Reviews

Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson

Only show reviews with written explanations

sarahrussell's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

probably_birds's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective fast-paced

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

5.0

gadicohen93's review against another edition

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4.0

Whew, these stories were fast. They flew by like flecks along your windshield, but you're not sure what they were, maybe a speck of earth or even a bug ramming against the car not knowing what hit it. If that makes sense. I loved the narrator, and his voice seemed so fucking real. I felt for him, for his abjectness, for everyone around him. But I don't think I'll remember these stories too well. For one thing, they shot by me so fast they barely grazed my skin. And they weren't especially deep, or perhaps weren't conspicuously deep--just stories from the life of a troubled man. I most clearly can bring to mind the emergency room slash jackrabbit story, just because it was so vivid. The story where they're breaking apart walls in a house looking for wires.

I would've given it three stars if I didn't feel like the guy's voice felt so genuine, but it did.

davirodcz's review against another edition

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3.0

"Toda aquela gente bizarra, e eu ali no meio, ficando a cada dia melhor. Eu nunca tinha pensado, nunca tinha sequer imaginado, que houvesse lugar pra gente como nós."

Um retrato sensível e simples de uma realidade marginalizada, que muita das vezes é maquiada e vendida para o mundo de outra forma.

relyen's review against another edition

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dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

lee_loryn_'s review against another edition

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2.0

When I hovered over the 2 stars I couldn't bring myself back down to just 1 star. The stories were so short that I was delighted mostly by that aspect. Otherwise, I get why Denis Johnson's writing is interesting and why I think I've met a few people who've drooled over it. I was not taken by it at all and only really fell for a few sentences, quips, and phrases. Glad I read it after all these years, but it was followed by more hype than I thought it was worth.