mary_rozendal's review
1.0
I finished this book because my mom gave it to me to read and because I did want to find out what happened, but it was a bit painful. I lived in Alabama for 12 years, and people in Alabama or any where in the south don't talk the way it's portrayed here. Also, the author's use of first and third person was confusing, especially when he switched back and forth even within a paragraph (poor editing). There was more than one murder in this story Overuse of similes and idioms killed this book.
elvenavari's review
3.0
It took getting to about the middle of this book before it actually became interesting to me. I think the author tried a bit too hard to put that "southern charm" in and it fell a but flat. Having character names for the POVs at the beginning of each chapter would have helped, especially at the beginning when characters had not been introduced. I was happy with the ending though and how things turned out.
whit_knee's review
2.0
*I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.
This was a hard book for me to get into. I liked how the story was told from two points of view but I didn't really like that the point of view would change mid-chapter. It was an interesting book and there was definitely a twist at the end. Overall it was on okay book it was pretty well written, I just wish it was a little more entertaining.
This was a hard book for me to get into. I liked how the story was told from two points of view but I didn't really like that the point of view would change mid-chapter. It was an interesting book and there was definitely a twist at the end. Overall it was on okay book it was pretty well written, I just wish it was a little more entertaining.
kscandone28's review
3.0
I would've given this book 4 stars, it was so close.
This novel started out with a bang and caught my attention right away. The plot developed quickly, there was some suspense that made me want to keep reading to see what was next. And yet, after all the build up, I found the ending to be markedly anticlimactic. There was some character breakdown and everything ended just a bit too abruptly and too neatly for what had been presented earlier in the novel.
One aspect that irked me was how the characters "spoke" (sorry, can't think of the literary term off the top of my head). Most of the time, they presented with a backwater, redneck drawl, which is what the author intended, I believe. And then, mid conversation, they started speaking like scholars, gramatically correct with no regional language or slang in sight. That irritated me. Stick with one or the other.
In essence, if the conclusion to this book had been a little richer, I would've rated this book with four stars. I did enjoy reading it, but felt deflated at the end, like I didn't get my fill. I would recommend it to fellow readers and I intend to read other books by Hiebert in the future.
This novel started out with a bang and caught my attention right away. The plot developed quickly, there was some suspense that made me want to keep reading to see what was next. And yet, after all the build up, I found the ending to be markedly anticlimactic. There was some character breakdown and everything ended just a bit too abruptly and too neatly for what had been presented earlier in the novel.
One aspect that irked me was how the characters "spoke" (sorry, can't think of the literary term off the top of my head). Most of the time, they presented with a backwater, redneck drawl, which is what the author intended, I believe. And then, mid conversation, they started speaking like scholars, gramatically correct with no regional language or slang in sight. That irritated me. Stick with one or the other.
In essence, if the conclusion to this book had been a little richer, I would've rated this book with four stars. I did enjoy reading it, but felt deflated at the end, like I didn't get my fill. I would recommend it to fellow readers and I intend to read other books by Hiebert in the future.
fictionophile's review
4.0
Part mystery, part coming-of-age tale, part southern gothic, “Close to the broken hearted” was an easy, enjoyable read. I will keep Michael Hiebert on my favorite authors list.
Read my full review of "Close to the broken hearted" on my blog: Fictionophile
Read my full review of "Close to the broken hearted" on my blog: Fictionophile
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