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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really enjoyed this until the last 50 pages when he became about a white middle-aged man finding redemption. Not being an author myself, I feel like maybe its hard to wrap up a novel, because as a reader I often feel like I'm upset that the ending either dragged on too long (this is the case here) or things were wrapped up way too quickly and way too conveniently.
The rest of this was superb though, great pacing, great description of the town, it's people and the drought. Really enjoyable, makes me wonder why I don't read more Australian fiction - must remedy that ASAP.
The rest of this was superb though, great pacing, great description of the town, it's people and the drought. Really enjoyable, makes me wonder why I don't read more Australian fiction - must remedy that ASAP.
I am really enjoying all the books I've read this summer that are set in the Australian outback. This one reminds me of Jane Harper's The Dry and The Lone Man -- all set in small, drought ridden towns filled with secrets, although I think Harper does them just a but better. This one got a little confusing and convoluted but eventually came together in the end.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Bloody magnificent. This lady stinger of a book supersedes ‘The Dry’, and is on par with Peter Temple’s works (big call I know). The writing is superb without being uppity, and the story - oh my giddy aunt. I’ve never read anything so beautiful and brutal as Chris Hammer’s novel, so can he please write more? For example, one book a year? With thanks. This and Robert Lukins debut are my two favourite books of 2018.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Enjoyable and intriguing enough to keep me wanting to know more. However, there was also too much repetitive reflection by the main character, and repetition of the same description of the landscape.
Essentially, the book could've had faster pacing.
Essentially, the book could've had faster pacing.
My first crime fiction! (I think). Actually loved this. A great depiction of the weirder side of country Australia. Awesome characters with a lot of depth. Chris Hammer is an amazing writer. He spends pages describing a single scene and you don’t even realise he’s doing it. All the details are essential and you feel like your Martin Scarsden himself, taking it all in.
Took me a while to finish this one (mainly because it was an audio book). I did enjoy it and I was happy with the ending but I felt like it was very long and there was a point about 2/3 through that I thought that everything had wrapped up only for it to become more confusing. I felt like there was a lot to keep up with and a lot of names that I couldn’t track. Although, I do love a crime / mystery book and the ending result was satisfying to hear come together.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
This progressively got worse as it went on, at first I was kind of into it, the tension building and mystery are definitely intriguing and I'll admit it's quite well paced, but as the story goes on the execution of how things are revealed and how the characters act becomes increasingly sloppy.
Also did not appreciate the strong "male gaze" feeling throughout this. I don't normally care about stuff like that, but it was just so obviously written by an old man. Every woman in this book is either a promiscuous cheater, a rude "fat" asshole or a weak little angel that needs a man's protection. You'll find no strong female character's in this.
There were good parts though, like I mentioned before the pacing is pretty consistent and well down and I think the suspense/intrigue building during the first 250 pages is done well enough, but that's it really.
In short, a forgettable bargin bin book.
Also did not appreciate the strong "male gaze" feeling throughout this. I don't normally care about stuff like that, but it was just so obviously written by an old man. Every woman in this book is either a promiscuous cheater, a rude "fat" asshole or a weak little angel that needs a man's protection. You'll find no strong female character's in this.
There were good parts though, like I mentioned before the pacing is pretty consistent and well down and I think the suspense/intrigue building during the first 250 pages is done well enough, but that's it really.
In short, a forgettable bargin bin book.