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jimbowen0306's review against another edition
3.0
Dennis Lehane is one of my favorite authors. I could read (and re-read) some of his books a number of times, even though they aren't what you would ever call 'great literature' style fiction.
'Coronado' is a book of short stories, however, and while some of the stories work, some of them don't. I think he's at his best describing grimy inner city living. Where those elements pop up in these stories, the book works well. Where they don't appear, the story is missing something I feel.
I don't know whether I was less satisfied with this book because it didn't live up to what I was expecting from Lehane or if the book isn't that good (I sometimes wonder if I've got the intellect to decide that sort of thing -I rather suspect I don't, I just know what I like), but either way, I was left wanting him to return to stories like Mystic River or Gone Baby Gone, both of which are great books in their way.
Incidentally, The book gets its title from the last story, which is written in the form of a play. I always feel a little like I don't know how to read that sort of writing particularly well, which is why I might be a bit ho-hum about the book. It's something you might wish to consider before buying the book too!
'Coronado' is a book of short stories, however, and while some of the stories work, some of them don't. I think he's at his best describing grimy inner city living. Where those elements pop up in these stories, the book works well. Where they don't appear, the story is missing something I feel.
I don't know whether I was less satisfied with this book because it didn't live up to what I was expecting from Lehane or if the book isn't that good (I sometimes wonder if I've got the intellect to decide that sort of thing -I rather suspect I don't, I just know what I like), but either way, I was left wanting him to return to stories like Mystic River or Gone Baby Gone, both of which are great books in their way.
Incidentally, The book gets its title from the last story, which is written in the form of a play. I always feel a little like I don't know how to read that sort of writing particularly well, which is why I might be a bit ho-hum about the book. It's something you might wish to consider before buying the book too!
esshgee's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this collection of short stories, and especially enjoyed the Gwen story when it was expanded with much more detail into the play. Think it would work really well as a visual piece
matosapa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
obscuredbyclouds's review against another edition
4.0
My mother put this into my hands yesterday and told me to read it. She's been a big Dennis Lehane fan for some time now and said this was his best. She definitely managed to convince me that Lehane is a good author. I'm more than open to read one his novels now.
I was a bit confused because I expected more linear crime short stories. The Play "Coronado" and the short story it's based on are clear noir crime stories, but some of the others seem more like general literature short stories. Yes, someone might be contemplating committing a crime in them but most of them were pretty character-driven, which is unusual for crime stories. I wonder if his novels are the same? If so, this could get exciting. Why only 4 out of 5? Well, I didn't love every story and while I really liked the style, I felt everything except for the play was too short. Maybe summing it up shortly and neatly isn't his forte ?
There were some moments that were just brilliant and I re-read these lines a few times. Ok, in summery, mom, I get it now.
I was a bit confused because I expected more linear crime short stories. The Play "Coronado" and the short story it's based on are clear noir crime stories, but some of the others seem more like general literature short stories. Yes, someone might be contemplating committing a crime in them but most of them were pretty character-driven, which is unusual for crime stories. I wonder if his novels are the same? If so, this could get exciting. Why only 4 out of 5? Well, I didn't love every story and while I really liked the style, I felt everything except for the play was too short. Maybe summing it up shortly and neatly isn't his forte ?
There were some moments that were just brilliant and I re-read these lines a few times. Ok, in summery, mom, I get it now.
jewel148's review against another edition
1.0
Really disappointed in this book. The stories didn't make sense and the play at the end was hard to follow.
heathercatherineo's review against another edition
4.0
If I wasn't sure about how I felt about Dennis Lehane, it's clear now. The man is a damn good author. He knows how to craft a short story like I've never seen.
With most of the stories in this collection, the reader gets only glimpses of backstory, and at first that bothered me. However, Lehane tells such a rich story in that short amount of pages that backstory becomes unnecessary to a certain degree. His deeply mysterious, morally ambiguous characters powerfully draw you in to their flawed world. Lehane cleverly uses his time to drop you in to powerful, life-changing moments leaving you with the feeling that you have indeed just finished a novel.
Brilliant.
With most of the stories in this collection, the reader gets only glimpses of backstory, and at first that bothered me. However, Lehane tells such a rich story in that short amount of pages that backstory becomes unnecessary to a certain degree. His deeply mysterious, morally ambiguous characters powerfully draw you in to their flawed world. Lehane cleverly uses his time to drop you in to powerful, life-changing moments leaving you with the feeling that you have indeed just finished a novel.
Brilliant.
greebytime's review against another edition
3.0
A generous three stars, inclined to go lower. I love Dennis Lebanese but for me, maybe he needs the structure of a novel to get his whole story out. These all felt a bit like unformed ideas and they were all so uniformly … MEAN. Some of his novels are quite dark but this was another tone altogether and it wasn’t for me. I did like the last two parts, one a short story and then the next a script of a play made that expanded on that story. But, it just wasn’t enough for me.
2.5/5.0 stars
2.5/5.0 stars