jasonfurman's review against another edition
4.0
This book zips along and is pleasurable but ultimately falls well short of awe inspiring. It is a hard-boiled, noir-like story set in California. A likable gambler shoots a mobster in the leg to escape paying a debt, he goes on the run, meets a beautiful woman also at odds with the law, and they hole up in a biker bar together. While they are spinning a plan to get millions of dollars she was framed for embezzling, the mob catches up with him and a certain amount of action ensues. Ultimately, the bad guys don't fare particularly well.
The dialogue is a strong point in this book, with well drawn characters and rapid fire repartee. And the plot is enough to keep you going with interest but not enough to, at the end of the day, say one be very impressed.
I have not read any other Denis Johnson books but if this is an appetizer then it makes me look forward to the main course.
The dialogue is a strong point in this book, with well drawn characters and rapid fire repartee. And the plot is enough to keep you going with interest but not enough to, at the end of the day, say one be very impressed.
I have not read any other Denis Johnson books but if this is an appetizer then it makes me look forward to the main course.
pjcarlino's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Surprised this hasn’t been made into a “Pulp Fiction”-like movie.
angleonwriting's review against another edition
Didn't enjoy this book. Too many points of view that sounded too much alike. I found it hard to know who's head we were in at any given time.
edboies's review against another edition
2.0
I said I wouldn't read the next DJ book but this was so short and noiry I couldn't resist. Bland characters, action, dialogue, pacing. Skimmed the last fourth waiting for it to end. What happened to Denis Johnson? What happened TO ME!?
kbrier's review against another edition
4.0
I'm not generally a fan of crime novels, but I really enjoyed this one. None of the characters are good people, they are all fumbling about for their next move ... lots of fun (if a book where lots of people end up dead or seriously wounded can be called fun.)
ripowal's review
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Very meh. Hard to follow the blurry character motivations and didn't really seem like an "homage" to crime novels as much as a poor shadow of a crime novel. Had a Memento vibe without any of the interesting plot. Listened to the audiobook twice and still couldn't follow the action. Apparently it was originally publishes chapter-by-chapter across issues of Playboy magazine, so maybe that explains why it's so disjointed. Would have DNF'd it if it weren't for book club.
tamara_n's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
lisastreeter's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
jakewritesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Denis Johnson is considered by many to be one of the best writers of the last few decades. I myself have never read him so I can’t comment on that. I’ve been meaning to get to Tree of Smoke for several years now. This one might encourage me to do so.
The average American crime fiction fan, one who reads Michael Connelly today where their grandparents read Raymond Chandler yesterday, generally likes a three-act story spread out between 320-400 pages. However, in the traditional world of hardboiled/noir novels, there are plenty of quick books at or less 200 pages that tell a fast tale. Most of the time, it is resolved. Sometimes, it isn’t. David Goodis is a good example of this. Most of Jim Thompson’s best works clock in around 225. Even today, Megan Abbott’s seminal work Queenpin, which has far more going on than this one does, checks in at 180.
I lift this up because I look at some of the reviews of Johnson’s book, mostly negative ones, and I think people think this is supposed to be something more than it is: a simple crime tale of lower level characters who get mixed up with each other. Get in, read it, get out and get on with life. This doesn’t aspire to be anything more than that and why should it? The characters are fun and not stock. The dialogue is good without pandering. The circumstances make sense. The ending won’t satisfy anyone but I liked it. So what’s the problem? What does everyone else expect?
I prefer a meatier, fun tome I can get lost in but I can also enjoy a quicky crime novel that entertains me and doesn’t make me feel like I’ve wasted my time. That’s what Nobody Move is. It doesn’t aspire to be more than that and, aside from the apparent prestige of the writer’s name, I don’t know why it should. It’s fun. Reading is fun.
The average American crime fiction fan, one who reads Michael Connelly today where their grandparents read Raymond Chandler yesterday, generally likes a three-act story spread out between 320-400 pages. However, in the traditional world of hardboiled/noir novels, there are plenty of quick books at or less 200 pages that tell a fast tale. Most of the time, it is resolved. Sometimes, it isn’t. David Goodis is a good example of this. Most of Jim Thompson’s best works clock in around 225. Even today, Megan Abbott’s seminal work Queenpin, which has far more going on than this one does, checks in at 180.
I lift this up because I look at some of the reviews of Johnson’s book, mostly negative ones, and I think people think this is supposed to be something more than it is: a simple crime tale of lower level characters who get mixed up with each other. Get in, read it, get out and get on with life. This doesn’t aspire to be anything more than that and why should it? The characters are fun and not stock. The dialogue is good without pandering. The circumstances make sense. The ending won’t satisfy anyone but I liked it. So what’s the problem? What does everyone else expect?
I prefer a meatier, fun tome I can get lost in but I can also enjoy a quicky crime novel that entertains me and doesn’t make me feel like I’ve wasted my time. That’s what Nobody Move is. It doesn’t aspire to be more than that and, aside from the apparent prestige of the writer’s name, I don’t know why it should. It’s fun. Reading is fun.
littlesophie's review against another edition
5.0
An insanely paced and blackly humorous escape novel about incidental criminals with an escalating body count. Despite having an absolutely nuts plot, the book is made to sparkle by Johnson's absolutely dead-pan writing style. Faced with the slowly drawn-out prospect of having his balls cut off, the hapless victim comments dryli that he is rather getting bored now, instantly cutting through the queasy tension and brutality of the book. A hard and fast drink with a sour note.