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lauraborkpower's review against another edition
I listened to a few hours of this, and found myself wandering off in thought every few seconds. I don't know if it was the story or the narrator that bored me so much, but I've decided to give up. If anyone's read it and can make a compelling case, I'm all ears!
trin's review against another edition
1.0
Okay, so. I'm fucking sick of it.
I'm sick of thrillers that burn through female characters like the author is keeping score. None of these women have any agency: they're clearly there to be fucked and beaten and raped and abandoned and called bitches and be mad drooling hags and be violently killed. Oh, except for the one lucky woman who gets to be the hero's mom.
Hero's totally the wrong word, though, of course. Instead of anyone remotely admirable or interesting, we're forced to suffer through this valley of despair and human indecency with some racist, homophobic, misogynistic schmuck who has no interesting character traits outside of what an asshole he is. Great, let's spend 300 pages watching this charmer bumble around investigating a bunch of little girls' brutal murders that turn out to be part of some sort of giant conspiracy of I don't give a fuck. Like, the police, politicians, and businessman are sometimes corrupt and stuff. I'm positive no one has ever used that plot before!
And, sure: I get this is all supposed to be gritty and real. Whatever. I am so tired of that being used as an excuse for another vile, cynical book that doesn't say anything interesting about humanity other than the fact that the author apparently thinks it fucking sucks. Or at least that the '70s sucked. Except, aside from the protagonist constantly telling us the year (I'm not sure I caught it...is it NINETEEN SEVENTY-FOUR?) and tossing out song references ("Life on Mars" was playing in a pub at one point, and god did it make me wish I was watching that show instead), this book could pretty much take place whenever. It certainly doesn't make any interesting points about how things may or may not have changed in the last 36 years. Just: people are shits, people are shits, people are shits. Thank you, please sexually harass your waitresses.
I can't read any more books like this. These highly-acclaimed thrillers that are blurbed with words like "explosive" and "raw" and that are the equivalent of spending several hours hanging out at the bottom of a cesspit. But how to avoid them? Certainly read fewer thrillers by men; definitely skip anything blurbed by [a:Ian Rankin|33031|Ian Rankin|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1270338491p2/33031.jpg]. And you know what: maybe for a while sidestep thrillers all together.
Anyone got any recommendations for books in which women with swords get to stab a lot of people? For some reason I have a craving.
I'm sick of thrillers that burn through female characters like the author is keeping score. None of these women have any agency: they're clearly there to be fucked and beaten and raped and abandoned and called bitches and be mad drooling hags and be violently killed. Oh, except for the one lucky woman who gets to be the hero's mom.
Hero's totally the wrong word, though, of course. Instead of anyone remotely admirable or interesting, we're forced to suffer through this valley of despair and human indecency with some racist, homophobic, misogynistic schmuck who has no interesting character traits outside of what an asshole he is. Great, let's spend 300 pages watching this charmer bumble around investigating a bunch of little girls' brutal murders that turn out to be part of some sort of giant conspiracy of I don't give a fuck. Like, the police, politicians, and businessman are sometimes corrupt and stuff. I'm positive no one has ever used that plot before!
And, sure: I get this is all supposed to be gritty and real. Whatever. I am so tired of that being used as an excuse for another vile, cynical book that doesn't say anything interesting about humanity other than the fact that the author apparently thinks it fucking sucks. Or at least that the '70s sucked. Except, aside from the protagonist constantly telling us the year (I'm not sure I caught it...is it NINETEEN SEVENTY-FOUR?) and tossing out song references ("Life on Mars" was playing in a pub at one point, and god did it make me wish I was watching that show instead), this book could pretty much take place whenever. It certainly doesn't make any interesting points about how things may or may not have changed in the last 36 years. Just: people are shits, people are shits, people are shits. Thank you, please sexually harass your waitresses.
I can't read any more books like this. These highly-acclaimed thrillers that are blurbed with words like "explosive" and "raw" and that are the equivalent of spending several hours hanging out at the bottom of a cesspit. But how to avoid them? Certainly read fewer thrillers by men; definitely skip anything blurbed by [a:Ian Rankin|33031|Ian Rankin|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1270338491p2/33031.jpg]. And you know what: maybe for a while sidestep thrillers all together.
Anyone got any recommendations for books in which women with swords get to stab a lot of people? For some reason I have a craving.
whimsicalmeerkat's review against another edition
3.0
Given my utter hatred of [b:Tokyo Year Zero|755204|Tokyo Year Zero (Tokyo Trilogy, #1)|David Peace|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266635138s/755204.jpg|1686800], I was pleasantly surprised that I mostly enjoyed this book. The plot was grimy and violent and the view of humanity extremely dark, but the writing did not bother me. I can't say it changed the fact that I am reading [b:Nineteen Seventy-Seven|659059|Nineteen Seventy-Seven (Red Riding Quartet)|David Peace|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1176841578s/659059.jpg|906405] only because it is on the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list, but at least I no longer dread that and expect to abandon it partway through. Overall, this book goes in the category of books I respect more than enjoy, but don't hate. I don't think I would recommend it, but I wouldn't discourage people from reading it.
eashgoyal's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
geekwayne's review against another edition
4.0
Book one of the Red Riding Quartet starts off with a serious case of dark noir, and I loved it. I gulped this book down in 2 days (it helped that I was bedridden at the time).
The book is told in the first person voice of a young reporter trying to solve a missing girl case. He thinks they might be linked to two other missing girl cases in the same area.
Along the way, he finds corruption in the police and local politicians. He gets accused, confronted, beaten. It's a crazy ride and I quite liked it.
The book is told in the first person voice of a young reporter trying to solve a missing girl case. He thinks they might be linked to two other missing girl cases in the same area.
Along the way, he finds corruption in the police and local politicians. He gets accused, confronted, beaten. It's a crazy ride and I quite liked it.
botanist's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
mdstepp1998's review against another edition
3.0
I almost stopped reading the book, but am thankful I didn't.
Of the 12 chapters, the first 6, in my opinion, are the equivalent of an average crime drama. There is nothing wrong with this normally (I would then compare such a story type to Thomas Harris, who I think is top tier, especially when it comes to detailing good verse evil), except my expectations going into the read were that it would be so much more.
I saw the rave reviews of the four book series dubbed Red Riding. I saw that each were combined and made into a three movie trilogy (based out of the UK). Some were saying it was the darkest crime novel they have ever written. Reviewers couldn't put it down.
And then I stopped after chapter 6, only to come back months later. It seemed pretty ho-hum. Reporter is down on his luck, has woman troubles, is an overall jackass, but gets emotionally deep into a couple of murders, each of little girl. Seemed straight forward. There were the usual crooked businessmen trying to make more money and were willing to do anything to get it. There were corrupt politicians making back room deals. Everyone seemed connected. It was an average story that wasn't grabbing me.
I decided to give it one more go. Last 6 chapters. Finished them in two work breaks. Holy shit.
I'm not spoiling the story, but the finale and the pages leading up were gruesome, dark, and jaw dropping. I now see what everyone was raving about. The author took the every day, twisted plot crime story, and added 12 layers of grime (and dare I say realism?), making the final half of the book unforgettable.
In general, I give it 3 and half stars because of the average beginning. More so than other books I have read, don't make an opinion until the end.
Of the 12 chapters, the first 6, in my opinion, are the equivalent of an average crime drama. There is nothing wrong with this normally (I would then compare such a story type to Thomas Harris, who I think is top tier, especially when it comes to detailing good verse evil), except my expectations going into the read were that it would be so much more.
I saw the rave reviews of the four book series dubbed Red Riding. I saw that each were combined and made into a three movie trilogy (based out of the UK). Some were saying it was the darkest crime novel they have ever written. Reviewers couldn't put it down.
And then I stopped after chapter 6, only to come back months later. It seemed pretty ho-hum. Reporter is down on his luck, has woman troubles, is an overall jackass, but gets emotionally deep into a couple of murders, each of little girl. Seemed straight forward. There were the usual crooked businessmen trying to make more money and were willing to do anything to get it. There were corrupt politicians making back room deals. Everyone seemed connected. It was an average story that wasn't grabbing me.
I decided to give it one more go. Last 6 chapters. Finished them in two work breaks. Holy shit.
I'm not spoiling the story, but the finale and the pages leading up were gruesome, dark, and jaw dropping. I now see what everyone was raving about. The author took the every day, twisted plot crime story, and added 12 layers of grime (and dare I say realism?), making the final half of the book unforgettable.
In general, I give it 3 and half stars because of the average beginning. More so than other books I have read, don't make an opinion until the end.
atlibrarienne's review against another edition
4.0
Peace writes like a less fetishized James Ellroy, all speed and action and corruption, with Yorkshire subbing in for Los Angeles. It was an absolutely compelling story, though at times I did feel that Peace was trying to pack in as much horror and depravity as he could into such a slim volume. He does have an excellent way of conveying meaning through short and succinct phrases (one that struck me was Edward's constantly checking his "father's watch;" you can intuit a lot from that kind of careful use of language).
If you're coming to this book off of the Red Riding trilogy by BBC/IFC (as I did), you'll quickly realize that the movie diverged quite a bit from the book and edited much down, but that both stand up well on their own. While I would recommend the movies, however, to pretty much anyone who enjoys well-done film/television, I think the books will only appeal to devoted crime fiction fans. The writing style and the violence would probably be a bridge too far for anyone who isn't a fan of the genre.
If you're coming to this book off of the Red Riding trilogy by BBC/IFC (as I did), you'll quickly realize that the movie diverged quite a bit from the book and edited much down, but that both stand up well on their own. While I would recommend the movies, however, to pretty much anyone who enjoys well-done film/television, I think the books will only appeal to devoted crime fiction fans. The writing style and the violence would probably be a bridge too far for anyone who isn't a fan of the genre.
creechance's review
1.0
It is rare that I criticize an author and rarer still that I don't finish a book. I just can't finish this one though and it's the author's fault. The writing is terrible. It's gimmicky and annoying. It feels like a real lack of effort on David Peace's part and that is the one thing that will always convince me to put a book down. Why should I put in the effort to read it if the author couldn't put in the effort to make the book even slightly readable?
ridgewaygirl's review against another edition
4.0
The first novel in David Peace's Red Riding Quartet is set in the Northern mining towns of Yorkshire and is relentlessly Noir. There isn't a bright moment, or even a pause for breath in the book. Edward Dunford is a young journalist who, while investigating the brutal torture and murder of a young girl, is drawn into a web of police corruption and brutality. Nobody's hands are clean. I like my crime novels dark and gritty, but this reached the outer edge of my tolerance, less for the violence, which was extensive, than for the bleak, hopeless picture of life in Northern Britain. So much for James Herriott's charming Dales.