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asnearly94's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
screamdogreads's review against another edition
4.0
"Lorna tries to scream, but instead whimpers like a puppy in a plastic sack, the cry of Ava or Little Brother against the dark of the night. Hers are the sounds of all the helpless things in the world. What has been started cannot stop. Not until it's over."
Don't Know Tough acts as the perfect small Southern town drama, a fascinating and brutally moving tale of poverty, and a decent and engaging mystery all at once. Right off the bat, what stands out the most in this novel is its characterization. Each and every one of these characters is just so wonderfully, brilliantly fleshed out and full of life - especially our leading guy, Billy, who seems, on the surface to be a pretty simple man, only valuing toughness. Once we're treated to a deeper dive into him, however, he's amazingly complex and compelling. This is a real emotional tale, bleak and just so extremely sad. There's hardly a single moment of joy, though those rare moments do shine through, it's the kind of story that, regardless of the outcome, is going to leave you feeling sad and rather despondent.
When a bunch of authors you love are recommending and blurbing a book, it's a good sign you should pay attention, which is honestly, the sole reason I even picked up Don't Know Tough - not being much of a football buff myself but, loving the Grit-Lit genre, I was pleasantly surprised by this tale. It's abundantly clear that Cranor is an author that writes what he knows, he puts his passions onto the page. This is a truly great tale, picture Friday Night Lights but a fictional Southern Noir instead. It works as both a piece of crime fiction and a scathingly honest look at lives lived in poverty. Don't Know Tough is intense and at times, almost too difficult to read - Cranor never once shies away from on page depictions of abuse and brutality, making this tale all the more gritty and unflinching.
Don't Know Tough acts as the perfect small Southern town drama, a fascinating and brutally moving tale of poverty, and a decent and engaging mystery all at once. Right off the bat, what stands out the most in this novel is its characterization. Each and every one of these characters is just so wonderfully, brilliantly fleshed out and full of life - especially our leading guy, Billy, who seems, on the surface to be a pretty simple man, only valuing toughness. Once we're treated to a deeper dive into him, however, he's amazingly complex and compelling. This is a real emotional tale, bleak and just so extremely sad. There's hardly a single moment of joy, though those rare moments do shine through, it's the kind of story that, regardless of the outcome, is going to leave you feeling sad and rather despondent.
When a bunch of authors you love are recommending and blurbing a book, it's a good sign you should pay attention, which is honestly, the sole reason I even picked up Don't Know Tough - not being much of a football buff myself but, loving the Grit-Lit genre, I was pleasantly surprised by this tale. It's abundantly clear that Cranor is an author that writes what he knows, he puts his passions onto the page. This is a truly great tale, picture Friday Night Lights but a fictional Southern Noir instead. It works as both a piece of crime fiction and a scathingly honest look at lives lived in poverty. Don't Know Tough is intense and at times, almost too difficult to read - Cranor never once shies away from on page depictions of abuse and brutality, making this tale all the more gritty and unflinching.
"The headlights reveal Shady Grove in a hard white spotlight. The trailer frowns in the night, sad angles everywhere; bent gutters, broken windows, a screen door torn from all its hinges but one. Looks like animals live here, don't it, Hollywood? Not animals, says Trent. People live in this, and that's what makes it so horrible."
As the story darkens, it becomes that much more engaging, this, after all is Grit-Lit, just a slightly lighter version than I'm used to exploring. At first, the shifting perspectives and the unusual, heavily accented style of our narrator is a little jarring, but, once the story really gets going, it becomes enrapturing. This is one entire book of pain and anger and rash decisions that rock a small town community, each mostly unlikable character comes with a haunting, bleak and despairing story for us to sink our teeth into. Don't Know Tough is hard-hitting, emotional and just, so very sad. It's a seriously impressive book, one that has some real heart.
"You can make fire you got enough time, and I had time. Where Billy Lowe supposed to go? Thought about Momma and Little Brother, wondered if they's warm while I spun those sticks in my hands, spun them so fast, so long, my hands ripped open and blood dripped on the twigs I's trying to light. Blood aint gasoline, but it'll burn."
austinburns's review against another edition
3.0
very weird to have a story told from 4 or so different POVs but only one of them gets a stylized affect
randywgravitz's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
pinkydink70's review against another edition
1.0
I rate simply: 5 = liked it, 3 = meh, and 1 = didn't like it.
aydon's review against another edition
4.0
good debut from eli cranor. it's a short, easy read. i don't really like the marley character and billy's pov chapters were a bit aggravating to read at first, but there's a tight plot here that continues to escalate and mostly kept me gripped. good stuff
7/10
7/10
jansbookcorner's review against another edition
2.0
This book - I was excited to read it and expected a lot. I was disappointed. The plot is interesting and there’s some good character development. But there’s too many characters that I could never get a grip on. The writing overall is done well, but the first person dialect became stale and almost a parody at times.
My biggest problem is in the ending. There’s a lot that doesn’t make sense. I could stretch it a little, but I have a major issue with the actions of one of the characters. Several days after finishing this book, I’m still mad at the author over it.
My biggest problem is in the ending. There’s a lot that doesn’t make sense. I could stretch it a little, but I have a major issue with the actions of one of the characters. Several days after finishing this book, I’m still mad at the author over it.
alliepeduto's review
I read this thinking it was a mystery and it’s more of a small town family drama