mistylyn's review against another edition
1.0
POSSIBLE SPOILERS--OK, REAL SPOILERS!!
Where to begin.... I purchased this based on the initial reviews--all rather glowing. Yeah, I should have seen through them, but it was late, and I wanted something new to read. First, I have to say that the author just took on too much. There's the depression and breakdown suffered by the main character, Lee, before the book began. The reader is never allowed to forget that for even a second, as its existence is wound through every thread (and yet adds nothing TO those threads). Next, there's Lee's missing sister. We're never given many specifics, she's never found, and, again, including her story added NOTHING to the story as a whole. There's the relationship (or lack thereof) of Lee and his mother, although why we're privy to this I haven't a clue; the just "weird" relationship between Chuck and Lee (Chuck's wife is only with him to see Lee?? Again, what does this have to do with the storyline?); the pseudo father/son relationship; and the list goes on. The one I really got a kick out of was the relationship between Kathy and Lee. They meet in the hallway outside of the courtroom, Lee asks her to identify a body that is potentially his sister, and Kathy just...AGREES?? REALLY?? Any ONE of these would have provided it's own storyline, but together they result in a tangled web of, well, of tangled webbing. There are inconsistencies as well. Look at the description the young boy gives of Pam's necklace. Compare it to the description given by Pam's mother. Those are mistakes that are simply not acceptable! Every character is painfully described in excruciating physical detail as well, and each is a raging stereotype. Perhaps if the author had spent as much time inside the head of Samuel or Nelson as he did provided nonsensical details, the outcome would have been more emotionally engaging. As it was, I just really didn't care and had to struggle to finish. So who beat up Lee? Who ran him off the road? How did Samuel and Nelson meet? Those question were but a few that flitted through my thoughts. In the end, however, as I've already stated, I just don't care enough to watch for a sequel. Read at your own risk!!
Where to begin.... I purchased this based on the initial reviews--all rather glowing. Yeah, I should have seen through them, but it was late, and I wanted something new to read. First, I have to say that the author just took on too much. There's the depression and breakdown suffered by the main character, Lee, before the book began. The reader is never allowed to forget that for even a second, as its existence is wound through every thread (and yet adds nothing TO those threads). Next, there's Lee's missing sister. We're never given many specifics, she's never found, and, again, including her story added NOTHING to the story as a whole. There's the relationship (or lack thereof) of Lee and his mother, although why we're privy to this I haven't a clue; the just "weird" relationship between Chuck and Lee (Chuck's wife is only with him to see Lee?? Again, what does this have to do with the storyline?); the pseudo father/son relationship; and the list goes on. The one I really got a kick out of was the relationship between Kathy and Lee. They meet in the hallway outside of the courtroom, Lee asks her to identify a body that is potentially his sister, and Kathy just...AGREES?? REALLY?? Any ONE of these would have provided it's own storyline, but together they result in a tangled web of, well, of tangled webbing. There are inconsistencies as well. Look at the description the young boy gives of Pam's necklace. Compare it to the description given by Pam's mother. Those are mistakes that are simply not acceptable! Every character is painfully described in excruciating physical detail as well, and each is a raging stereotype. Perhaps if the author had spent as much time inside the head of Samuel or Nelson as he did provided nonsensical details, the outcome would have been more emotionally engaging. As it was, I just really didn't care and had to struggle to finish. So who beat up Lee? Who ran him off the road? How did Samuel and Nelson meet? Those question were but a few that flitted through my thoughts. In the end, however, as I've already stated, I just don't care enough to watch for a sequel. Read at your own risk!!
sewcialist_librarian's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. The convenience fairy hit one too many times. Some of the scenes felt awkward and forced. Not to mention I'm not a huge fan of the perpetually, emotionally totured hero. Oh, and there was absolutely NO reason for this novel to be set just after 9/11. That feels slimey to me. There was no connection between the story and the attacks, the devastation, or the after effects.
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