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beardedbarista's review against another edition
5.0
Great book. Dark and gritty at times but has heart and an emotional undertone that makes you care for the characters James, Marlena and even Rabbit. Post makes you feel immersed in the Florida envrionment... I may be biased as I don't live too far from the place the book takes place in. I also like that aspect a lot. Who doesn't like seeing a city you have spent time in used in a book? I didn't really know what to expect from this book but I really liked it a lot and wouldn't mind seeing more of these same characters again. I could definitely relate to James the most and the conversations between him and Marlena were my favorite parts of this book.
Pick this up online or where ever you can !
yours,
Justin
Pick this up online or where ever you can !
yours,
Justin
trogdor19's review
5.0
This book is written with such scrupulous detail and excruciating honesty that you feel like you're watching the entire thing through the dusty, cracked window of a single-wide trailer.
Every page of this book is so deliciously white trash that you just sink into the setting, and the author never tries to sugarcoat the reality of her world or her characters. It's a setting and a plotline that I have never seen before in fiction and had no idea how much I wanted it. Over and over again I found myself laughing and pointing at the page of my book, exclaiming, "I know someone who did that!" because every single character in the book has the small-town poverty-stricken backstory common to people who have few choices and end up making the worst of every option they have.
It's a difficult book to review because it's completely unique and absolutely enthralling. The only negative comment I have is that there is one paragraph of "head hopping" about three quarters through the book that breaks style and seems unnecessary. But overall, this is an addictive read and like nothing else you've seen this year or any year to come. Can't wait for more from this author!
Every page of this book is so deliciously white trash that you just sink into the setting, and the author never tries to sugarcoat the reality of her world or her characters. It's a setting and a plotline that I have never seen before in fiction and had no idea how much I wanted it. Over and over again I found myself laughing and pointing at the page of my book, exclaiming, "I know someone who did that!" because every single character in the book has the small-town poverty-stricken backstory common to people who have few choices and end up making the worst of every option they have.
It's a difficult book to review because it's completely unique and absolutely enthralling. The only negative comment I have is that there is one paragraph of "head hopping" about three quarters through the book that breaks style and seems unnecessary. But overall, this is an addictive read and like nothing else you've seen this year or any year to come. Can't wait for more from this author!
jess_stetson's review
3.0
This book is what happens when a nice girl takes on hardboiled crime fiction. Tough guy turned loner, James, heads back to his home town after his father's death just in time to get caught up in his younger, stupider brother's criminals mishaps. And there's a tough but vulnerable dame.
The settings were highly detailed in places and yet failed to convey an atmosphere. There were genuinely strong descriptions of places and people but the characters themselves were not as fleshed out as as their attire was. In the moments that I *was* given a chance to get to know them, they felt shallow as if pulled from the pages of a Lifetime Movie.
It's a paint-by-numbers noir set in white trash America. It wasn't terrible at all but the writing felt like a cheerleader who decided to get tough and dressed herself up in black and said "Now I'm goth." It's a all a bit Sandy at the end of Grease.
A Tree Born Crooked never rose above readable for me. What should have taken me a couple of days to read took me over a week because I just didn't really care. I'm not sure how I even found this book. Maybe it was suggested to me after reading something else although I can't imagine what that was. But I did manage to finish it and I'm not kicking myself about it. Hence the 3 star review.
The settings were highly detailed in places and yet failed to convey an atmosphere. There were genuinely strong descriptions of places and people but the characters themselves were not as fleshed out as as their attire was. In the moments that I *was* given a chance to get to know them, they felt shallow as if pulled from the pages of a Lifetime Movie.
It's a paint-by-numbers noir set in white trash America. It wasn't terrible at all but the writing felt like a cheerleader who decided to get tough and dressed herself up in black and said "Now I'm goth." It's a all a bit Sandy at the end of Grease.
A Tree Born Crooked never rose above readable for me. What should have taken me a couple of days to read took me over a week because I just didn't really care. I'm not sure how I even found this book. Maybe it was suggested to me after reading something else although I can't imagine what that was. But I did manage to finish it and I'm not kicking myself about it. Hence the 3 star review.
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