sidonie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
higgbemine's review against another edition
5.0
what i knew about Deliverance before i read it: river trip, dueling banjos, that famous line and one rather fit man
what i learned while reading: intense adventure, survival story
what i knew about Deliverance after i read it: this book is more than a backwoods adventure/mishap story. its about man vs. nature, about man vs. man, about relationships, the boredom of everyday life, and living with the choices you make
completely satisfying
what i learned while reading: intense adventure, survival story
what i knew about Deliverance after i read it: this book is more than a backwoods adventure/mishap story. its about man vs. nature, about man vs. man, about relationships, the boredom of everyday life, and living with the choices you make
completely satisfying
laurelinwonder's review against another edition
3.0
While I have yet to see the movie, I do know about particular scenes. And I can even quote a couple lines from it because this is such a popular tale. This is one of those adventure stories that goes horribly awry. Just some poor dudes who just wanted to get out of nature and everything goes wrong. And after that it's a testament to human strength and the will to survive, and to keep your family safe.
huncamuncamouse's review against another edition
3.0
It's probably 3.5, but I feel mean. Also, the movie was better. My big issue is that I think about 80 pages could have been cut. There's an overwhelming amount of description, and it becomes tedious. There's not enough differentiation--the description is either all about describing the way in which someone walked or climbed something in the forest, or the way tree leaves appeared. I was not surprised to learn the author is a poet, and I don't mean this as an insult. It is clear he has an eye for detail, but less could have been more to keep the quite compelling plot moving forward.
There's a lot of interesting ideas here about the banality of suburban and family life, masculinity, the tension between the spreading suburban world and the "uncharted," and the fateful meeting between city slickers (all but Drew were dismissive of the locals) and the indigenous people (not all of which, surprisingly, were presented as "backwards," although enough cliches persist to make me uneasy).
The issue, too, of male-on-male sexual assault is interesting, especially the shame/inability to ever admit what happened, which largely drives the group's decisions. So rarely do I find that sexual assaults in fiction serve a purpose other than to brutalize characters and shock readers. This was a welcome exception--and handled better than the "squeal" line in the movie, which was ad-libbed.
Over-all, the book is a bit slow and hasn't aged well in many ways (a slur is used on the last page, as just one example), but it's a compelling story, and a scary one.
There's a lot of interesting ideas here about the banality of suburban and family life, masculinity, the tension between the spreading suburban world and the "uncharted," and the fateful meeting between city slickers (all but Drew were dismissive of the locals) and the indigenous people (not all of which, surprisingly, were presented as "backwards," although enough cliches persist to make me uneasy).
The issue, too, of male-on-male sexual assault is interesting, especially the shame/inability to ever admit what happened, which largely drives the group's decisions. So rarely do I find that sexual assaults in fiction serve a purpose other than to brutalize characters and shock readers. This was a welcome exception--and handled better than the "squeal" line in the movie, which was ad-libbed.
Over-all, the book is a bit slow and hasn't aged well in many ways (a slur is used on the last page, as just one example), but it's a compelling story, and a scary one.
bundy23's review against another edition
4.0
The film is pretty much a scene for scene adaptation, and being one of the greatest films ever made, it's hard to recommend reading the book instead. It's still a great story though.
carlsmithwriter's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
herbivore's review against another edition
3.0
If you can get past the sexism and pretentiousness, it's a pretty good book. I'm a filthy feminist who has recently been trying to focus on reading novels written by women or with female protagonists, so the way women are regarded in a novel written by a man in the 70s about mostly men was very jarring for me. The main character was more in love with his best friend than his wife, and I was upset when they didn't end up doing anything romantic together. If Ed confessed his love for Lewis I easily would've given it 4 stars instead. Anyways. Dickey is obviously a good writer, the macho man parts just made me too uncomfortable to enjoy the book or get much out of it.
pitbells1's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
balsbury's review against another edition
5.0
It's no surprise that James Dickey spent his career as a poet before spending 8 years writing this, his first novel. Beautifully descriptive, heart-pounding, and insightful storytelling at its finest. Highly recommend!