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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
Not an easy book to read, and it definitely leaves you feeling unsettled and doesn't answer some hard questions, but I felt it was really well done. I really enjoy Lehane as an author, even if his books are like a punch to the gut followed by an uppercut to the jaw. Add the local flavor, and I'm ready for the next book in the series.
To be fair, I didn’t know it was part of a series, but I still felt the romance was a bit heavy handed and took away from what was otherwise a well paced crime drama.
I get obsessive about some things. I rented the movie Gone, Baby, Gone on a Friday and liked it so much I watched it again on Sunday. I reserved the book from the library and had it by Tuesday. Part of my affection for the movie, it must be told, had to do with Casey Affleck's Patrick Kenzie, but the other part had to do with how incredibly cool his partner Angie was. The movie didn't spend a lot of time worrying about her which I find rare as Hollywood seems to exist partly to keep women in their place. But that's a post for another day.
So I shouldn't have been surprised when I got the book and Angie is even cooler than she was in the film. Ah, Hollywood, you never let me down. Anyway, good book. Fast-paced, funny with very good character sketches as well as good social commentary. I like Dennis LeHane especially for those last two traits.
Overall the book was solid and I was pleased to find out there are several books with these two characters. I'll be reading them.
So I shouldn't have been surprised when I got the book and Angie is even cooler than she was in the film. Ah, Hollywood, you never let me down. Anyway, good book. Fast-paced, funny with very good character sketches as well as good social commentary. I like Dennis LeHane especially for those last two traits.
Overall the book was solid and I was pleased to find out there are several books with these two characters. I'll be reading them.
Author of Mystic River and Shutter Island, Dennis Lehane, doesn’t disappoint. Gone Baby Gone is full of twists and turns and the seedy underbelly of Boston.
I LOVE this author!!! What a great book--sad--but soooo good. Just found out from a friend at work the day before I finished it that it was also made into a movie in '07; I had no idea, but I will have to watch it. Looking forward to more of his writing.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was a sad book with a sad ending for all. It illustrates the old saying "No good deed goes unpunished."
It's also a good book for a group read, I think. There are issues that make for good discussions, like whether it's right to break the law for a good cause, and whether it's right to take a child away from his/her mother if the mother is deemed to be unfit. We would like to think our infallible government is qualified and willing to decide this issue, but according to this book, they very rarely ever actually do this. But can we allow some arbitrary private citizen to decide? Of course not, because there are a lot of invalid reasons that this citizen might think protects the child, such as a gay parent, a Muslim parent, etc.
But aside from the dark issues, it was hard to put down, and the plot was not at all straight-forward.
It's also a good book for a group read, I think. There are issues that make for good discussions, like whether it's right to break the law for a good cause, and whether it's right to take a child away from his/her mother if the mother is deemed to be unfit. We would like to think our infallible government is qualified and willing to decide this issue, but according to this book, they very rarely ever actually do this. But can we allow some arbitrary private citizen to decide? Of course not, because there are a lot of invalid reasons that this citizen might think protects the child, such as a gay parent, a Muslim parent, etc.
But aside from the dark issues, it was hard to put down, and the plot was not at all straight-forward.
Gone, Baby, Gone is the third installment in Dennis Lehane's Patrick Kenzie and Angie Gennaro series. This is the first of the series I've read so I can say with confidence that you don't have to read the previous titles in the series to understand or enjoy Gone, Baby, Gone. It's the story of a missing child. Amanda McCready has been missing for three days when private detectives Patrick and Angie come onto the case. They are reluctant to take it on, but the child's aunt won't take no for an answer. Patrick and Angie, who are also partners in life, quickly find themselves working with a pair of Boston police detectives and dealing with a less than terrific mother.
There are a number of twists and turns that make me loathe to say any more about the story. Suffice it to say, this story has wow factor. Lehane has constructed a tight plot that keeps you guessing but never has you disbelieving. In addition to being a great mystery, Gone, Baby, Gone is a powerful tale of choosing between right and wrong and the sometimes difficulty in deciding which is which. Lehane lightens the mood with wonderful and funny banter between his main characters, Patrick and Angie, and between them and the police detectives working the case.
I picked up Gone, Baby, Gone because of its relationship to the newest installment in this series, Moonlight Mile, which I received an advanced reading copy of. I'm glad I did. I may even go back and read the other titles featuring Patrick and Angie. I'm definitely going to be adding the film version of Gone, Baby, Gone to my Netflix queue. If you enjoy a good mystery, I definitely recommend Gone, Baby, Gone.
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2010/11/review-gone-baby-gone.html
There are a number of twists and turns that make me loathe to say any more about the story. Suffice it to say, this story has wow factor. Lehane has constructed a tight plot that keeps you guessing but never has you disbelieving. In addition to being a great mystery, Gone, Baby, Gone is a powerful tale of choosing between right and wrong and the sometimes difficulty in deciding which is which. Lehane lightens the mood with wonderful and funny banter between his main characters, Patrick and Angie, and between them and the police detectives working the case.
I picked up Gone, Baby, Gone because of its relationship to the newest installment in this series, Moonlight Mile, which I received an advanced reading copy of. I'm glad I did. I may even go back and read the other titles featuring Patrick and Angie. I'm definitely going to be adding the film version of Gone, Baby, Gone to my Netflix queue. If you enjoy a good mystery, I definitely recommend Gone, Baby, Gone.
http://iubookgirl.blogspot.com/2010/11/review-gone-baby-gone.html
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated