Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.15 AVERAGE
3.15 AVERAGE
I read A Ship Made of Paper by Scott Spencer many years ago and still remember loving it, so when I came across one of his newer books, Man in the Woods, at the library, I picked it up.
Man in the Woods tells the story of Paul who is driven to an act of violence which he keeps secret from everyone in his life but it eats away at him. His relationship with a successful writer, Kate, and her daughter, Ruby, is put at risk as he becomes obsessed with the crime and the conflicting fear of being found out and of having to live with the secret forever.
As Paul's life unravels, you feel sympathy toward him, more so than for the victim who was not innocent nor a very good person. You fear for what will become of him and the impact all of this is having on Paul, Kate and Ruby.
However, there were some parts that read a little unrealistic or convoluted, where the characters just don't feel real or have realistic reactions to emotions or experiences.
Man in the Woods tells the story of Paul who is driven to an act of violence which he keeps secret from everyone in his life but it eats away at him. His relationship with a successful writer, Kate, and her daughter, Ruby, is put at risk as he becomes obsessed with the crime and the conflicting fear of being found out and of having to live with the secret forever.
As Paul's life unravels, you feel sympathy toward him, more so than for the victim who was not innocent nor a very good person. You fear for what will become of him and the impact all of this is having on Paul, Kate and Ruby.
However, there were some parts that read a little unrealistic or convoluted, where the characters just don't feel real or have realistic reactions to emotions or experiences.
boasts it's about "true nature" of man. violence and love. what i'm seeing: a slightly neurotic woman wavering in and out of her faith, who happens to be in love with a man who is a beautiful carpenter. the carpenter also just so happens to be a murderer. oh and let's not forget the dog the man saves when he commits the murder. the dog's name? Shep. Right. Shep, as in shepard? Maybe. Anyone feel like you're getting hit over the head with something? Oh, no? Just me?
This book ambled along, finally finished and left me feeling like I had gained nothing from reading it. I didn't need for it to charged along with twists and turns but I did not understand why i was spending all of this time with these characters. It did not seem to go anywhere.
Excellent descriptions, but the plot and even to some extent the characters didn't do it for me.
Bleh, didn't finish. I was listening to the audiobook and it was just not holding my attention.
Took my over a month to get through this book. There was just something about it that didn't "get me" from the beginning. It wasn't terrible but I had a hard time with it.
The book poses and interesting question about what happens when you save the life of a creature, but kill a man to do it. I loved the questions that this book raised. That said, some of the dialogue was so cheesy, I groaned out loud. I know Scott Spencer has written books about love before, but really, people don't say those things do they?
I picked up this book not realizing that its author's first novel, _Last Night at the Brain Thieves Ball_, was one of my favorites. This book is well-written and carefully plotted. He seems to be exploring the idea of fate or of providence. The characters were interesting, fairly diverse, and well-drawn. The plot kept me turning pages. It will take me some time to decide what I really think of it, but it's certainly given me something to chew on.