, who is head of a commune/cult that advocates self-reliance and ecological advances. Gordon also has multiple wives, some of them young, that felt cringy. One of the children at the settlement is seven-year-old Jane, whose mother is in jail as an accessory for selling drugs without much hope of getting out soon. Mickey Gammon is a teen kicked out of his home by his step-brother, who's living in the woods, and joins a militia run by Rex. Various other characters, including a crow and the television, take over the story in small vignettes. It's all written in a very effective stream-of-consciousness style, adding to the story's reality.
Apparently, this is the first book in a five-book series. It's very effective writing, as it gives a good picture of how the United States has ended up where it currently stands with rising poverty, poor healthcare, callous media, and politicians who don't give a damn. The next two books are out, and I've already bought them. These aren't heartwarming books with a HEA, but they depict the grim reality of much of America.
Set in the early 2000s in the Oxford hills of western Maine, the story centers primarily around Gordon St. Onge, the Prophet, who is head of a commune/cult that advocates self-reliance and ecological advances. Gordon also has multiple wives, some of them young, that felt cringy. One of the children at the settlement is seven-year-old Jane, whose mother is in jail as an accessory for selling drugs without much hope of getting out soon. Mickey Gammon is a teen kicked out of his home by his step-brother, who's living in the woods, and joins a militia run by Rex. Various other characters, including a crow and the television, take over the story in small vignettes. It's all written in a very effective stream-of-consciousness style, adding to the story's reality.
Apparently, this is the first book in a five-book series. It's very effective writing, as it gives a good picture of how the United States has ended up where it currently stands with rising poverty, poor healthcare, callous media, and politicians who don't give a damn. The next two books are out, and I've already bought them. These aren't heartwarming books with a HEA, but they depict the grim reality of much of America.
misslezlee's review against another edition
I had to return this book to the library before I finished reading it, but that was OK because I never really got into it. I didn't care about the characters and not enough happened to make me want to find out what did happen,
settingshadow's review against another edition
2.0
There are books about revolutions that are really novels, and not a manifesto. This is not one of them. More propaganda than literature, furnished with schticks rather than narrative this is a clunky sophomore novel. The redeeming feature is the intricacy of character in Rex and Gordon. However, all of the other characters, even the ostensible main characters are not featured enough to be much more than spokespeople for the various political causes Chute uses them for.
manek_m's review against another edition
1.0
Very disappointing. I found it slow and repetitive, and completely lacking in structure. I loved her early books, and was excited at the beginning of this one... but it dragged, and didn't go anywhere.
thewellreadrunner's review against another edition
1.0
Not a fan at all. I found it slow moving, terribly boring, and overly preachy. It's fine if you're anti-establishment, but this book had a very clear, repetitive, and (after a while) annoying agenda. It was a struggle to get through.
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