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4.13 AVERAGE
4.13 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
sad
slow-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:
Yes
This was a well written book with an entertaining story. I listened to it and it took me a long time to keep the characters straight.
Wow. Just finished this one and I absolutely loved it. Love the author’s writing style, his extreme talent in character development, his dialogue nuances unique to each character, and his ability to capture each scene and moment so vividly. I know I will be thinking about this book for a long time! I can’t wait to read his other 2 books!
I loved Billy. He was the hero for me. Fascinating characters and fascinating ending. Many great quotes. Fantastic
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rating this book is challenging for me. I don’t feel I lean toward liking it or disliking it. The writing is excellent, but the characters lack depth and feeling. The book is narrated from all the different characters’ perspectives, mostly in the third person, except for Duchess’s first-person sections. The main story revolves around three boys sentenced to a work farm—one released, the other two escaping—intertwining their lives with Billy and Sally, along with a few other minor characters. Emmet is striving to be better for his brother, Billy. Billy and Sally are positive influences on all three main characters. Duchess seems to unknowingly be following in his father’s footsteps, and Woolly only seems to be along for the ride. However, the lack of character development or growth made it hard to connect and empathize with any of them or their experiences. Readers who enjoy literary historical fiction would still enjoy this book because of the writing.
This book was 200 pages too long in my opinion. The writing was fine and the story was ok, but his best work was Gentleman in Moscow.
Deeply unconvincing and comically didactic. This doesn’t read like literary fiction; in fact it reads like tropey commercial fiction that, somewhat disturbingly, meanders into self-help via ideologues. Not interested. And at 20% in, you’d think the boys would have actually begun their plan to LEAVE, discussed, what, 15% before. But no. It’s the didactic parade of every character that feels interminable.
Dnf 20%.
Dnf 20%.
adventurous
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
From the first few chapters I knew this would be my favorite book by this author. Very Huck Finn/Ton Sawyer vibes but in the 1950’s.