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eleellis's review against another edition
4.0
Desperation Road is a Southern novel about a man just released from prison returning to his hometown and trying to pick up where he left off.
The main character, Russell Gaines, makes it clear what he did to land in prison was his own doing and makes no excuses for what it was that he did do.
Along the way, Michael Farris Smith tosses in a handful of characters to move the plot along and each of these characters are well developed and lack being two dimensions.
While reading the novel, it's clear there are not going to be happy endings, though the reader so badly hopes there are - at one point, I felt a prediction of a plot point would be reasonable, however, I'm glad Smith did not go where I thought the story was going to go, because to do so would have only allowed the story to become contrived, causing the novel to lose it's emotional impact.
If you like novels by Larry Brown, Daniel Woodrell, William Gay or Pete Dexter, then this novel will be welcomed.
Farris brings forth what it's like to drive down darkened, gravel roads in the country late at night while searching for cause or meaning in life.
Highly recommended.......
The main character, Russell Gaines, makes it clear what he did to land in prison was his own doing and makes no excuses for what it was that he did do.
Along the way, Michael Farris Smith tosses in a handful of characters to move the plot along and each of these characters are well developed and lack being two dimensions.
While reading the novel, it's clear there are not going to be happy endings, though the reader so badly hopes there are - at one point, I felt a prediction of a plot point would be reasonable, however, I'm glad Smith did not go where I thought the story was going to go, because to do so would have only allowed the story to become contrived, causing the novel to lose it's emotional impact.
If you like novels by Larry Brown, Daniel Woodrell, William Gay or Pete Dexter, then this novel will be welcomed.
Farris brings forth what it's like to drive down darkened, gravel roads in the country late at night while searching for cause or meaning in life.
Highly recommended.......
screamdogreads's review
4.0
Desperation Road is a vivid and captivating novel set to the backdrop of a tiny town, and it's surrounding areas. Every single person in this novel has a story to tell, and everyone has their own plight that has been stunningly captured on the page. I suspect that this is a novel that will benefit from a re-read, as I'm sure there are details I've missed on my first time round.
While this story certainly isn't as dark or as gritty as some of the other grit-lit novels that I've read, it's still a fantastic addition to the genre. This is another one of those books that makes for a great introduction to grit-lit, which is quickly becoming my favorite thing in the literary world. This book isn't really a thriller, or a mystery, nor does it have an explosive action packed plot. It's simply a powerful, beautiful read that has a subtle tension throughout every single page.
This may have been my first time reading something by Michael Farris Smith, but it certainly isn't the last.
While this story certainly isn't as dark or as gritty as some of the other grit-lit novels that I've read, it's still a fantastic addition to the genre. This is another one of those books that makes for a great introduction to grit-lit, which is quickly becoming my favorite thing in the literary world. This book isn't really a thriller, or a mystery, nor does it have an explosive action packed plot. It's simply a powerful, beautiful read that has a subtle tension throughout every single page.
This may have been my first time reading something by Michael Farris Smith, but it certainly isn't the last.
momadvice's review against another edition
4.0
I’m surprised that I haven’t heard a lot of buzz about Desperation Road, a beautiful Southern Gothic novel that is gorgeously written from start to finish. Fans of Ron Rash are sure to love this haunting story of redemption and the unlikely companionship that blossoms, particularly when they realize the way that their two lives intertwine.
Maben & her young daughter are trying to escape their life and the mother must use her last dollars to provide shelter for them through the night at a hotel. In order to earn money to get them through the next day, Maben finds herself involved in the murder of a police deputy and they must flee before she is caught.
She pulls over Russell, a man who has just finished his prison term for a crime he committed, by gunpoint. When he picks up Mabel & her daughter he finds that he is now involved in a crime he did not commit.
Michael Farris Smith certainly has a way with words and I was sucked into this book from page one. If you are just in the mood for a good story, this book is beautiful and satisfying!
Reading Challenge Category Completed-Southern Gothic
Maben & her young daughter are trying to escape their life and the mother must use her last dollars to provide shelter for them through the night at a hotel. In order to earn money to get them through the next day, Maben finds herself involved in the murder of a police deputy and they must flee before she is caught.
She pulls over Russell, a man who has just finished his prison term for a crime he committed, by gunpoint. When he picks up Mabel & her daughter he finds that he is now involved in a crime he did not commit.
Michael Farris Smith certainly has a way with words and I was sucked into this book from page one. If you are just in the mood for a good story, this book is beautiful and satisfying!
Reading Challenge Category Completed-
maureenmccombs's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars. I loved essentially everything about this book. The setting and character development were top-notch. The way the plot unfolded and how the plot points dovetailed so effortlessly together was masterful. I look forward to reading more from this author. Highly recommend.
kiwi_fruit's review
2.0
So many Goodreads friends loved this novel and I feel the odd one out. For me it was a decent read but one that won’t stay with me for long. 2.5 stars
m_chisholm's review against another edition
4.0
This very quick read focuses on the tragic trajectories of two failed yet familiar characters wandering through nearly unending violence. The development of both Maben and Russell is rich, and as Ron Rash quips on the cover, is perfectly paced for making them avoid becoming cliches or pity-washed caricatures. Perhaps equally deserving of praise is Farris Smith's treatment of the rural Mississippi landscape and white culture of a dying southern town. Readers are taken through midnight rides on dirt roads in almost every chapter with the end being some new mystery revealed or end violently met. Overall, a dark and realistic take of people struggling to start over. B+
rainweaver13's review against another edition
4.0
Russell Gaines is less than 24 hours out of prison and trying to avoid a crazed man who blames Russell for his brother's death and wants revenge. Maben and Annalee are a homeless mother and small daughter desperately fleeing yet another bad situation. Far out in the country, a sheriff's deputy lies dead in the headlights of his own car, shot with his own gun, which is missing. Within the few days covered in this story, all their stories collide and entwine.
"Desperation Road" is compulsive reading - and easy reading. Smith's prose is smooth and strong without drawing attention to itself. By the end of the book, I'd become awfully interested in all these characters and what might happen to them. Smith manages a complex plot with multiple storylines without once leaving me confused. And he has a strong grip of what life can be like for low-income and desperate people in the small town South.
My only criticism is that the ending feels a bit too pat. That said, it certainly wasn't one of those endings that makes me want to throw the whole book across the room. (Which happens, from time to time.)
(Full Disclosure: Smith was my daughter's creative writing teacher in college. But I never met him. His other book, "Rivers," is also a good read.)
"Desperation Road" is compulsive reading - and easy reading. Smith's prose is smooth and strong without drawing attention to itself. By the end of the book, I'd become awfully interested in all these characters and what might happen to them. Smith manages a complex plot with multiple storylines without once leaving me confused. And he has a strong grip of what life can be like for low-income and desperate people in the small town South.
My only criticism is that the ending feels a bit too pat. That said, it certainly wasn't one of those endings that makes me want to throw the whole book across the room. (Which happens, from time to time.)
(Full Disclosure: Smith was my daughter's creative writing teacher in college. But I never met him. His other book, "Rivers," is also a good read.)
borborygmus's review against another edition
4.0
I'm struggling to comment. Why isn't this as good as, say, Joe by [a:Larry Brown|31125|Larry Brown|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1193833699p2/31125.jpg], which deals with a similar sense of time and place? The story is OK (despite the one convenient coincidence which underpins everything), the writing is good if dreary enough for the circumstances. I despaired at the choices made by Russell and Maben, even though I couldn't possibly put myself in their position in order to judge. If, as some say, this is about redemption, then I struggle to pin that label to it. 3.5 out of 4.
_candela's review
5.0
Despite how jarring the simple and matter of fact writing is at first, this book paints a beautifully sad picture while posing many interesting questions.