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cacophonyofpages's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
bookwormy614's review against another edition
5.0
I choose this book because it had a cool cover. Yes, I judge a book by its cover.
I hate reading a great book that draws me from cover to cover because I have such a hard time finding something else to read that will hold my attention in the same way. That's what December Park has done to me. The story kept moving along and kept me guessing. The characters were so well written I felt like they were my friends by the end. And the emotions ... so real! From the humor of teenaged boys to the grief of loss. And most of all there was closure! I love that there were no loose ends (well there was sorta one but jerk offs don't garner any sympathy from me). Gotta read it to know the jerk off I'm referring to.
Nothing will live up to December Park's expectations for me until I find another cool covered book.
I hate reading a great book that draws me from cover to cover because I have such a hard time finding something else to read that will hold my attention in the same way. That's what December Park has done to me. The story kept moving along and kept me guessing. The characters were so well written I felt like they were my friends by the end. And the emotions ... so real! From the humor of teenaged boys to the grief of loss. And most of all there was closure! I love that there were no loose ends (well there was sorta one but jerk offs don't garner any sympathy from me). Gotta read it to know the jerk off I'm referring to.
Nothing will live up to December Park's expectations for me until I find another cool covered book.
billymac1962's review against another edition
3.0
December Park is the third book so far that I have read from Ronald Malfi.
For those of you keeping score at home, you will recall my absolute gushing over Bone White, my first experience with Mr. Malfi, and it hit my top five of the year.
December Park is a coming of age novel of five small town buddies in the early 90s, amid the disappearance of several teens.
To be honest, I found the tale a bit overlong, and I didn't feel the pacing of the story was quite the brilliance that Bone White was. But, it's maybe unfair to compare the two as Bone White is, in my humble opinion, a guy at the top of his game. Having said that, though, the final 60 pages or so were quite gripping and even though I admit that I was getting antsy to finish it and discover the answer to the mystery, I did not skim over one word.
I'm giving this a 3.5 I think (Bone White I wanted to give 10), and am looking forward to reading more of this guy. If the best is still to come from him, we are very lucky readers.
For those of you keeping score at home, you will recall my absolute gushing over Bone White, my first experience with Mr. Malfi, and it hit my top five of the year.
December Park is a coming of age novel of five small town buddies in the early 90s, amid the disappearance of several teens.
To be honest, I found the tale a bit overlong, and I didn't feel the pacing of the story was quite the brilliance that Bone White was. But, it's maybe unfair to compare the two as Bone White is, in my humble opinion, a guy at the top of his game. Having said that, though, the final 60 pages or so were quite gripping and even though I admit that I was getting antsy to finish it and discover the answer to the mystery, I did not skim over one word.
I'm giving this a 3.5 I think (Bone White I wanted to give 10), and am looking forward to reading more of this guy. If the best is still to come from him, we are very lucky readers.
rsksmith's review against another edition
5.0
Wow ok, so full disclosure I almost didn’t finish this book. I read a couple others after starting it and almost didn’t come back, but I’m SO glad I did.
Ive read comparisons to It, but I think a more apt one is Stand By Me, because while there are some horror elements (particularly at the VERY end), the primary focus is on a group of friends investigating a mystery. Had I gone in with more realistic expectations I think I’d have had a better time.
But it doesn’t matter because the ending sticks the landing so damn hard - the last 10th of the book makes up for the disappointment I felt about the rest of it not being as scary as I wanted.
Ive read comparisons to It, but I think a more apt one is Stand By Me, because while there are some horror elements (particularly at the VERY end), the primary focus is on a group of friends investigating a mystery. Had I gone in with more realistic expectations I think I’d have had a better time.
But it doesn’t matter because the ending sticks the landing so damn hard - the last 10th of the book makes up for the disappointment I felt about the rest of it not being as scary as I wanted.
jjkook13's review against another edition
5.0
12 out of 10.
Quite possibly the best emotional roller coaster ride I've been in, and will ever be.
Quite possibly the best emotional roller coaster ride I've been in, and will ever be.
antiopelle's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliant, just as I expected it to be !
I've discovered Mr. Malfi through [b:Come with Me|56029579|Come with Me|Ronald Malfi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1606214615l/56029579._SY75_.jpg|87269767] and I was gobsmacked. Next thing I did was add all his previous book to my TBR, and lucky me, he is a prolific writer and I still can catch up on a lot of books. After [b:Bone White|32920015|Bone White|Ronald Malfi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480378494l/32920015._SX50_.jpg|53537732], I continued with an older novel, December Park, and I was invested from start to finish. As others have pointed out before, the link with [b:The Body|38926465|The Body|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527495506l/38926465._SY75_.jpg|88565283], is very quickly made as we have some teenagers biking their way through summer with a heavy load on their young shoulders. But just as with the previous books, I prefer Malfi's version. There were small passages that irked me a bit with King and that Malfi seems to avoid. It is cleaner, less supernatural and it just tugs at my heartstrings a bit more.
I agree with the fact that the book is extremely long, but I had no problem whatsoever with that. When a story is engaging and the prose flows from page to page, I prefer it not to end too quickly, I thought the length was perfect. And talk about the ending! I didn't see that one coming but it made the whole story absolutely perfect, and every little piece of information clicked right in its place.
A future re-read for sure !
I've discovered Mr. Malfi through [b:Come with Me|56029579|Come with Me|Ronald Malfi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1606214615l/56029579._SY75_.jpg|87269767] and I was gobsmacked. Next thing I did was add all his previous book to my TBR, and lucky me, he is a prolific writer and I still can catch up on a lot of books. After [b:Bone White|32920015|Bone White|Ronald Malfi|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1480378494l/32920015._SX50_.jpg|53537732], I continued with an older novel, December Park, and I was invested from start to finish. As others have pointed out before, the link with [b:The Body|38926465|The Body|Stephen King|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1527495506l/38926465._SY75_.jpg|88565283], is very quickly made as we have some teenagers biking their way through summer with a heavy load on their young shoulders. But just as with the previous books, I prefer Malfi's version. There were small passages that irked me a bit with King and that Malfi seems to avoid. It is cleaner, less supernatural and it just tugs at my heartstrings a bit more.
I agree with the fact that the book is extremely long, but I had no problem whatsoever with that. When a story is engaging and the prose flows from page to page, I prefer it not to end too quickly, I thought the length was perfect. And talk about the ending! I didn't see that one coming but it made the whole story absolutely perfect, and every little piece of information clicked right in its place.
A future re-read for sure !
romarie4's review against another edition
5.0
Well well well… Malfi did it again. Another book of his i devoured in days. This coming of age story is set in the 90s in a small town during a string of child murders. A group of friends decide to investigate and it just gets darker and darker. The ending truly took me by surprise and I found myself tearing up at the end. I love how this was set in the 90s (my childhood) life was so much different back then when you had to find your own fun and things to do. This is really a great story that captures that slice of life while also telling a dark story. Truly amazing and one of my favorites of the year.
bluegene's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.5