The Gods of Gotham was great so wanted to try Faye again. Pretty gutsy for a debut don’t you think? To take on Sherlock Holmes and pit him against JacThe Gods of Gotham was great so wanted to try Faye again. Pretty gutsy for a debut don’t you think? To take on Sherlock Holmes and pit him against Jack the Ripper, had to read it just to see if she'd pull it off - she did. Obviously did her homework, it’s pretty fabulous, with Faye’s strength again her mastery of dialect. The Sherlock characters are faithfully rendered plus she’s thrown in Mary Ann Monk, an enchanting gin-swilling tart who “proves herself to be a woman of extraordinary fortitude”. You've got the gothic moody flavour of 1880’s London with the Ripper adding a deliciously disturbing and suitably gruesome layer. It’s suspenseful and well paced, even the Ripper’s true identity came off believable. Most of all I loved the dialog, the bantering between Holmes & Watson, & Holmes little tiffs with his landlady Mrs. Hudson with her “studied dignity & silent cynicism.” He’s your classic cerebral Holmes, brilliant and flawed, coldly precise with that “air of self-importance about him which tries the patience of his few friends” but reworked, a subtle interjection of slightly more fragility & humanity “Though I had never seen Sherlock Holmes so determined, I had also never seen him so at sea.” – liked it.
Cons: To slow a build, you’re a third of the way in before it hooks you – but then it doesn’t let go:) Meanderings: My 3rd ripper novel, I know I’m not alone but I’m questioning the fixation. How many more times do these poor women have to die for my entertainment? This keeps up I may seek counseling…
Holmes shrugged. “The irregularity of the baseline, as well as the downward-slanting script, indicate he is moody and unpredictable. His ts are determined, his rs intelligent, and the confidence in his capitals is troubling.”...more
I’m almost ashamed how much I loved it because I GET life’s not like this. True? True. Good things don’t always come to good people, I (sorta) outgrewI’m almost ashamed how much I loved it because I GET life’s not like this. True? True. Good things don’t always come to good people, I (sorta) outgrew believing in all that karma crap years ago. Whatever, I finished this with a big smile on my face and a tingly feeling of hopefulness. Beating that pessimist back was hard work. It’s quintessential Quick, trying to think of another author who can pull off a story about poverty “I sleep on a school bus. I’m a freak” , addiction (raging alcoholic for a Mom) and depression and make it so damn upbeat and funny, and I’m drawing a blank here… Similar to The Silver Linings Playbook this time with a messed up teen girl - again the uber positive attitude “swinging for the fences, believing that things are going to work out, that everything is worth fighting for, and that I am brave and strong enough to change my reality.” Again a bizarre competition - starring role at the Senior Home's “Wednesday Afternoon Battle between Hope and Pessimism.” Brilliant. Her life may be a MESS but at least she knows how to work a room. Great story and characters; Joan of Old “the brittle broad you love to hate”, Private Jackson a Nam vet addicted to haikus ”hiding in his cocoon of poetry.” Father Chee who doesn’t pretend to know the answers to any of the hard questions. Interesting how she tapped into a mixture of both Christian & Zen principles. Cons: First half was weird but believable, too bad Quick doesn’t understand the value of restraint. True? True. By the grand finale it’s gotten downright cheesy and so obviously written to play the big screen. (view spoiler)[ right down to the singing and dancing routines, throwing in The Sharks from the Westside Story a nice touch BTU, with everyone living happily ever after (hide spoiler)] Can you blame him? Made a gazillion on the movie rights last time, just unnecessary. Push comes to shove enjoyed it way too much to get hung up on that so 4 ½ rock stars:)
“I spread hope. I’m a hope spreader. I guess that’s what I do—licentiously—that’s why I’m still circling the big flaming ball in the sky. That’s the sun—sucka!”...more
3 ½ stars. It'll make you smile. The perfect mental gargle after a few heavy novels, creative and just plain fun. Fantasy with a judicious touch of m3 ½ stars. It'll make you smile. The perfect mental gargle after a few heavy novels, creative and just plain fun. Fantasy with a judicious touch of magical realism, everyone in it's a superhero (except for the main character) but they’re subtle about it, we're not talking a bunch of flamboyant cape wearers. Instead each person’s strongest characteristic is what defines their super-power, bet you’ll find yourself wondering what yours would be... It can be silly, so prepare for a few eye rolling moments but there’s some depth to it as well. This is Kaufman’s bestselling debut, if you like him read The Tiny Wife. It’s darker and I thought quite a bit better, but that's more about my personal taste - I like dark. So if you're into stories that are strange and unusual, give this one a try.
Cons: I need more fleshed out characters. This one’s got about 40 which is seriously too many for a 120 page book:) Don’t worry though, they make brief appearances flowing in and out of the story - no need to try and keep track of them at all.
"Mr. Opportunity. He knocks on doors and stands there. You'd be surprised how few doors get answered." ...more
Ivonne says, "We do read different kinds of books; however, this book is right up your alley. It's supposed to be a children's book, but I don't see hIvonne says, "We do read different kinds of books; however, this book is right up your alley. It's supposed to be a children's book, but I don't see how they thought so. It's very, very dark in a Neil Gaiman kind of way. It's much more Coraline than Harry Potter. I think you'll love it." Note: really well received debut....more
A sinister thriller with all the elements you look for in southern gothic. Good versus evil, a tragic morality tale spiced with carnal sin and deceit A sinister thriller with all the elements you look for in southern gothic. Good versus evil, a tragic morality tale spiced with carnal sin and deceit, its focus the terrible cost to a community when blind faith and religious fervor is taken to the cult level. You’ve got the perfect villain in Carson Chambliss, a crooked snake lovin pastor, nastier than the rattlers he uses to test the devotion of his flock. Caught in his cross-hairs is poor ‘Stump’ Hall, a young mute boy who's only line of defense is a 10 yr. old - his kid brother Jess and a 70 yr. old named Adelaide Lyle. She’s perfection as the "came off the mountain" town mid-wife, gutsy "I drove back from that meeting with Chambliss as scared as I’d ever been in my entire life" , simple but sharp enough to see right through Chambliss and hell-bent on protecting the children from him. Good thing because Stump’s mother is nothing but a holy fool and his father while a good man, oblivious to the danger threatening his family. Throw in a mean drunk for a granddaddy and a town sheriff with his own demons to contend with... Seriously, what more could you ask for!
Wiley Cash’s debut and it read’s like it was written by a pro. A southern boy raised in an evangelical church, he’s got the dialect, setting and characters down pat. "You could tell that autumn was bearing down on us because the leaves on the trees atop the ridge were just starting to get notions of color." His tension building is slow & relentless, pulled me into that backwoods little North Carolina town & held on right through to its inevitably tragic conclusion. 4 ½ stars
Cons: Switching perspectives between 3 narrators (old Adelaide, sheriff Barefield & young Jess) Jess’s was the weakest, the pacing suffered for it. In fairness 10 yr. olds can only hold my attention for so long. The telling by Adelaide & Sheriff Barefield more than made up for it. And no getting around it - the ending is overblown but hey, it felt appropriate and oddly satisfying. ________________________________________ Mark 16:17–18. “And these signs will follow those who believe: In my name they will cast out demons, they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will place their hands on the sick, and they will get well.”
Florence (Lefty)
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