Reviews

The Cutting Season by Attica Locke

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hilarymofi's review against another edition

4.0

Though the story itself wasn’t riveting, Attica Locke’s writing is. Her descriptions of Louisiana, the creation of the atmosphere through her words, was ravishing. I’ve never been there but, in her writing, I felt like I was there.

I did go back and forth between giving this book three or four stars, because the storyline was a bit messy, perhaps even a bit boring. There was nothing desperate about the killer. I wasn’t sitting in suspense. I wasn’t terribly taken with any of the characters. Instead, I was struggling to knit together all the plot holes, all of the inconsistencies of the characters that, ultimately, kept me reading due to Locke’s dazzling composition.

Altogether, I could get past the storyline failings due to Locke’s beautiful writing. She is so talented as to convince me I should give her that extra star, so, I did.

caffeinatedreads's review against another edition

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4.0

a slow burn but so good. locke’s writing is immersive and lovely. repetitive in places, but that made it like a song to me, themes, tones, etc. dark and twisted and yet, still hopeful. i want spinoffs of so many of these characters and their histories.

krankykat's review

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mysterious medium-paced

Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

arlucadamo's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

kristinmagoo's review against another edition

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3.0

I had an unusual experience reading this book. Attica Locke writes some truly beautiful prose and is masterful at creating visuals. The heavy, southern setting permeates every bit of dialogue and exposition, allowing the reader to immerse themselves. I would almost have preferred if the murder was not included. For me, it muddled my expectations. Combining a crime story and a literary character study for me is not ideal, though I enjoyed the read.

kimreadz's review against another edition

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3.0

This a good mystery with the action starting almost from the first page of the book! Caren Gray is the single mother of a bright young daughter. Her ex is a DC lawyer whom she met in law school many years ago. Caren dropped out of law school and currently manages the historic Belle Vie, a former plantation that is now a historical site and tourist attraction. Caren is the perfect choice for management because not only is she bright, she has a personal tie to the plantation. She was raised on site where her mother was the head cook, and her great-great-grandfather was a former slave who lived in one of the cabins.

One day, the body of a murdered migrant worker is unearthed on the plantation. Everyone on the plantation is suspect and the when police narrow in on one of Caren’s employees, Caren puts in a call to her ex to request his legal advice. He comes to town to check on his daughter.

From here, the story gets really interesting, with lots of twists and turns. Every time you think you MIGHT know who the murderer is, there is another twist. If you are paying attention, there is one pretty big clue in there that might lead you to the right conclusion. And even then, you won’t be sure until you finish the book (unless you skip to the end like my good friend does!) There is plenty of suspense in this book and you won’t want to put it down until you get this figured out!

I really enjoyed the book. My only very slight issue is the end. While I understand Caren’s decision, I wish things would have ended a little differently as far as the plantation goes. I kind of felt like justice wasn’t done. And I really wish there would have been some sort of epilogue to let us know what these characters were up to five years down the road. These are really minor points though, and do not take away from the fact that this is a good book!