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gdc75's review against another edition
4.0
The storyline is compelling. Flipping around in time utilizing the tour of NYC as an anchor worked. I enjoyed the book.
marnella's review against another edition
4.0
I loved Moehringer's first book "The Tender Bar" so when I knew I was going to read Sutton at some point. J.R didn't let me down, he still had the characters that come to life with his descriptions of them and the way they talk. This is my favorite part about reading J.R's work.
Willie Sutton is many things, Irishman from the Bronx, Bank Robber, Lover of Books, Man of Disguise the "Actor", even a Hero to some but the one thing he's not is a RAT. Sutton being Irish and from the Bronx back during the depressions never had an easy life. He got beat up by his own brothers but knew enough not to snitch. He had a hard time finding work but that was life for most, ya win some you lose some. But even an Irish kid from the Bronx fell in love and it changed his world. Bess was a rich beautiful girl with a father who refused her to be with a guy like Sutton and this started his life of crime.
It's Christmas, Sutton is released from prison, now and old man with not long to live, and he's placed with a news reporter and a photographer. He starts his story from the beginning and tells it chronologically as it should be told in order to hit all the key parts. The reporter only wants the ending of the story but Sutton makes him travel around New York City hitting different key spots that shaped the man they now see.
Willie Sutton is many things, Irishman from the Bronx, Bank Robber, Lover of Books, Man of Disguise the "Actor", even a Hero to some but the one thing he's not is a RAT. Sutton being Irish and from the Bronx back during the depressions never had an easy life. He got beat up by his own brothers but knew enough not to snitch. He had a hard time finding work but that was life for most, ya win some you lose some. But even an Irish kid from the Bronx fell in love and it changed his world. Bess was a rich beautiful girl with a father who refused her to be with a guy like Sutton and this started his life of crime.
It's Christmas, Sutton is released from prison, now and old man with not long to live, and he's placed with a news reporter and a photographer. He starts his story from the beginning and tells it chronologically as it should be told in order to hit all the key parts. The reporter only wants the ending of the story but Sutton makes him travel around New York City hitting different key spots that shaped the man they now see.
nickysbooks78's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
purple_rose_kat93's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
love_larry's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.75
melanieroyston's review against another edition
3.0
I would give this book 3.5 stars. While I love the character and how the book was written in flashbacks, it was a little too slow paced for a book about a high profile bank robber. The twist at the end was refreshing, though, and made me look at the story in a whole different light and for that, I say bravo. Though overall it could have been better, it has the potential to make a fantastic movie.
linzthebookworm's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a little bit to get into Sutton, but once I finally got there I couldn't put it down. The writing style is what made it hard for me initially. The way the dialogue is written makes it hard to tell who was speaking and the fact that the main character sometimes speaks in the third person didn't help. Overall, I found it an interesting story that depicted a really fascinating time in U.S. History.
To see my full review check out https://linzthebookworm.blogspot.com/2022/06/book-review-sutton-by-jr-moehringer.html
To see my full review check out https://linzthebookworm.blogspot.com/2022/06/book-review-sutton-by-jr-moehringer.html
chelseatm's review against another edition
1.0
I was underwhelmed by this book to say the least. It had rave reviews and a recommendation from a trusted source, but yet I was left with a distinctly unsatisfied feeling when I was done.
It was bland, flat and dull. It's clear that Moehringer conducted a good amount of research but I found that because I couldn't tell where the research ended and the fantastical imagination began, it took away. What was genuine? What was adding too much to the character?
He almost seems to canonize Sutton to sainthood, appealing to his non-violent history and his anti-hero persona. However, it didn't work. Just made him seem like a passive observer in his own world.
Overall, a book about a bank robber or a love story should be exciting. Except the love story seems to be entirely the creation of the author and the bank robberies are never discussed in depth - only the ramifications of them.
I would say pass on this book.
It was bland, flat and dull. It's clear that Moehringer conducted a good amount of research but I found that because I couldn't tell where the research ended and the fantastical imagination began, it took away. What was genuine? What was adding too much to the character?
He almost seems to canonize Sutton to sainthood, appealing to his non-violent history and his anti-hero persona. However, it didn't work. Just made him seem like a passive observer in his own world.
Overall, a book about a bank robber or a love story should be exciting. Except the love story seems to be entirely the creation of the author and the bank robberies are never discussed in depth - only the ramifications of them.
I would say pass on this book.
book_concierge's review against another edition
3.0
Book on CD narrated by Dylan Baker
Everyone knows the Willie Sutton quote; asked why he robbed banks, Sutton purportedly said, “That’s where the money was.” Of course, this was later questioned, but it has remained part of the Sutton lore. In this historical fiction novel, Moehringer tries to explain why Willie robbed all those banks. In a brief author’s note Moehringer relates that after spending half his life in prison, Sutton was released from Attica on Christmas Eve 1969. He spent the entire day with a reporter and a photographer, retracing the steps of his personal history through the boroughs of New York City. The resulting article, however, was curiously sparse in detail. Moehringer writes: “Sadly, Sutton and the reporter and the photographer are all gone, so what happened among them that Christmas, and what happened to Sutton during the preceding sixty-eight years, is anyone’s guess. This book is my guess. But it’s also my wish.”
I wanted to like this. I remember the hoopla when Sutton was released in 1969, and I’ve always been fascinated by true crime works. I knew this was a novel, however, I expected something along the lines of other novels I’ve read that are “fictionalized biographies.”
The trouble I had here was Moehringer’s chosen device: following Sutton, the reporter and the photographer throughout Christmas day 1969, and then having Sutton recall one event after another from his past. It just didn’t work for me. I would be involved in the past and then yanked to the back seat of the car while Willie’s scarfing down donuts provided by the photographer. I also didn’t like the author’s choice to call his characters not by name, but by their roles in Sutton’s life: Photographer, Reporter, Left Cop, Right Cop, etc. It annoyed me.
On the plus side, I really liked the sections where we were living in Sutton’s past. Moehringer brought the 1920s and 1930s to life in his descriptions and scenes on the streets of Brooklyn, or in the prison cells in which Sutton was held. The text version of the book also includes a map of the route taken by Sutton and the reporter on Christmas Day; I found that helpful at times.
Dylan Baker does a credible job of narrating the audiobook. It’s difficult to follow at times because of the constant moving back and forth in time. The text version uses different fonts to give the reader a clue, but the person listening to the audio version doesn’t get any such clue. That’s not the narrator’s fault, it’s the author’s.
Everyone knows the Willie Sutton quote; asked why he robbed banks, Sutton purportedly said, “That’s where the money was.” Of course, this was later questioned, but it has remained part of the Sutton lore. In this historical fiction novel, Moehringer tries to explain why Willie robbed all those banks. In a brief author’s note Moehringer relates that after spending half his life in prison, Sutton was released from Attica on Christmas Eve 1969. He spent the entire day with a reporter and a photographer, retracing the steps of his personal history through the boroughs of New York City. The resulting article, however, was curiously sparse in detail. Moehringer writes: “Sadly, Sutton and the reporter and the photographer are all gone, so what happened among them that Christmas, and what happened to Sutton during the preceding sixty-eight years, is anyone’s guess. This book is my guess. But it’s also my wish.”
I wanted to like this. I remember the hoopla when Sutton was released in 1969, and I’ve always been fascinated by true crime works. I knew this was a novel, however, I expected something along the lines of other novels I’ve read that are “fictionalized biographies.”
The trouble I had here was Moehringer’s chosen device: following Sutton, the reporter and the photographer throughout Christmas day 1969, and then having Sutton recall one event after another from his past. It just didn’t work for me. I would be involved in the past and then yanked to the back seat of the car while Willie’s scarfing down donuts provided by the photographer. I also didn’t like the author’s choice to call his characters not by name, but by their roles in Sutton’s life: Photographer, Reporter, Left Cop, Right Cop, etc. It annoyed me.
On the plus side, I really liked the sections where we were living in Sutton’s past. Moehringer brought the 1920s and 1930s to life in his descriptions and scenes on the streets of Brooklyn, or in the prison cells in which Sutton was held. The text version of the book also includes a map of the route taken by Sutton and the reporter on Christmas Day; I found that helpful at times.
Dylan Baker does a credible job of narrating the audiobook. It’s difficult to follow at times because of the constant moving back and forth in time. The text version uses different fonts to give the reader a clue, but the person listening to the audio version doesn’t get any such clue. That’s not the narrator’s fault, it’s the author’s.