Reviews tagging 'Alcohol'

Deacon King Kong by James McBride

7 reviews

knkoch's review

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emotional funny mysterious reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

The story that takes shape in Deacon King Kong is as colorful and ambiguous as the cover and title. It takes a long time to establish, but the more you learn, the more that gets revealed, the more the tension and stakes slowly ratchet up to a satisfying conclusion. There's a lot of character humor in this similar to The Good Lord Bird, leavened in both with darkness and truth. While that story took place all over the US, however, this one is centered in a south Brooklyn housing project community. McBride is better than any author I've yet read at creating not just characters but a large community of people, full of intersecting families, histories, grievances, and alliances. There's so much context to explain and tangential stories to lay out, but it's all worth it. 
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daniellekat's review against another edition

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slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

If I wasn’t reading this for a book club I would have DNF’d after the first chapter. The whole book was a slog to get through. I didn’t get the humour and I found the writing extremely over descriptive. The characters were unlikeable and I never found myself invested in any of their stories. Overall, boring and way too long. 
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lrcartee's review

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mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I felt like this book went in circles. I almost gave up about 25% but started to make some connections within the plot so I stuck it out. Upon finishing, I felt this book could have been just the last 20-30 pages as it summarized the plot and tied it together. It was just not my cup of tea.
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mwalla's review

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emotional hopeful mysterious reflective sad 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

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badmom's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense 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

4.5

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agnesg's review

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challenging dark funny 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

4.0

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planreadrepeat's review

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adventurous emotional funny 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

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