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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
We read this book for my October book club. An interesting character study about a group of friends from a small town in the United States.
emotional
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
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
Enjoyed reading this book from beginning to end. I wanted the characters to become my friends and see and adventure into their town, Little Wing.
Perhaps, as a small town Wisconsin resident my views are a bit biased, but I loved this book. Yes, the characters are well written and meaningful, the story is meandering and beautiful, but mostly it's the love with which it's written. You can tell in the delicate sentences and paragraphs describing the landscape: this book is a love letter to small town America, and damned if it didn't bring a tear to my eye and a newfound appreciation of my home to my heart.
Recently, a friend pointed out on Twitter that a book he was reading would drive me bonkers because it touched upon very many of my literary pet peeves.
“Dick Lit to the extreme. Selfish, sad-sack, ‘anti-hero’ middle-aged white male antagonist. Female characters as props.”
I chuckled because he was right, I do loathe that crap in books, and yet at the same time I was reading Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler, which could also be described by that tweet. read more.
“Dick Lit to the extreme. Selfish, sad-sack, ‘anti-hero’ middle-aged white male antagonist. Female characters as props.”
I chuckled because he was right, I do loathe that crap in books, and yet at the same time I was reading Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler, which could also be described by that tweet. read more.
Eh...like the 2 stars I gave it says..."it was ok". Nothing great, nothing too deep. Just ok.
Loved it. Fell in love with every character and didn't want it to end.
Where are the mosquitoes? Where is the humidity?
Having lived in Wisconsin my whole life, I really hoped to love this book, but no such luck. Not only is the plot almost non-existent, what there is of it is weighed down by sentimentality, over-writing, and cliches (if we're in a bar, the Packers are on (unless someone is watching Jeopardy, in which case the topic is the Packers); cheese curds appear with regularity; that last beer in the fridge: a Leinenkugels, and so on). In addition, all of the characters sound alike, except for the rodeo guy and his stripper girlfriend, who double and triple their negatives while everyone else is in love with poetic metaphors and rhapsodic praise of the land. In the romanticizing of rural Wisconsin life (farmers don't seem to do much except tinker with their engines and ride around on their tractors), Butler ignores most of the challenges, except for references to financial difficulties of the small farmer.
Having lived in Wisconsin my whole life, I really hoped to love this book, but no such luck. Not only is the plot almost non-existent, what there is of it is weighed down by sentimentality, over-writing, and cliches (if we're in a bar, the Packers are on (unless someone is watching Jeopardy, in which case the topic is the Packers); cheese curds appear with regularity; that last beer in the fridge: a Leinenkugels, and so on). In addition, all of the characters sound alike, except for the rodeo guy and his stripper girlfriend, who double and triple their negatives while everyone else is in love with poetic metaphors and rhapsodic praise of the land. In the romanticizing of rural Wisconsin life (farmers don't seem to do much except tinker with their engines and ride around on their tractors), Butler ignores most of the challenges, except for references to financial difficulties of the small farmer.
"When he talked politics, it was with me, or my sister, pointing a steady and patient finger at us, saying, 'I don’t care about left or right. It’s all nonsense. All I ask of you is this: Be kind. Be decent. And don’t be greedy.'" If only….
My first Nickolas Butler…definitely not my last!
My first Nickolas Butler…definitely not my last!