vaughtgn's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
bethanymiller415's review against another edition
1.0
Brothers Bruce and Milton attempt to rob a bank, but they aren’t more than three blocks from the bank when the bag of cash explodes filling the car with green smoke and covering them both with green dye. Later as they attempt to bury the evidence in the woods behind their house, Terrence, a young man whose eyesight is so bad that he is considered legally blind, wanders by and senses that something isn’t right. Even though the brothers know that he will not be a reliable witness, they decide that they will have to do something to silence him. Terrence’s passion is recording bird songs, and the brothers know that he will be out late at night attempting to record an owl. They think that might be their chance to eliminate him as a possible witness. Meanwhile, Terrence’s girlfriend Nina is dealing with another set of problems. Her father’s business may be going under and her brother has just returned from Iraq and doesn’t seem like himself. He was wounded in the line of duty but seems reluctant to tell her how exactly it happened. When a “friend” from the army shows up looking for him, Nina suspects something is very wrong. More twists and turns occur as the various character take steps to solve their problems, and they all come together in an explosive conclusion.
To say that this book has some major flaws is an understatement. The novel shifts between the points of view of five characters, all of whom are two-dimensional and difficult to relate to. Though the book includes events that should be exciting - a bank robbery, a police chase, a shooting, a wild fire - the author never succeeds in building suspense. The author spends a lot of time describing meaningless details, such as an entire chapter devoted to Terrence listening to birds, but rushes through the more important scenes such as the bank robbery in the beginning and the climax at the end. Many of the minor conflicts are never resolved such as Terrence’s chance to have eye surgery and Nina’s quest to get her photography shown in a gallery. The resolutions to the two major conflicts felt rushed and unsatisfying. Though this book seems to be intended for reluctant readers with its short chapters and simplistic style of writing, most will be turned off by the long passages spent describing minor characters and other details that do not advance the plot. The cover and the book jacket give the impression that novel will be filled with action and suspense, but the book does not fulfill the promise of its cover.
To say that this book has some major flaws is an understatement. The novel shifts between the points of view of five characters, all of whom are two-dimensional and difficult to relate to. Though the book includes events that should be exciting - a bank robbery, a police chase, a shooting, a wild fire - the author never succeeds in building suspense. The author spends a lot of time describing meaningless details, such as an entire chapter devoted to Terrence listening to birds, but rushes through the more important scenes such as the bank robbery in the beginning and the climax at the end. Many of the minor conflicts are never resolved such as Terrence’s chance to have eye surgery and Nina’s quest to get her photography shown in a gallery. The resolutions to the two major conflicts felt rushed and unsatisfying. Though this book seems to be intended for reluctant readers with its short chapters and simplistic style of writing, most will be turned off by the long passages spent describing minor characters and other details that do not advance the plot. The cover and the book jacket give the impression that novel will be filled with action and suspense, but the book does not fulfill the promise of its cover.
erine's review against another edition
1.0
To sum up in a word: awkward. The plot was choppy, characters were wooden and language wasn't used wisely. I liked the concept of the story, but everything about this made it difficult to get invested. MilTon and Bruce were overly thuggish, Nina and Terrence seemed middle-aged instead of youthful, and Carraway was hard to understand.
The attempted robbery was clumsy, as were the witness' responses to it.
The attempted robbery was clumsy, as were the witness' responses to it.
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