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jsterling91's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
An engaging modern crime book about a getaway driver. I like how it was told, kind of reminded me of protagonists in modern lit books.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
Simpleton car thief and getaway driver Eddie drifts in and out of prison until hooking up with J.C, a master planner. Things go south quickly when J.C.'s girlfriend Vonda wants a getaway man of her own...
I've greatly oversimplified the plot but that's pretty much it. The Getaway Man is a fast-paced page turner from Andrew Vachss. Not as bleak as his normal fare but it's still pretty good.
The narrator, Eddie, is slow but something of an idiot savant when it comes to cars and driving. He bounces from jail to jail and crime to crime, meeting women and learning lessons along the way. Then he meets up with J.C. and the book really takes off. The voice Vachss give Eddie is both believeable and sympathetic. You get the idea that Eddie's been lead around his whole life and isn't aware of it. When Vonda shows up, Eddie's probably the only one who doesn't know what her game is. It reads more like a Jim Thompson than an Andrew Vachss.
It's at this time you may notice the three star rating. For being less than 200 pages, the pace is a little slow for the first half. Sixty pages are spent on Eddie's background. It was necessary to the plot but it wasn't all that interesting. There's not a lot else to tell. It's a pretty slim book. Like I said in the previous paragraph, the ending was pretty predictable. Other than that, I have no complaints. Vachss proved he could write something besides one of his Burke novels in The Getaway Man.
I've greatly oversimplified the plot but that's pretty much it. The Getaway Man is a fast-paced page turner from Andrew Vachss. Not as bleak as his normal fare but it's still pretty good.
The narrator, Eddie, is slow but something of an idiot savant when it comes to cars and driving. He bounces from jail to jail and crime to crime, meeting women and learning lessons along the way. Then he meets up with J.C. and the book really takes off. The voice Vachss give Eddie is both believeable and sympathetic. You get the idea that Eddie's been lead around his whole life and isn't aware of it. When Vonda shows up, Eddie's probably the only one who doesn't know what her game is. It reads more like a Jim Thompson than an Andrew Vachss.
It's at this time you may notice the three star rating. For being less than 200 pages, the pace is a little slow for the first half. Sixty pages are spent on Eddie's background. It was necessary to the plot but it wasn't all that interesting. There's not a lot else to tell. It's a pretty slim book. Like I said in the previous paragraph, the ending was pretty predictable. Other than that, I have no complaints. Vachss proved he could write something besides one of his Burke novels in The Getaway Man.
thomasroche's review against another edition
2.0
I liked this lots better than Vachss's other similar stand-alone, [b:Shella|603778|Shella|Andrew Vachss|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1194372119s/603778.jpg|1215853], but still wasn't impressed. Shella got oodles of great reviews and people just sobbed and rended clothing over how great it is. I never understood it. This one, I never heard much buzz about. Nice style (Vachss is a brilliant stylist) but ultimately wanders around and is very forgettable. It's meant to be in the style of the old Gold Medal paperbacks, but I don't think it stands up to those titles because of the wandery plotting, which was NEVER a trait of those old late-50s, early-60s pulp novels.
For my money, Vachss's early Burke novels are much more successful.
For my money, Vachss's early Burke novels are much more successful.
whitethief's review
adventurous
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
aspeed's review
4.0
A straightforward, noir-ish tale of a man who lives to drive, and finds his life over complicated when a career criminal takes him under his wing. Short but a compelling read.
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