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alicebme's review against another edition
2.0
I really loved the banter between Cullen and Lucas and Gabriel. What bugged me and perhaps reveals my shameless intolerance for figurative writing techniques was the fucking woodpecker. I wanted to chuck all those bits out. Without the woodpecker...4 stars easy.
goodem9199's review against another edition
2.0
Huh? What the hell just happened here? So cornfused.
ljhind's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
susan___'s review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
slow-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
2.25
chuskeyreads's review against another edition
5.0
Ugh! I hate it when I wait so long to read a great book because I'm trying to read all the new books that just got published.
The cover, the summary, many of the reviews do NOT do this book justice, which is probably why it took me so long to actually read it.
To say this book is about 17-year old Cullen Witten coping with the disappearance of his younger brother is missing the bigger picture. It's a coming of age story set in the small southern town of Lily, Arkansas, where nothing happens and nobody can truly escape - that is until John Barling comes to town claiming to have seen a rare (possibly extinct) woodpecker. Meanwhile, Cullen's brother Gabriel goes missing, and this shocking news is widely overlooked by the media due to the sensationalism of the possible reappearance of the Lazarus Woodpecker.
Sounds dreadfully boring and sad, doesn't it?
Man! Was I pleasantly surprised!
The sarcastic wit of Cullen, his ultra-loyal friend Lucas, and the endearing truly southern bass-ackwardness of the other characters kept me reading until the very last page. I especially loved the scenes where Cullen daydreams and begins to speak of himself in third person - scenes that usually end with zombies and great book titles. The seemingly unrelated side stories of the young missionary Benton Sage and his roommate Cabot Searcy set up the amazingly fast-paced ending.
The cover, the summary, many of the reviews do NOT do this book justice, which is probably why it took me so long to actually read it.
To say this book is about 17-year old Cullen Witten coping with the disappearance of his younger brother is missing the bigger picture. It's a coming of age story set in the small southern town of Lily, Arkansas, where nothing happens and nobody can truly escape - that is until John Barling comes to town claiming to have seen a rare (possibly extinct) woodpecker. Meanwhile, Cullen's brother Gabriel goes missing, and this shocking news is widely overlooked by the media due to the sensationalism of the possible reappearance of the Lazarus Woodpecker.
Sounds dreadfully boring and sad, doesn't it?
Man! Was I pleasantly surprised!
The sarcastic wit of Cullen, his ultra-loyal friend Lucas, and the endearing truly southern bass-ackwardness of the other characters kept me reading until the very last page. I especially loved the scenes where Cullen daydreams and begins to speak of himself in third person - scenes that usually end with zombies and great book titles. The seemingly unrelated side stories of the young missionary Benton Sage and his roommate Cabot Searcy set up the amazingly fast-paced ending.
isabella1018's review against another edition
1.0
Maybe I missed the point but I don’t know what the point of this was. At the very end seeing wow, worlds collide and the time lines didn’t actually add up was interesting but I’m left feeling like that was a waste of time.
olagronski's review against another edition
5.0
This is just such a phenomenal book.
It's written so well, but at the same time I get chills and ahhh.
So so so so so so good.
It's written so well, but at the same time I get chills and ahhh.
So so so so so so good.
roseleaf24's review against another edition
4.0
Medal Winner 2012
This is one that I will be pondering for a while. The town of Lily, Arkansas, is reborn when a woodpecker that was supposedly extinct is sighted again. But Cullen Witter's brother has disappeared, so the excitement of one search is lost to him in the desperation of another.
The way that male authors writing in teenage boy voices are able to include so much humor even in dark situations always amazes me. Sometimes, it is jarring, but in the hands of a gifted author, it seems very natural. I think that ability to compartmentalize is a generally male characteristic, and it works really well in this book. Cullen is off-beat and funny, but lovable. His emotions at his brother's disappearance are raw and believable.
This is one that I will be pondering for a while. The town of Lily, Arkansas, is reborn when a woodpecker that was supposedly extinct is sighted again. But Cullen Witter's brother has disappeared, so the excitement of one search is lost to him in the desperation of another.
The way that male authors writing in teenage boy voices are able to include so much humor even in dark situations always amazes me. Sometimes, it is jarring, but in the hands of a gifted author, it seems very natural. I think that ability to compartmentalize is a generally male characteristic, and it works really well in this book. Cullen is off-beat and funny, but lovable. His emotions at his brother's disappearance are raw and believable.
vegprincess's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book, which started out as heartbreaking and ended up happy. I loved how the two stories, one about a missing boy and the other about the reappearance of an extinct woodpecker, come together at the end. Cullen, the older brother of the missing Gabriel, was a wonderful character. The love he had for his brother was evident on almost every page of the book. The relationship between Cullen and his best friend, Lucas, was touching as well.
jvannortwick's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0