lisalotte's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
2.5
pattieod's review against another edition
4.0
This has to be one of the shortest novels (novellas?) I've ever read - finished it off in an hour or two. It reads like Elmore Leonard if he lived in backwoods New England instead of Detroit, so if you enjoy Leonard's good-old-boys-having-stupid-conversations black humor, you'll enjoy this.
cinnamuscles's review
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
wendoxford's review against another edition
2.0
2 star = OK wasn't exactly what I thought. This is a very odd book - flecks of comedy, against a violent canvas of a woman out to get the town's bad guy (really bad guy)who, even the sheriff, won't pursue
ohlookanowl's review against another edition
5.0
Castle Freeman Jr blew me away with his gorgeously quiet and atmospheric novel set in rural Vermont. His characters and his ear for dialogue are superb. There's a lot going on under the surface of this deceptively short novel. Go read it. Now. (Immediately after reading this one, I picked up Go With Me, which was just as good, though in a very different manner.)
clfirlik's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Sexual assault
whipsmile's review against another edition
3.0
It's a very simple story with lots of dialog. I can understand how others might compare to Cormac McCarthy Lite, but it's not quite as heavy as Cormac's books. But I understand the feeling it gives off.
sarahpottenger's review against another edition
3.0
One of those small stories where not much happens. What's interesting is the group of men who periodically comment on the action like a Greek chorus. Interesting narrative device.
Great dialogue. Reading this was like attending a workshop on how to write good, realistic dialogue.
Great dialogue. Reading this was like attending a workshop on how to write good, realistic dialogue.
djrmelvin's review
4.0
I've seen reviews that compare the writing of this novella to the style of Cormac McCarthy, and I'd say that reviews are correct, especially in how the setting of the story defines the feeling. The deep woods of New England have more shadows and dark spaces than the open plains of McCarthy's best works, and those dark spaces make this story quite creepy, despite all the very talkative characters. Like McCarthy, Freeman has a great economy of words, letting his characters say and see only what is needed, with no wasted action.