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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
An inchoate loaf, I dashed through this, a day before viewing the film. Both sucked. I had heard Lehane on NPR and I appreciated his vision. There are some things I should avoid. Consider me sage.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Excellent characters, such an intriguing tale. Now I want to see the movie. It amused me that one of the characters talked about who he'd like to play him in a movie. He said Brian Dennehy, and it ended up being Laurence Fishburne. :D He suggested one of the guys from Friends to play his cop partner, which ended up being Kevin Bacon. :D Ah small things...
This was a grim story indeed. I had a hard time getting into it -- there are a lot of characters and connections to keep track of -- but after a while it sucked me right in and walked all over me. The author doesn't shy away from any heartbreak.
Tracy, I never saw the movie, so I can't comment! I avoided it because I was afraid of how heartbreaking it would be, and I think I was right.
Tracy, I never saw the movie, so I can't comment! I avoided it because I was afraid of how heartbreaking it would be, and I think I was right.
2020 re-read:
I had never considered how much we grow as readers over time, but re-reading this has taught me that I definitely have. A part of it is not comparing this to the film version this time around and a part of it is that there were so many passages that made me swear or blaspheme as is my habit when I read a great passage. I likely did it more during this one than any I've read for a long time.
There's a beautiful cynicism to this book that I think comes with age too and being the same age as the adult characters in this book let me soak in the prose even more. I don't think I need to spell out the plot as there can't be many who haven't either read or seen the film version.
The characters are amazingly etched and this is a dream novel in that it manages the task of being an immense character novel while having a compelling mystery at its heart. This is probably going to lead to more Lehane re-reads especially as my friend, Chris, has recently read the Kenzie and Gennaro books.
I had never considered how much we grow as readers over time, but re-reading this has taught me that I definitely have. A part of it is not comparing this to the film version this time around and a part of it is that there were so many passages that made me swear or blaspheme as is my habit when I read a great passage. I likely did it more during this one than any I've read for a long time.
There's a beautiful cynicism to this book that I think comes with age too and being the same age as the adult characters in this book let me soak in the prose even more. I don't think I need to spell out the plot as there can't be many who haven't either read or seen the film version.
The characters are amazingly etched and this is a dream novel in that it manages the task of being an immense character novel while having a compelling mystery at its heart. This is probably going to lead to more Lehane re-reads especially as my friend, Chris, has recently read the Kenzie and Gennaro books.
Great novel that twists and turns and ends tragically. The three main characters are convincing but the secondary characters also jump off the page.
Baltimore hums along in the background. Highly recommended.
Baltimore hums along in the background. Highly recommended.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes