Scan barcode
xmber's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
qwedsa123's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
grouchomarxist's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to like this book. Frankly, I want to like all books. And I should preface this review by noting I personally have a hard time with books about prison. I get way too angry and upset about the atrocities destroying lives for-profit in America to enjoy the story, and I'm often suspicious of savior complexes, whether they're white or simply upper-middle class.
That being said, I'll start with the good. This edition of the book has a Nan Goldin picture on the cover! And...there are a handful of very witty lines which may have done better had they been on Twitter.
Other than that, I agree with the other reviewers who said the voice felt inconsistent. There was, as someone else pointed out, a weird emotional distance with all of the narrators. A lot of the story felt told, not shown, which gave it the feel of being very fragmented and which frustrated this particular reader. The main narrator, Romy, is either overly smart or overly naive when it when it suits the narrative, particularly with respect to the... (WARNING POSSIBLE MILD SPOILER THAT REALLY SHOULD NOT BE ONE GIVEN THE PLOT)
ok people who are enraged by spoilers, did you back away and avert your eyes?
How about now?
....extremely obvious outcomes vis-a-vis parents who are in jail for life and their legal relationship with their children. It should never have been a surprise and was a very weak plot point, insofar as the book, uh, had a plot.
OK END WHAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE A SPOILER
The main thesis of the book seemed to be, golly, spending the rest of your life in prison is terrible! And as theses go, let's face it. That is not a particularly provocative idea that pushes the boundaries of human thought or contributes much to global discourse. At times it felt like Kushner just wanted to write a scathing article in the Atlantic or Mother Jones about how bad the prison system is. Instead it was just illustrated in thin vignettes narrated by a disadvantaged (white) person who was there anyway. Thank God for white people to explicate the ways poverty compounds the lives of people of color, amirite?
Sigh!
Well, I don't wholly regret reading this book. Indiespensable sends them in pretty packages with autographs. I guess this one is good for people who like Orange is the New Black but just don't find it depressing enough. And it's definitely not for people like me, who curl up into the fetal position just thinking about the horrific, systematic violence of the prison industry in this country.
That being said, I'll start with the good. This edition of the book has a Nan Goldin picture on the cover! And...there are a handful of very witty lines which may have done better had they been on Twitter.
Other than that, I agree with the other reviewers who said the voice felt inconsistent. There was, as someone else pointed out, a weird emotional distance with all of the narrators. A lot of the story felt told, not shown, which gave it the feel of being very fragmented and which frustrated this particular reader. The main narrator, Romy, is either overly smart or overly naive when it when it suits the narrative, particularly with respect to the... (WARNING POSSIBLE MILD SPOILER THAT REALLY SHOULD NOT BE ONE GIVEN THE PLOT)
ok people who are enraged by spoilers, did you back away and avert your eyes?
How about now?
....extremely obvious outcomes vis-a-vis parents who are in jail for life and their legal relationship with their children. It should never have been a surprise and was a very weak plot point, insofar as the book, uh, had a plot.
OK END WHAT COULD POTENTIALLY BE A SPOILER
The main thesis of the book seemed to be, golly, spending the rest of your life in prison is terrible! And as theses go, let's face it. That is not a particularly provocative idea that pushes the boundaries of human thought or contributes much to global discourse. At times it felt like Kushner just wanted to write a scathing article in the Atlantic or Mother Jones about how bad the prison system is. Instead it was just illustrated in thin vignettes narrated by a disadvantaged (white) person who was there anyway. Thank God for white people to explicate the ways poverty compounds the lives of people of color, amirite?
Sigh!
Well, I don't wholly regret reading this book. Indiespensable sends them in pretty packages with autographs. I guess this one is good for people who like Orange is the New Black but just don't find it depressing enough. And it's definitely not for people like me, who curl up into the fetal position just thinking about the horrific, systematic violence of the prison industry in this country.
cfw27's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Devoured this book in one weekend. Like a car crash, you can’t look away. I love Kushner’s writing style - quite pithy but always with an emotional punch.
jennyfromtheloch's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
erickibler4's review against another edition
5.0
Romy Hall is a young woman imprisoned by poverty and all the expectations surrounding the social class she was born into. Eventually she winds up in prison serving two life sentences. How she got there is a tale told disjointedly and with many digressions into the lives of side characters. Losers, criminals, murderers, and perverts.
Although the book is very dark, there are scenes where even the most soul-numbed of these characters have grace moments.
This book reminds me a lot of the hillbilly noir novels of Donald Ray Pollock. High praise.
Although the book is very dark, there are scenes where even the most soul-numbed of these characters have grace moments.
This book reminds me a lot of the hillbilly noir novels of Donald Ray Pollock. High praise.
jam_jahr's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
alexisestevens's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
rachelevelyn's review against another edition
4.25
Really enjoyed this. Very absorbing and felt very well researched in terms of life inside a prison.
I found the ending and Tony’s relationship with Gordon a bit rushed/confusing, and some of the other character narratives such as Doc a bit unnecessary and didn’t really add to the story/dynamics.
I found the ending and Tony’s relationship with Gordon a bit rushed/confusing, and some of the other character narratives such as Doc a bit unnecessary and didn’t really add to the story/dynamics.
mgoorchenko's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars.
Kushner’s depiction of prison life seems accurately dismal and well-developed. My main gripe is with the writing itself. Kushner interrupted Romy’s story with those of other characters and I found them just that rather than smoothly interwoven subplots. I think a more straightforward narrative of simply Romy would have worked better and been more compelling. At one point, Kushner goes from writing in the first person as Romy to writing in the third person while describing the teacher’s experience, but there wasn’t enough about him that was interesting to make that technique work at all. Still, I think this is well worth reading.
Kushner’s depiction of prison life seems accurately dismal and well-developed. My main gripe is with the writing itself. Kushner interrupted Romy’s story with those of other characters and I found them just that rather than smoothly interwoven subplots. I think a more straightforward narrative of simply Romy would have worked better and been more compelling. At one point, Kushner goes from writing in the first person as Romy to writing in the third person while describing the teacher’s experience, but there wasn’t enough about him that was interesting to make that technique work at all. Still, I think this is well worth reading.