emilystrange123's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
ramseyhootman's review against another edition
4.0
Number one thing you need to know about this book: it's noir! Do you like noir? Then you will like this book. It's full of futility and powerful corporations/people and the protagonist is just a small cog in a huge machine that's churning almost inevitably forward. THAT kind of noir.
Two: Technically this book is standalone but I highly recommend reading the first installment, Getaway, which has the same protagonist. Otherwise you're gonna be kinda like, wait, who are 'the boys' and why should I be so creeped out by this Gary guy? Getaway is a mix of noir, suspense, and mystery and you'll like it, I promise. So go read that first.
This is kind of a weird comparison, but I feel like Go-Between has a lot in common with the videogame L.A. Noire in terms of tone and setting. Both have that bleak-sunshine thing going on. Which leads me to the thing I like most about Go-Between: It is the most CALIFORNIA book I have ever read. I live in California, and this past weekend I took a little vacation up to the Mendocino coast, and I felt like I had instantly walked into the first setting for Go-Between, Arcata, which is sort of the upscale hippy pot-growing culture of norcal. Then you've got some bits in the SF Bay Area and LA and San Diego, all of which are spot on. There are also some bits that happen in Austin, Texas, but let's be honest - there are a ton of Californians in Austin now, too! Suffice to say I just love all the little details, from Venice Beach to just the comments the protagonist overhears people saying in passing. GMOs, gluten-free, etc. It's all kind of just hilariously Californian in every way.
Of course, any Lisa Brackmann book has to deal with some meaty current political/social topics, and this is no exception. Mainly this one's got a mix of prison industrial complex stuff and shady political campaign contribution laws. (501cs? Not sure I got that right and I don't have the book with me right now.) If I have any criticism it's that some of the information does seem kind of... well, not preachy, but inserted for the sake of educating the reader rather than serving the plot. But it is all very interesting, so I can forgive a little meandering here and there.
I didn't totally appreciate the ending until I was describing the plot to my husband, and then I had a little lightbulb moment where I realized how it tied in with the theme (and the title!) of the book. Niiiice! It's got a little more of an open-ended feel than Getaway did, in my opinion, so I look forward to seeing more from both Michelle/Emily and Brackmann.
Two: Technically this book is standalone but I highly recommend reading the first installment, Getaway, which has the same protagonist. Otherwise you're gonna be kinda like, wait, who are 'the boys' and why should I be so creeped out by this Gary guy? Getaway is a mix of noir, suspense, and mystery and you'll like it, I promise. So go read that first.
This is kind of a weird comparison, but I feel like Go-Between has a lot in common with the videogame L.A. Noire in terms of tone and setting. Both have that bleak-sunshine thing going on. Which leads me to the thing I like most about Go-Between: It is the most CALIFORNIA book I have ever read. I live in California, and this past weekend I took a little vacation up to the Mendocino coast, and I felt like I had instantly walked into the first setting for Go-Between, Arcata, which is sort of the upscale hippy pot-growing culture of norcal. Then you've got some bits in the SF Bay Area and LA and San Diego, all of which are spot on. There are also some bits that happen in Austin, Texas, but let's be honest - there are a ton of Californians in Austin now, too! Suffice to say I just love all the little details, from Venice Beach to just the comments the protagonist overhears people saying in passing. GMOs, gluten-free, etc. It's all kind of just hilariously Californian in every way.
Of course, any Lisa Brackmann book has to deal with some meaty current political/social topics, and this is no exception. Mainly this one's got a mix of prison industrial complex stuff and shady political campaign contribution laws. (501cs? Not sure I got that right and I don't have the book with me right now.) If I have any criticism it's that some of the information does seem kind of... well, not preachy, but inserted for the sake of educating the reader rather than serving the plot. But it is all very interesting, so I can forgive a little meandering here and there.
I didn't totally appreciate the ending until I was describing the plot to my husband, and then I had a little lightbulb moment where I realized how it tied in with the theme (and the title!) of the book. Niiiice! It's got a little more of an open-ended feel than Getaway did, in my opinion, so I look forward to seeing more from both Michelle/Emily and Brackmann.
ramseyhootman's review against another edition
4.0
Number one thing you need to know about this book: it's noir! Do you like noir? Then you will like this book. It's full of futility and powerful corporations/people and the protagonist is just a small cog in a huge machine that's churning almost inevitably forward. THAT kind of noir.
Two: Technically this book is standalone but I highly recommend reading the first installment, Getaway, which has the same protagonist. Otherwise you're gonna be kinda like, wait, who are 'the boys' and why should I be so creeped out by this Gary guy? Getaway is a mix of noir, suspense, and mystery and you'll like it, I promise. So go read that first.
This is kind of a weird comparison, but I feel like Go-Between has a lot in common with the videogame L.A. Noire in terms of tone and setting. Both have that bleak-sunshine thing going on. Which leads me to the thing I like most about Go-Between: It is the most CALIFORNIA book I have ever read. I live in California, and this past weekend I took a little vacation up to the Mendocino coast, and I felt like I had instantly walked into the first setting for Go-Between, Arcata, which is sort of the upscale hippy pot-growing culture of norcal. Then you've got some bits in the SF Bay Area and LA and San Diego, all of which are spot on. There are also some bits that happen in Austin, Texas, but let's be honest - there are a ton of Californians in Austin now, too! Suffice to say I just love all the little details, from Venice Beach to just the comments the protagonist overhears people saying in passing. GMOs, gluten-free, etc. It's all kind of just hilariously Californian in every way.
Of course, any Lisa Brackmann book has to deal with some meaty current political/social topics, and this is no exception. Mainly this one's got a mix of prison industrial complex stuff and shady political campaign contribution laws. (501cs? Not sure I got that right and I don't have the book with me right now.) If I have any criticism it's that some of the information does seem kind of... well, not preachy, but inserted for the sake of educating the reader rather than serving the plot. But it is all very interesting, so I can forgive a little meandering here and there.
I didn't totally appreciate the ending until I was describing the plot to my husband, and then I had a little lightbulb moment where I realized how it tied in with the theme (and the title!) of the book. Niiiice! It's got a little more of an open-ended feel than Getaway did, in my opinion, so I look forward to seeing more from both Michelle/Emily and Brackmann.
Two: Technically this book is standalone but I highly recommend reading the first installment, Getaway, which has the same protagonist. Otherwise you're gonna be kinda like, wait, who are 'the boys' and why should I be so creeped out by this Gary guy? Getaway is a mix of noir, suspense, and mystery and you'll like it, I promise. So go read that first.
This is kind of a weird comparison, but I feel like Go-Between has a lot in common with the videogame L.A. Noire in terms of tone and setting. Both have that bleak-sunshine thing going on. Which leads me to the thing I like most about Go-Between: It is the most CALIFORNIA book I have ever read. I live in California, and this past weekend I took a little vacation up to the Mendocino coast, and I felt like I had instantly walked into the first setting for Go-Between, Arcata, which is sort of the upscale hippy pot-growing culture of norcal. Then you've got some bits in the SF Bay Area and LA and San Diego, all of which are spot on. There are also some bits that happen in Austin, Texas, but let's be honest - there are a ton of Californians in Austin now, too! Suffice to say I just love all the little details, from Venice Beach to just the comments the protagonist overhears people saying in passing. GMOs, gluten-free, etc. It's all kind of just hilariously Californian in every way.
Of course, any Lisa Brackmann book has to deal with some meaty current political/social topics, and this is no exception. Mainly this one's got a mix of prison industrial complex stuff and shady political campaign contribution laws. (501cs? Not sure I got that right and I don't have the book with me right now.) If I have any criticism it's that some of the information does seem kind of... well, not preachy, but inserted for the sake of educating the reader rather than serving the plot. But it is all very interesting, so I can forgive a little meandering here and there.
I didn't totally appreciate the ending until I was describing the plot to my husband, and then I had a little lightbulb moment where I realized how it tied in with the theme (and the title!) of the book. Niiiice! It's got a little more of an open-ended feel than Getaway did, in my opinion, so I look forward to seeing more from both Michelle/Emily and Brackmann.
ramseyhootman's review
4.0
Number one thing you need to know about this book: it's noir! Do you like noir? Then you will like this book. It's full of futility and powerful corporations/people and the protagonist is just a small cog in a huge machine that's churning almost inevitably forward. THAT kind of noir.
Two: Technically this book is standalone but I highly recommend reading the first installment, Getaway, which has the same protagonist. Otherwise you're gonna be kinda like, wait, who are 'the boys' and why should I be so creeped out by this Gary guy? Getaway is a mix of noir, suspense, and mystery and you'll like it, I promise. So go read that first.
This is kind of a weird comparison, but I feel like Go-Between has a lot in common with the videogame L.A. Noire in terms of tone and setting. Both have that bleak-sunshine thing going on. Which leads me to the thing I like most about Go-Between: It is the most CALIFORNIA book I have ever read. I live in California, and this past weekend I took a little vacation up to the Mendocino coast, and I felt like I had instantly walked into the first setting for Go-Between, Arcata, which is sort of the upscale hippy pot-growing culture of norcal. Then you've got some bits in the SF Bay Area and LA and San Diego, all of which are spot on. There are also some bits that happen in Austin, Texas, but let's be honest - there are a ton of Californians in Austin now, too! Suffice to say I just love all the little details, from Venice Beach to just the comments the protagonist overhears people saying in passing. GMOs, gluten-free, etc. It's all kind of just hilariously Californian in every way.
Of course, any Lisa Brackmann book has to deal with some meaty current political/social topics, and this is no exception. Mainly this one's got a mix of prison industrial complex stuff and shady political campaign contribution laws. (501cs? Not sure I got that right and I don't have the book with me right now.) If I have any criticism it's that some of the information does seem kind of... well, not preachy, but inserted for the sake of educating the reader rather than serving the plot. But it is all very interesting, so I can forgive a little meandering here and there.
I didn't totally appreciate the ending until I was describing the plot to my husband, and then I had a little lightbulb moment where I realized how it tied in with the theme (and the title!) of the book. Niiiice! It's got a little more of an open-ended feel than Getaway did, in my opinion, so I look forward to seeing more from both Michelle/Emily and Brackmann.
Two: Technically this book is standalone but I highly recommend reading the first installment, Getaway, which has the same protagonist. Otherwise you're gonna be kinda like, wait, who are 'the boys' and why should I be so creeped out by this Gary guy? Getaway is a mix of noir, suspense, and mystery and you'll like it, I promise. So go read that first.
This is kind of a weird comparison, but I feel like Go-Between has a lot in common with the videogame L.A. Noire in terms of tone and setting. Both have that bleak-sunshine thing going on. Which leads me to the thing I like most about Go-Between: It is the most CALIFORNIA book I have ever read. I live in California, and this past weekend I took a little vacation up to the Mendocino coast, and I felt like I had instantly walked into the first setting for Go-Between, Arcata, which is sort of the upscale hippy pot-growing culture of norcal. Then you've got some bits in the SF Bay Area and LA and San Diego, all of which are spot on. There are also some bits that happen in Austin, Texas, but let's be honest - there are a ton of Californians in Austin now, too! Suffice to say I just love all the little details, from Venice Beach to just the comments the protagonist overhears people saying in passing. GMOs, gluten-free, etc. It's all kind of just hilariously Californian in every way.
Of course, any Lisa Brackmann book has to deal with some meaty current political/social topics, and this is no exception. Mainly this one's got a mix of prison industrial complex stuff and shady political campaign contribution laws. (501cs? Not sure I got that right and I don't have the book with me right now.) If I have any criticism it's that some of the information does seem kind of... well, not preachy, but inserted for the sake of educating the reader rather than serving the plot. But it is all very interesting, so I can forgive a little meandering here and there.
I didn't totally appreciate the ending until I was describing the plot to my husband, and then I had a little lightbulb moment where I realized how it tied in with the theme (and the title!) of the book. Niiiice! It's got a little more of an open-ended feel than Getaway did, in my opinion, so I look forward to seeing more from both Michelle/Emily and Brackmann.
mcf's review
5.0
Real rating: 4.5
I dug this -- it's a very current story (private prison and pot legalization are central to the plot) without seeming Ripped From the Headlines and the constant, looming threat feels very real, as does the fact that, despite being able to deal with unexpected situations better than most of us, when it comes right down to it, Michelle really has no idea what the hell she's doing. While I still haven't decided whether or the ending was an anticlimax, Brackmann tells her story well, and Michelle is three-dimensional, confused, and immensely appealing, as is Brackmann's affection for the mundane details of the lives she's sharing.
Definitely time to read all of those other Brackmann novels that have been sitting in my Kindle, patiently waiting their turn ...
I dug this -- it's a very current story (private prison and pot legalization are central to the plot) without seeming Ripped From the Headlines and the constant, looming threat feels very real, as does the fact that, despite being able to deal with unexpected situations better than most of us, when it comes right down to it, Michelle really has no idea what the hell she's doing. While I still haven't decided whether or the ending was an anticlimax, Brackmann tells her story well, and Michelle is three-dimensional, confused, and immensely appealing, as is Brackmann's affection for the mundane details of the lives she's sharing.
Definitely time to read all of those other Brackmann novels that have been sitting in my Kindle, patiently waiting their turn ...
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