scostanzo42's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the story until the end...it seemed to fall flat. The main characters were good, the plot was good, and the setting was good. Just that ending....UGH!
leslielikesthings's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this one. I listened to the audio version, which was well done. No fault of the book or the narrator but rather because I had some distractions in my life, I kept on leaving it behind and coming back to it every few days, so the story got a little scattered for me, but it still held together really well. It is pretty much a murder mystery, but it is not told like a whodunit. It really gets into the characters and backstories so that the murder mystery is kind of incidental to the plot, even though it is what is really driving the whole plot.
jo_reads_letters's review against another edition
2.0
Done…
This is part of our English class and I wanted to like it, really did.
But I ended up making myself read wether I wanted to or not and now after annotating 260 pages: I feel flattened.
Franklin’s style is great, but too detailed for me who struggles to concentrate on one thing for 3 minutes straight.
The development and revelation of the relation between Larry and Silas was what made this book above everything else stand out and they’re definitely keeping a part of my heart with them.
So, if you’re up to concentrate and contemplate the issues of society: Have a read and take your time.
This is part of our English class and I wanted to like it, really did.
But I ended up making myself read wether I wanted to or not and now after annotating 260 pages: I feel flattened.
Franklin’s style is great, but too detailed for me who struggles to concentrate on one thing for 3 minutes straight.
The development and revelation of the relation between Larry and Silas was what made this book above everything else stand out and they’re definitely keeping a part of my heart with them.
So, if you’re up to concentrate and contemplate the issues of society: Have a read and take your time.
sjj169's review against another edition
5.0
Larry Ott's character in this book just broke my heart. I mean took it out and threw it on the ground and stomped it kind of broken. His character was a little bookworm who just didn't fit in with the other kids. When he dared to think he had a date with a cute girl and took her out she never returned. So his whole life has been "Scary Larry".
Silas is his one time black friend who is now constable in the town they life in. One time friends. But this story is of their friendship and the way we all hurt the people we possibly care about so other's don't look as us harshly.
5 standing ovation stars from me.
Silas is his one time black friend who is now constable in the town they life in. One time friends. But this story is of their friendship and the way we all hurt the people we possibly care about so other's don't look as us harshly.
5 standing ovation stars from me.
poachedeggs's review against another edition
4.0
I read the entire novel on a loooong plane ride during which the cabin lights were off for most part (I love the built-in light in my Kindle cover!) - yes, it had hooked me, and I couldn't rest without finding out what would happen to loser Larry and shirker Silas.
There isn't really much of a mystery though there are a couple of murders; the reader is not taxed by the urgent need to find the killer, because he is so easy to spot. What keeps the reader going, instead, are the alternating perspectives of Larry Ott (a white man who has attained pariah status by having been implicated by the disappearance of a teenage girl whom he had gone out on a 'date' with decades ago) and Silas '32' Jones (a black cop who used to be Larry's friend when they were children, then grew away from him as he found his niche in society - policing)... oh, and the description (I actually dislike this word - it sounds so contrived) of Chabot, Mississippi - beautiful in its bleakness and utter poverty of spirit.
I didn't expect the book to be about race, and may not have read it if I had known - I tend to tire of 'issues' novels quickly (a holdover from my O-level literature days - Alan Paton's [b:Cry, the Beloved Country|6150|Cry, the Beloved Country|Alan Paton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255573610s/6150.jpg|59082], anyone?) - even if I know there is literary value in many such works, and would just as likely enjoy them as not. Franklin's novel is an example of how elegantly a divided town can be drawn to live and breathe, with the burden of its and America's history forming a seamless part of its identity and a compelling narrative. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is a wonderful story that is larger than the sum of its parts.
There isn't really much of a mystery though there are a couple of murders; the reader is not taxed by the urgent need to find the killer, because he is so easy to spot. What keeps the reader going, instead, are the alternating perspectives of Larry Ott (a white man who has attained pariah status by having been implicated by the disappearance of a teenage girl whom he had gone out on a 'date' with decades ago) and Silas '32' Jones (a black cop who used to be Larry's friend when they were children, then grew away from him as he found his niche in society - policing)... oh, and the description (I actually dislike this word - it sounds so contrived) of Chabot, Mississippi - beautiful in its bleakness and utter poverty of spirit.
I didn't expect the book to be about race, and may not have read it if I had known - I tend to tire of 'issues' novels quickly (a holdover from my O-level literature days - Alan Paton's [b:Cry, the Beloved Country|6150|Cry, the Beloved Country|Alan Paton|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255573610s/6150.jpg|59082], anyone?) - even if I know there is literary value in many such works, and would just as likely enjoy them as not. Franklin's novel is an example of how elegantly a divided town can be drawn to live and breathe, with the burden of its and America's history forming a seamless part of its identity and a compelling narrative. Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is a wonderful story that is larger than the sum of its parts.
heatherbermingham's review against another edition
4.0
I read this because I'd seen a lot of reviews that referred to it as a great mystery, but that wasn't actually why the book so good, at least for me. While I did kind of slowly peel back layers and reveal new things, I guessed most of the biggest reveals before they happened. The characters in the book, however, were wonderful and really the biggest reason to read. Larry and Silas, the main two characters, were complicated and interesting characters and the supporting characters were well-defined and believable. I also have a soft spot for stories that take place in the small town South and the setting here is really well-drawn and believable as well. Good stuff.
highladyofthenightcourt21's review against another edition
4.0
Man, my eyes have been closed to these Southern "gothic" books and now they've been opened I am in love! This is a goooood one. My first was a short story in a horror anthology (can't remember the name of it but it was SO good), then Boy's Life, and now this.
This book took me a little bit to get into and used to, but the story is so great. Sometimes it can drag a bit. I found myself sucked into wanting to know if "Scary Larry" really did take and kill Cindy Walker, and if that meant he also killed Tina Rutherford.
And then there's the twist (which isn't super major, in my opinion, but still great) which is what really gets you wanting to continue reading.
This is a genuine story that makes you feel rage and sorrow, and I'd suggest it to anyone who just really loves a good plot.
This book took me a little bit to get into and used to, but the story is so great. Sometimes it can drag a bit. I found myself sucked into wanting to know if "Scary Larry" really did take and kill Cindy Walker, and if that meant he also killed Tina Rutherford.
And then there's the twist (which isn't super major, in my opinion, but still great) which is what really gets you wanting to continue reading.
This is a genuine story that makes you feel rage and sorrow, and I'd suggest it to anyone who just really loves a good plot.
zb1113's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
Loved his descriptions of nature, and their connections with the story/world. Story holds your interest, but maybe a bit simplistic. Characters felt real enough, but I felt that after the reveal there would be more conflict (either character might be more moved by this new information becoming known), but it kind of fizzled a bit.
Topics: poverty, racism, time and nature, "something missing inside you", regret and blame.
Loved his descriptions of nature, and their connections with the story/world. Story holds your interest, but maybe a bit simplistic. Characters felt real enough, but I felt that after the reveal there would be more conflict (either character might be more moved by this new information becoming known), but it kind of fizzled a bit.
Topics: poverty, racism, time and nature, "something missing inside you", regret and blame.