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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
This was a good story about love and friendship and small towns. It didn't have me hooked the whole way (I most enjoyed when the story was from Beth's perspective), but it is a nice look into the relationships that take place within a small town.
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Who is Nickolas Butler? Where has this guy been? He just penned one of the nation’s best novels, Shotgun Lovesongs.
Every five or ten years I’ll become attached to a certain book or album, an object possessing excellence, reliability and permanence. With Shotgun Lovesongs, maybe it’s because I grew up in a small town. Maybe it’s because I ate a Coffee Cup diner in Perrysburg, OH. Maybe it’s because I, too, bonded with lifelong friends atop a forbidden grain tower. But I absolutely loved this book, its characters and its relevance.
Butler expertly navigates the source of the novel’s central, underlying tension and its nuanced, intricate layers. Interchanging chapters, each from another character’s perspective, lend freshness to Shotgun Lovesongs.
I cared about these characters. That’s cliche, I know. However, it’s true. And there’s no need to fabricate a fancier sentence to relate that truth.
Providing each character’s perspective enables the reader to better and more deeply understand the genuine motivations of each, which enabled me to internalize this book. I found myself reflecting upon my own relationships, as well as the manner in which they’ve been solidified or weakened over decades’ time. Anytime that happens, you know you’ve read a good book.
I look forward to more from Nickolas Butler. The man’s a talent and he’s captured the midwestern soul, a rare accomplishment. While our country celebrates its coasts, the men and women populating flyover country build, feed and maintain this land, a secret Shotgun Lovesongs shares while reminding us of the strengths and passions such burdens require.
Every five or ten years I’ll become attached to a certain book or album, an object possessing excellence, reliability and permanence. With Shotgun Lovesongs, maybe it’s because I grew up in a small town. Maybe it’s because I ate a Coffee Cup diner in Perrysburg, OH. Maybe it’s because I, too, bonded with lifelong friends atop a forbidden grain tower. But I absolutely loved this book, its characters and its relevance.
Butler expertly navigates the source of the novel’s central, underlying tension and its nuanced, intricate layers. Interchanging chapters, each from another character’s perspective, lend freshness to Shotgun Lovesongs.
I cared about these characters. That’s cliche, I know. However, it’s true. And there’s no need to fabricate a fancier sentence to relate that truth.
Providing each character’s perspective enables the reader to better and more deeply understand the genuine motivations of each, which enabled me to internalize this book. I found myself reflecting upon my own relationships, as well as the manner in which they’ve been solidified or weakened over decades’ time. Anytime that happens, you know you’ve read a good book.
I look forward to more from Nickolas Butler. The man’s a talent and he’s captured the midwestern soul, a rare accomplishment. While our country celebrates its coasts, the men and women populating flyover country build, feed and maintain this land, a secret Shotgun Lovesongs shares while reminding us of the strengths and passions such burdens require.
Beautifully written book. It takes place in Wisconsin and I enjoyed the authentic Midwestern plot lines and details.
Childhood friends from a small farming community grow up, relationship shift and change, and some end. Told from the viewpoint of each of the characters in turn. Well written, engaging, and you really cared about these characters.
Having this book read to me over the past few days was such a nice experience. The sense of place was so strong and so FAMILIAR. Oh, right...I am a lifelong Wisconsinite. Is that why I am so enamored? Not entirely.. There is much to love here: each character's distinctive voice and individual perspective on the events and on other characters and how they all fit together, beautiful writing and true to my ear dialogue, and a good story with love, betrayal, forgiveness, and reshaping relationships at its core. Although not the main character, Ronny was most endearing to me. I loved Beth too and would enjoy her as a friend, I think. The only reason I could not go with 5 stars is because the final climactic, game-changing event was so unlikely that I could not suspend my disbelief and instead was intensely aware that this had been crafted for a specific audience ...whereas the rest of the novel just unfolded at ease and had me entranced.
I got to meet the author at PLA this year, and found out he'll be at the Wisonsin Book Festival too! The book is set in rural Wisconsin, and follows four buddies from high school through adulthood. Each are successful in their own way, but seem convinced it's the other guys who are doing well. Loved the Wisconsin references, and it kind of made me want to find an empty chicken coop somewhere...
I thought this was a great read. There are well-developed and interesting characters as well as a provocative interplay between them. I liked how each chapter was told from the point of view of a different character and how little pieces of their histories were gradually revealed as you went along. As you read, you grew to understand in a very natural way more and more of the larger fabric of their lives and friendships.
I didn't necessarily like the big incident at the end of the book. I found it very odd, and frankly, kind of stupid. But I understand that the characters involved were at a weird place themselves and something out of the ordinary was maybe the only way to get them out of their funk. Nevertheless, it seemed a little out of place to me and a bit misaligned with the tenor of the book as a whole. However, the rest of the book was very well done. I always wanted to keep reading as I wondered if things might turn out differently with the couples; but I love how they each of those relationships were handled and narratively justified.
But perhaps the star of the book and my favorite aspect in Butler's novel is his pitch perfect description of place. He captures so well the spirit of Wisconsin and the meaning of home. As someone born and raised in Wisconsin, I was proud to be from and living in this state as I read his novel. His writing helped remind me of the the wonderful attributes and quirks of a small town and of our state in general. He helped bring forward the little details of home and life that we can take for granted, but that are so beautifully meaningful in ways we don't necessarily realize. That was a special gift with this read.
I didn't necessarily like the big incident at the end of the book. I found it very odd, and frankly, kind of stupid. But I understand that the characters involved were at a weird place themselves and something out of the ordinary was maybe the only way to get them out of their funk. Nevertheless, it seemed a little out of place to me and a bit misaligned with the tenor of the book as a whole. However, the rest of the book was very well done. I always wanted to keep reading as I wondered if things might turn out differently with the couples; but I love how they each of those relationships were handled and narratively justified.
But perhaps the star of the book and my favorite aspect in Butler's novel is his pitch perfect description of place. He captures so well the spirit of Wisconsin and the meaning of home. As someone born and raised in Wisconsin, I was proud to be from and living in this state as I read his novel. His writing helped remind me of the the wonderful attributes and quirks of a small town and of our state in general. He helped bring forward the little details of home and life that we can take for granted, but that are so beautifully meaningful in ways we don't necessarily realize. That was a special gift with this read.
an engrossing and spectacular story of five people in their early to mid-thirties, navigating their lives in a small town in the mid-west...told through first person perspective, each character is unique and defined and well thought out...I really could not stop read this book since I picked it up 30 hours ago.
parts of it reminded me of Philip Roth with the narratives ability to start in one place but end up in a completely different place, yet it does not meander or trail off or cause you to wander from the text...great great book.
parts of it reminded me of Philip Roth with the narratives ability to start in one place but end up in a completely different place, yet it does not meander or trail off or cause you to wander from the text...great great book.
Different. Real. Could be about people from your own hometown. Beautiful story. Can't wait for more from this author.