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jcbmathcat's review against another edition
4.0
It is 1959 in Dewmont, Texas. Stanley Mitchell, 13, learns many life lessons during this particular summer. He finds a box of letters that lead him to discover the deaths of two young women -- one perished in a house fire while the other was decapitated near the train tracks.
Stanley's parents own the local drive-in, and Stanley develops a friendship of sorts with black, elderly Buster Lighthouse Smith who runs the projector at the drive-in. Buster helps Stanley investigate the deaths and along the way, a few dreadful things happen. Stanley's "family" grows to include people who are not blood-related, but who are very important to him.
Monsters are not always easy to identify. They are not always ugly.
Stanley's parents own the local drive-in, and Stanley develops a friendship of sorts with black, elderly Buster Lighthouse Smith who runs the projector at the drive-in. Buster helps Stanley investigate the deaths and along the way, a few dreadful things happen. Stanley's "family" grows to include people who are not blood-related, but who are very important to him.
Monsters are not always easy to identify. They are not always ugly.
thereadingsparrow's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
TW for attempted rape (just briefly mentioned)
kiwi_fruit's review
2.0
I loved [b:The Bottoms|102113|The Bottoms|Joe R. Lansdale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348765461s/102113.jpg|2038476] by the same author, which was a coming of age and mystery story, like this one, but unfortunately, [b:A Fine Dark Line|768945|A Fine Dark Line|Joe R. Lansdale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1298643778s/768945.jpg|98465] wasn’t at the same level.
The book started well, and I enjoyed first part, when the focus was on the mystery and race, but in the second part, too many other elements were added which muddled the main story line and made stereotypes out of the characters. The mystery was watered down by these other story lines and for me the suspense was lost, it seems like the author was trying to pushing too many buttons, it didn’t work for me.
The book started well, and I enjoyed first part, when the focus was on the mystery and race, but in the second part, too many other elements were added
Spoiler
the lesbian relationship, domestic violence, sexual awakening, feminism, violence against animals, alcoholism, attempted rape and finally serial killingteejayniu's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoy Joe R. Lansdale's writing. This book reminds me a lot of Stephen King's style of character development and story writing. This evokes a similar style as King's story The Body, which was made into the film Stand By Me. My favorite thing about Lansdales characters are that no one is perfect and they all have flaws. They read like very real people. I enjoyed the mystery of this story.
howifeelaboutbooks's review
3.0
The writing in this book was a bit clunky, but the overall story was good. I think it would work great as a movie because it was very visual.
lauriereadslohf's review
4.0
This Lansdale novel, unlike the other Lansdale novels I’ve read, is told from the point of view of a thirteen year old boy named Stanley. It’s not filled with the off-the-rails cursing and crazy gore that I expect when reading a work from this guy but it still kept my attention. Set in a small town in Texas in 1958, it makes sense that Stanley’s “voice” is still quite innocent. I don’t think you could get away with that sort of innocence today, what with the internet and MTV and their marathon showings of pregnant teens and spoiled skater bois and all but it works here.
Stanley’s parents recently purchased the local drive-in and having made only one friend, Stan’s a bit of a lonely kid. He has an older sister but all they do is bicker. One summer day he and his trusty dog Nub unearth a box filled with love letters written long ago. This gets his curiosity going and he does some snooping, along with the ancient often drunken projectionist, and learns that a house use to stand where he found the box and that a young girl died inside when it burned to the ground. He then discovers another young girl was tragically murdered on the same night. Certain the two events are tied together; he spends his summer determined to find out the truth, befriending some colorful characters along the way, and disturbing things better off left alone.
I’m a sucker for coming of age tales and this is a damn good one. It drags a little here and there but the characters kept me coming back for more. I’ll never claim to be some big mystery wiz and though I guessed one important aspect of the mystery the rest of it kept me guessing. The characters are interesting and realistic (always most important to me) and the tale is scary, funny, heartwarming and compelling with a very well done sense of place. The twists, turns and chills come in the most unexpected places. Reading this I felt like I was tagging along with Stan, Nub and Buster during a long lazy summer. It’s good classic stuff from Mr. Lansdale hisownself.
Stanley’s parents recently purchased the local drive-in and having made only one friend, Stan’s a bit of a lonely kid. He has an older sister but all they do is bicker. One summer day he and his trusty dog Nub unearth a box filled with love letters written long ago. This gets his curiosity going and he does some snooping, along with the ancient often drunken projectionist, and learns that a house use to stand where he found the box and that a young girl died inside when it burned to the ground. He then discovers another young girl was tragically murdered on the same night. Certain the two events are tied together; he spends his summer determined to find out the truth, befriending some colorful characters along the way, and disturbing things better off left alone.
I’m a sucker for coming of age tales and this is a damn good one. It drags a little here and there but the characters kept me coming back for more. I’ll never claim to be some big mystery wiz and though I guessed one important aspect of the mystery the rest of it kept me guessing. The characters are interesting and realistic (always most important to me) and the tale is scary, funny, heartwarming and compelling with a very well done sense of place. The twists, turns and chills come in the most unexpected places. Reading this I felt like I was tagging along with Stan, Nub and Buster during a long lazy summer. It’s good classic stuff from Mr. Lansdale hisownself.
thereadinghobbit's review
5.0
Lansdale did it again. Such an interesting, dark, funny, full book about a young boy growing up and solving a mystery he stumbles upon. Lansdale really manages to hit the darker sides of society and point out what's wrong and what's horrible, but still doesn't make his books an emotional cry fest. This world is dark, especially contrasted against the narrator's still quite innocent voice. It's especially funny to see how he learns more and more about the world and he isn't quite sure he likes it. Lansdale is a really funny writer who knows how to hit the spot.
I'd love to write like Lansdale one day.
I'd love to write like Lansdale one day.
pestocks's review
3.0
Good book about Texas around the early 1920's. Young boy solving a mystery while we get to read about the inequities and racial division of the time. A familiar setting for Mr. Lansdale. Can see where his later ( and better) books come from.