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beastreader's review against another edition
2.0
I have actually read Shutter Island and Mystic River by Mr. Lehane but I have watched the movie versions of Mr. Lehane's books Gone, Baby, Gone, Mystic River, and Shutter Island and enjoyed them all. So I decided to check out this book as again I was somewhat familiar with the people and town of Mystic River. There was something about this book that was missing and that was the empathy for the characters. Plus the story line did not intrigue me as much. I knew after reading Mystic River that this book would be slow reading as that is how it went with the prior one but I tried and tried and just could not fully embrace this book. It was when I was about half way that I realized that I was just going through the motions and I could not remember what had just happened in the last five chapters. Not one of my favorite books by Mr. Lehane.
erincataldi's review against another edition
5.0
I made the mistake of watching the movie trailer first so I can only picture Tom Hardy as Bob and James Gandolfini as Cousin Marv. Honestly though, I don't think that's a bad thing. I mean, have you seen Tom Hardy? Yowza! That was one of our main reasons for picking this for book club, because we knew we'd have a great movie to look forward to as well!
This book is quite short for Dennis Lehane novel, in fact, this was originally a short story entitled "The Animal Rescue" that Lehane expanded, and then wrote a screenplay for (his first), at the request of a producer. The resulting story was released at the same time as the movie.
If the movie is half as good as the book, I am going to love it. "The Drop" is phenomenal, it's easily one of my favorite crime/thriller reads of the year. It's gritty, engrossing and totally packs a punch at the end. For being so short, there is some amazing character building. Bob, the bartender and animal rescuer is awesome. Why don't I have a Bob in my life? Tom Hardy seems like an ideal fit to play him. I don't want to summarize the book too much and give it away. Just trust me on this, read it!
This book is quite short for Dennis Lehane novel, in fact, this was originally a short story entitled "The Animal Rescue" that Lehane expanded, and then wrote a screenplay for (his first), at the request of a producer. The resulting story was released at the same time as the movie.
If the movie is half as good as the book, I am going to love it. "The Drop" is phenomenal, it's easily one of my favorite crime/thriller reads of the year. It's gritty, engrossing and totally packs a punch at the end. For being so short, there is some amazing character building. Bob, the bartender and animal rescuer is awesome. Why don't I have a Bob in my life? Tom Hardy seems like an ideal fit to play him. I don't want to summarize the book too much and give it away. Just trust me on this, read it!
adrianneadelle's review against another edition
3.0
Very for real. Lehane books to not hold anything back, it can make some of his books very hard to read.
I will say he sees the very darkest parts of human nature and translates them so thoroughly in writing it's a small horror with every page you turn. I should also say that his "good guys" really do try their best at being good.
I will say he sees the very darkest parts of human nature and translates them so thoroughly in writing it's a small horror with every page you turn. I should also say that his "good guys" really do try their best at being good.
emckeon1002's review against another edition
4.0
Dennis Lehane writes better crime novels than most even if it's by request. This book began as a short story, that became a film script that became a novel. The film script set in Brooklyn is reset in Boston in the novel, and though I haven't seen the film yet, we're assured by Lehane that the book goes deeper. One would hope. But it doesn't go very deep, at least not as deep as Lehane's books usually do.
alison_marie's review against another edition
3.0
More like 3.5...not as good as Lehane's other books, but still very well-written and engrossing. I read most of it in one sitting.
kipreads's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
luraytea's review against another edition
2.0
The plot was hard to grasp for the first half of the book; not as well developed as I remember Mystic River. Still that Boston charm.
sandin954's review against another edition
3.0
Usually I think most novels are too long but I wish this one had a few more pages so some of the characters could have been a bit more fleshed out. I did enjoy this dark crime novel set in Boston though and have high hopes that the movie version will be pretty good too.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
A couple days after Christmas, Bob, a lonely bartender finds a nearly dead puppy in a garbage can. When the bar he tends is robbed one night, Bob's life circles the drain. Suddenly, a cop named Torres is asking about a decade-old murder, the Chechens that own the bar want their 5,000 dollars back, and a lowlife named Eddie Deeds wants ten thousand dollars for the dog Bob found in the trash. What's a friendless bartender to do?
I've made no secret of the fact that I like my crime books lean and mean. The Drop is certainly that.
Dennis Lehane spins another yarn of Boston's less than sparkling neighborhoods. The Drop, named after Cousin Marv's drop bar, is a tale of secrets. Who killed Glory Days? Who robbed Cousin Marv's? Why does Bob never take communion at church?
Since The Drop started it's life as a short story, it a slim tale and a departure from most of Lehane's more recent work. It could easily be mistaken for an unearthed pulp tale from the days of yore, a slim volume with very little filler. Make no mistake, though, The Drop is pure Lehane. It's pretty amazing what he does to establish a neighborhood in so few pages.
Bob is a likeable loser and I instantly liked him when he pulled Rocco out of the trash. While I was enjoying the tale, I wasn't looking forward to having my psyche shattered if something happened to the dog over the course of the story. As for the humans other than Bob, I wasn't overly concerned if any of them should happen to meet his or her maker. For a short novel, Bob sure has a lot of wolves nipping at his heels. Torres, the Chechens, Deeds, possibly Marv, the poor guy has a lot on his plate.
While I didn't enjoy it as much as the Kenzie and Gennaro books, The Drop shows that Lehane still knows how to spin a crime yarn. Four out of five stars.
I've made no secret of the fact that I like my crime books lean and mean. The Drop is certainly that.
Dennis Lehane spins another yarn of Boston's less than sparkling neighborhoods. The Drop, named after Cousin Marv's drop bar, is a tale of secrets. Who killed Glory Days? Who robbed Cousin Marv's? Why does Bob never take communion at church?
Since The Drop started it's life as a short story, it a slim tale and a departure from most of Lehane's more recent work. It could easily be mistaken for an unearthed pulp tale from the days of yore, a slim volume with very little filler. Make no mistake, though, The Drop is pure Lehane. It's pretty amazing what he does to establish a neighborhood in so few pages.
Bob is a likeable loser and I instantly liked him when he pulled Rocco out of the trash. While I was enjoying the tale, I wasn't looking forward to having my psyche shattered if something happened to the dog over the course of the story. As for the humans other than Bob, I wasn't overly concerned if any of them should happen to meet his or her maker. For a short novel, Bob sure has a lot of wolves nipping at his heels. Torres, the Chechens, Deeds, possibly Marv, the poor guy has a lot on his plate.
While I didn't enjoy it as much as the Kenzie and Gennaro books, The Drop shows that Lehane still knows how to spin a crime yarn. Four out of five stars.