Reviews

Lawless: Originally Published as the Wettest County in the World by Matt Bondurant

breadandmushrooms's review against another edition

emotional reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

bookhoarder76's review against another edition

2.0

I LOVED this book in the beginning but after 5 chapters I had to put it down. I live in The Wettest County In The World and have seen the movie Lawless so I was SUPER excited to read the book as they're always better than the movies! I'm not sure what it is but I found myself zoning out. Even though the topic was of great interest to me the book couldn't hold my interest! I may revisit it at another time but for now I give up.

mike1's review against another edition

5.0

I watched the movie before I read the book and I like both the movie and the book.
If you've watched the movie Lawless starring Tom Hardy then I recommend reading the book because there are people in the book that aren't in the movie and there is also more background storyline in the book that they changed in the movie or just didn't put in it due to time restrictions.

ks154409's review against another edition

adventurous dark reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

jolenemarie's review against another edition

3.0

Excellent writing, but the graphic violence and all the bits I had to skim or skip brought it down a star.

hmendiola's review against another edition

3.0

I wanted to love this book given the topic and the fact that I was a big fan of the movie version, Lawless. In the end this book and its characters are sad and boring without any real adventure, and the whole thing falls flat. I give it three stars because the story itself is fascinating, and I've always enjoyed reading about this time period. But dang if this book isn't a snoozer.

canaanmerchant's review against another edition

4.0

One of the critics blurbs on the back described the prose as muscular. I can't really think of a better word for it.

The flaw of this book is that the timeline shifts but that doesn't create dramatic tension so much as confusion over where we are supposed to place the events that have already happened. We follow along with Sherwood Anderson as he tries to piece together what happened but since he's large ineffective at learning anything all it does it frustrates the reader and hurries them through his chapters. That was a part that could have used a little more fiction and less the imagined Anderson's insecurities about writing.

However the story is riveting and Bondurant has created a palpable world where you begin to know the brothers like they know the mountain tops and hollers of Franklin county.

An the book will make you thirsty for some whiskey as well.

mrsmhamil's review against another edition

I got bored reading this and thought the pace of this book would pick up but it really didn't.

covertocovergirl's review against another edition

slow-paced

1.0

jenhern920's review against another edition

3.0

It is a book that is set in the depression about a family in the bootlegging business during prohibition. It was interesting to learn about this time in history. It it written by the grandson of the the Bondurant family. His grandfather and uncles are what this book is based upon.

The movie "Lawless" is based on this book and comes out in August.