Reviews

The Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb

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lanamower's review against another edition

2.0

Maybe this book was great for its time, but that time is not now. The beginning drew me in and the rest either put me to sleep or frustrated me to the point of not wanting to read it.

Not one character was fleshed out, likable, or interesting. The preacher was somewhat creepy occasionally, but lost his "creep factor" with his incessant pestering and begging. All the women were either highly annoying, moronic, and/or vapid, causing me to severely dislike them. Which then caused me to dislike the author because he wrote them all that way.

The core story is interesting, but it is deeply hidden amongst unnecessary conversations and interactions between highly unlikable characters. It just wasn't enough to carry me through and I had to stop 2/3rds of the way in.

tjr_ohio's review against another edition

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5.0

The story and characters are incredible and compelling. Feels like a companion piece to To Kill A Mockingbird where the father, mother, and father figure all fail their children horribly rather than prove to be heroic. The story is frighteningly intense, and the psychological responses of all of the characters contain depth. Extremely impressive.

geerigg's review against another edition

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dark fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

willsouth's review against another edition

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challenging slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

drewdietsch's review

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4.0

Rural horror at its finest. Grubb crafts an oppressive atmosphere of terror that captures the helpless anxiety of being a child in a world of broken and evil adults.