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deepakchecks's review against another edition
5.0
I have been a fan of the Dennis Lehane movies, but this is the first time I am reading a book of his. There are 5 stories, except 2 - Gone down to Corpus & Mushrooms, that are a tad underwhelming, the rest of the 3 are brilliant. All stories deal with crime. The prose is economical and sharp, with brilliant twists, that Lahane is well known for.
Highly recommended.
Highly recommended.
heather_g's review against another edition
3.0
i will never learn my lesson on trying to read a collection of stories (unless written by a Mr. King). I just don't like the half-finished stories & under-developed characters. I do love Dennis Lehane's work (in most cases). He did have 2 stories in this collection that I really enjoyed so it wasn't a total waste of time.
On another note, this book was the first book I ever added to my to-read list :-)
On another note, this book was the first book I ever added to my to-read list :-)
adamcarrico91's review against another edition
4.0
Overall, I was a pretty big fan of this storytelling. It reminded me of Elmore Leonard mixed with Raymond Carver. It suffers more than once from very “male gaze” views on sex, but the crux of the relationships are typically nuanced and well portrayed. Each story has a different narrator and voice, which helps you appreciate the characters as individuals. I really wish “Coronado” was written out as a story and not a play, but I do think it would make an excellent movie.
amandagstevens's review against another edition
3.0
This collection includes five short stories and one play, and the book can be divided almost in half, page-wise, between the former and the latter. Used to Lehane's affinity for Boston, I was surprised by the Southern settings, but noir works here equally well as there. Many of the stories are linked only by this general place and a general time: post-Vietnam. The work seems best discussed in its pieces.
"Running Out of Dog" -- A Vietnam vet comes home to his small South Carolina town and finds an old buddy (who did not go to war) in crisis. The foreboding escalates in this story until you sit reading and waiting for violence to explode off the pages. The conclusion is almost anticlimactic, but the awfulness manages to haunt anyway. A bleak look at the psychology of a man whose "hope came too late" and therefore became dangerous.
"ICU" -- An everyman is harassed by a nebulous government agency for an unnamed crime until he hides ... in a hospital. I've never read a story like this before. It's absurd, yet absurdity seems to be the point. For me, somehow, it worked, maybe because the desperation for human connection overshadows the odd setup.
"Gone Down to Corpus" -- The simplest, most realistic of the stories. A group of low-class high school football players vandalize the home of their rich teammate who lost them the game that would have made a difference in their lives (but to him didn't matter one bit). It doesn't have much of an ending, which seems to be the point.
"Mushrooms" -- A girl who's lost too much to the gang wars in her neighborhood decides on vengeance. She reminds me a lot of the protagonist from the previous story--two kids without hope, with only anger to hold onto. Or, as the stories leave you wondering, maybe not ... but probably yes.
"Until Gwen" -- A young man's father picks him up from prison. This is my favorite of the stories. Layered, chilling, suspenseful, sad. The dialogue in this one just crackles. The father/son relationship is taut and terrible. Something about this story stands out as sharper than any of the others--sharper writing, sharper characters.
"Coronado" (the play) -- Two stars to this. Strong dislike. Which is interesting, since it's built from the story I liked the most. But the attempt to draw out the exchanges in the story falls flat and deadens their impact. A comparison between this story and play is a great study in the rule that economy wins. In addition, I found the scenes between Doctor and Patient to be positively scenery-chewing and the revelation of all the character connections to be forced. I couldn't go back to the beginning and see, yes, aha, it was there all the time, but rather felt that various characters' incarnations contradicted each other without explanation. I'd venture to guess the reason for this is that Lehane's greatest strength as a writer is not his dialogue. Not to say he isn't great at it, but part of what makes the dialogue work in his novels (especially Kenzie & Gennaro) is the richness of the narration surrounding it. His characters have deep, human, sarcastic, poignant thought lives that make them who they are; to prove this, one only has to compare the book and film versions of [b:Mystic River|21671|Mystic River|Dennis Lehane|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407109549s/21671.jpg|1234249].
As a Lehane fan, I'm glad to have read this piercing little collection, but the stories are far superior to the play.
"Running Out of Dog" -- A Vietnam vet comes home to his small South Carolina town and finds an old buddy (who did not go to war) in crisis. The foreboding escalates in this story until you sit reading and waiting for violence to explode off the pages. The conclusion is almost anticlimactic, but the awfulness manages to haunt anyway. A bleak look at the psychology of a man whose "hope came too late" and therefore became dangerous.
"ICU" -- An everyman is harassed by a nebulous government agency for an unnamed crime until he hides ... in a hospital. I've never read a story like this before. It's absurd, yet absurdity seems to be the point. For me, somehow, it worked, maybe because the desperation for human connection overshadows the odd setup.
"Gone Down to Corpus" -- The simplest, most realistic of the stories. A group of low-class high school football players vandalize the home of their rich teammate who lost them the game that would have made a difference in their lives (but to him didn't matter one bit). It doesn't have much of an ending, which seems to be the point.
"Mushrooms" -- A girl who's lost too much to the gang wars in her neighborhood decides on vengeance. She reminds me a lot of the protagonist from the previous story--two kids without hope, with only anger to hold onto. Or, as the stories leave you wondering, maybe not ... but probably yes.
"Until Gwen" -- A young man's father picks him up from prison. This is my favorite of the stories. Layered, chilling, suspenseful, sad. The dialogue in this one just crackles. The father/son relationship is taut and terrible. Something about this story stands out as sharper than any of the others--sharper writing, sharper characters.
"Coronado" (the play) -- Two stars to this. Strong dislike. Which is interesting, since it's built from the story I liked the most. But the attempt to draw out the exchanges in the story falls flat and deadens their impact. A comparison between this story and play is a great study in the rule that economy wins. In addition, I found the scenes between Doctor and Patient to be positively scenery-chewing and the revelation of all the character connections to be forced. I couldn't go back to the beginning and see, yes, aha, it was there all the time, but rather felt that various characters' incarnations contradicted each other without explanation. I'd venture to guess the reason for this is that Lehane's greatest strength as a writer is not his dialogue. Not to say he isn't great at it, but part of what makes the dialogue work in his novels (especially Kenzie & Gennaro) is the richness of the narration surrounding it. His characters have deep, human, sarcastic, poignant thought lives that make them who they are; to prove this, one only has to compare the book and film versions of [b:Mystic River|21671|Mystic River|Dennis Lehane|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1407109549s/21671.jpg|1234249].
As a Lehane fan, I'm glad to have read this piercing little collection, but the stories are far superior to the play.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
‘And when hope comes late to a man, it’s a dangerous thing.’
I read these short stories across a few weeks: in those awkwardly shaped blocks of time where a short story is a neat fit and no great commitment of concentration is required. I felt that some of these short stories could well be the genesis of novels, whereas others were neatly executed within the pages allotted.
I am new to Mr Lehane’s work and I know that there are a number of novels awaiting me. Usually I prefer novels to short stories but I admire the versatility of authors who will use either depending on the story to be told.
‘Running out of Dog’ was my favourite from this collection of short stories and a play. I have to think further about the play: while aspects seemed obvious, the interplay between the characters kept me reading. There is a more complex and longer story in there but I suspect the telling of it would diminish the starkness of the emotions being displayed by introducing greater shades of grey. Hmm. Not my favourite, but eminently readable.
I read these short stories across a few weeks: in those awkwardly shaped blocks of time where a short story is a neat fit and no great commitment of concentration is required. I felt that some of these short stories could well be the genesis of novels, whereas others were neatly executed within the pages allotted.
I am new to Mr Lehane’s work and I know that there are a number of novels awaiting me. Usually I prefer novels to short stories but I admire the versatility of authors who will use either depending on the story to be told.
‘Running out of Dog’ was my favourite from this collection of short stories and a play. I have to think further about the play: while aspects seemed obvious, the interplay between the characters kept me reading. There is a more complex and longer story in there but I suspect the telling of it would diminish the starkness of the emotions being displayed by introducing greater shades of grey. Hmm. Not my favourite, but eminently readable.
johnson5509's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-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
2.75
moirab's review against another edition
2.0
Optimistic after Shutter Island but more and more I realize I don't like short stories. I liked the writing more than the story.
ph230's review against another edition
3.0
These are sad stories brought with a lot emotions from Lehane. Incredibly sensitive.
The last one is a play, I forgot how it was to read a play :)
The last one is a play, I forgot how it was to read a play :)