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sjj169 's review for:
The Heavenly Table
by Donald Ray Pollock
It's amazing that this book was written by the same person that wrote [b:The Devil All the Time|10108463|The Devil All the Time|Donald Ray Pollock|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320561517s/10108463.jpg|15005760]. This one as much as it makes my heart hurt to say, reads like a first novel. It's kinda messy.
It starts with poor farmer Pearl Jewett, he loses his wife in a weird way that I was sure would have some meaning later in the story. I set myself up for disappointment several times thinking that in this book. Pearl then finds himself homeless with his three boys. None of whom would win any awards in the brains department except maybe Cane, the oldest. Pearl's philosophy of life comes from an old hermit who follows a white bird around. That you much suffer hard to be able to eat at the "heavenly table" when you are gone. So Pearl sets himself and his boys on a path of the most misery, since that gave him the satisfaction that the worst was the best thing that could happen.
Pearl was a dumbass.
Pearl later gets himself and the boys in a deal that has them working hard for just a few meager bits of food and Pearl drops dead. (Not really a spoiler)..the boys decide to leave the kind of life they had been living behind them and rob a bank or something. That starts their life of crime. It seemed like the boys all got a bit addicted to the killing/robbing thing. Especially since the one book that they had growing up was a penny thriller about a vigilante hero.
The boys start their journey with plans to go to Canada to start their "real lives." The press and word of mouth has their legends and reward money growing as they try and get closer to where they are going.
I liked this part of the book. What lost me and ended up not really tying together was the LARGE cast of other characters. You have a farmer and his wife, who were swindled out of their life savings. Their son who pretty much just showed up in the book for a few minutes. A sanitary inspector who's large penis should have been a character of it's own. (It sorta was), a black man who lives off women, A gay military guy, and there are more. I just got bored typing up anything about them. Oh and then BAM the hippie bird following guy shows up again. Not that he ever makes any sense to the story. Half these characters don't.
I kept telling myself that I was reading a Donald Ray Pollock book, that I knew he would wrap everything up and it would make sense.
But not.
Then add in an ending that completely crapped the bed and you get two stars from me. Just for the few smiles I got from the stories about the whores.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
Buddy read with my friend Sandra
It starts with poor farmer Pearl Jewett, he loses his wife in a weird way that I was sure would have some meaning later in the story. I set myself up for disappointment several times thinking that in this book. Pearl then finds himself homeless with his three boys. None of whom would win any awards in the brains department except maybe Cane, the oldest. Pearl's philosophy of life comes from an old hermit who follows a white bird around. That you much suffer hard to be able to eat at the "heavenly table" when you are gone. So Pearl sets himself and his boys on a path of the most misery, since that gave him the satisfaction that the worst was the best thing that could happen.
Pearl was a dumbass.
Pearl later gets himself and the boys in a deal that has them working hard for just a few meager bits of food and Pearl drops dead. (Not really a spoiler)..the boys decide to leave the kind of life they had been living behind them and rob a bank or something. That starts their life of crime. It seemed like the boys all got a bit addicted to the killing/robbing thing. Especially since the one book that they had growing up was a penny thriller about a vigilante hero.
The boys start their journey with plans to go to Canada to start their "real lives." The press and word of mouth has their legends and reward money growing as they try and get closer to where they are going.
I liked this part of the book. What lost me and ended up not really tying together was the LARGE cast of other characters. You have a farmer and his wife, who were swindled out of their life savings. Their son who pretty much just showed up in the book for a few minutes. A sanitary inspector who's large penis should have been a character of it's own. (It sorta was), a black man who lives off women, A gay military guy, and there are more. I just got bored typing up anything about them. Oh and then BAM the hippie bird following guy shows up again. Not that he ever makes any sense to the story. Half these characters don't.
I kept telling myself that I was reading a Donald Ray Pollock book, that I knew he would wrap everything up and it would make sense.
But not.
Then add in an ending that completely crapped the bed and you get two stars from me. Just for the few smiles I got from the stories about the whores.
Booksource: Netgalley in exchange for review.
Buddy read with my friend Sandra