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helena_handbasket's review against another edition
2.0
I may come back to this one at some point because I've loved every other Denis Johnson I've read. Already Dead feels disjointed and seems to be lacking something. I dislike the characters (and not in a good way), and the writing, thus far feels flat. I struggled a bit with the beginning of 'Tree of Smoke' but the writing was just so good that it kept my interest and I was happy that I persevered, but this one lacks that spark for me. Stoned hippies are just not my cup of tea, I guess.
kyledhebert's review against another edition
3.0
Already Dead reads like a darker The Big Lebowski, filled with a similar cast of quirky characters, and strange dream like sequences. I enjoyed the hell out of it. The plot gets mired in the murk at times, and may take a re-read to fully untangle, but it’s worth the journey in the end.
zilliejr's review against another edition
5.0
Some of the passages in this book just knocked me out! He is masterful with prose. MASTERFUL!
rocketiza's review against another edition
2.0
I really enjoyed parts, but there were others that were unreadable.
citizen_noir's review against another edition
2.0
With about 200 pages to go in ALREADY DEAD by Denis Johnson, I’m crying “Uncle!,” waving the proverbial white flag, and just plain old giving up.
Johnson is clearly a gifted writer, evident from the pyrotechnical first sentences of the book, but if those magical words don’t amount to a story I care about, I can’t keep going.
In my younger days I would have continued to toil away, little by little, until reaching the book’s denouement. Now I just don’t give a damn. Life is too short and there are far too many other books to explore.
Johnson is clearly a gifted writer, evident from the pyrotechnical first sentences of the book, but if those magical words don’t amount to a story I care about, I can’t keep going.
In my younger days I would have continued to toil away, little by little, until reaching the book’s denouement. Now I just don’t give a damn. Life is too short and there are far too many other books to explore.
jayden_mccomiskie's review against another edition
5.0
This is easily one of my new favourite books. Think 'True Detective' with less functioning Cohle. It's a Southern gothic nightmare.
rachel_the_managing_editor's review against another edition
4.0
3.68 stars
An earlier book, and you can tell. Discursive, trying a bit too hard for it's own good. But still Denis Johnson.
An earlier book, and you can tell. Discursive, trying a bit too hard for it's own good. But still Denis Johnson.
austdav's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
matosapa's review against another edition
2.0
It had some excellent imagery but couldn't keep my interest.