marilynsaul's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this well-written book that is essentially a murder mystery but is so much more than that: a glimpse into the life, ways, and traditions of an east coast fishing village.
meks17's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
gawronma's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent. It was great story with memorable characters.
iris_09's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
jlmb's review against another edition
1.0
Do you love fishing? I mean, really love it? Then this is the book for you! However, if you find 30+ pages of minute details about fishing boring, then this book is a hard pass. The beginning of this book was so unbelievably tedious that if I wasn't reading it for a book club, I would have DNF.
There were glimmers of a good book hiding amongst all the eye-wateringly dull bits. I started entertaining myself by reading it as if I were the editor, deciding what parts of the novel to cut. It's a nearly 400 page book that I would have edited down to a lean 200 pages. Then it would have been an entertaining taut mystery instead of a bloated one!
Conrad, the sexy brooding troubled fisherman, was such a cliche of Hemingway manliness that every time he appeared in the story I gritted my teeth. I preferred the character of Hollis, the big city cop pushed out of the city by corrupt cops and made to take a police job in small town Long Island. Wish he had been the only focus.
I am so happy and relieved this book is finally over and I can go read a book I will enjoy.
There were glimmers of a good book hiding amongst all the eye-wateringly dull bits. I started entertaining myself by reading it as if I were the editor, deciding what parts of the novel to cut. It's a nearly 400 page book that I would have edited down to a lean 200 pages. Then it would have been an entertaining taut mystery instead of a bloated one!
Conrad, the sexy brooding troubled fisherman, was such a cliche of Hemingway manliness that every time he appeared in the story I gritted my teeth. I preferred the character of Hollis, the big city cop pushed out of the city by corrupt cops and made to take a police job in small town Long Island. Wish he had been the only focus.
I am so happy and relieved this book is finally over and I can go read a book I will enjoy.
tien's review against another edition
1.0
so slow & boring that I can't even persist in reading through... after page 70, i just flicked to the end for the whodunit and closed the book... Next!
berenjena's review
2.0
I overall liked this book. However, it lacked a lot. The characters are flat, the writer gets lost in the description of unimportant details, leaving to your imagination a lot of basic information. The representation of women is null, and there is few to none important dialogues that include their voices. The story is interesting but slow, and the whole point of the novel doesn't start until well into the half of the book, which made it very difficult for me to continue reading it until page 200 more or less, then everything goes very fast.
Moreover, the ending is definitely very expected, the typical "justice for the just".
Moreover, the ending is definitely very expected, the typical "justice for the just".
heathermassa's review
4.0
Mark Mills' first book, which takes place right after World War II, and is a mystery surrounding a Kennedy-esque family and a fisherman of Basque descent. It is supremely well-written. You'll like it, no matter who you are. Promise.
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