readingwithhippos's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of a loving but fractured family with a hefty dose of magical realism thrown in. Johnny Ribkins is in his 70s now, but in his younger years, he was a part of the Justice Committee, a group that used their special talents to bolster the Civil Rights movement. Johnny can draw maps of anywhere, even places he’s never been. His brother could climb sheer walls without any handholds. Now his brother has passed away and Johnny owes the wrong guy a lot of money. In his quest to scrounge up enough money to pay off his debt, he ends up on a road trip with his 13-year-old niece, who has some Ribkins powers of her own.
Funny, touching, and a little offbeat--this book was everything I wanted it to be.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
Funny, touching, and a little offbeat--this book was everything I wanted it to be.
More book recommendations by me at www.readingwithhippos.com
rizbee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
i loved the premise of this book, but i feel like it’s just missing something. i wasn’t very interested in the characters, but the plot seemed to be going well. at least at the beginning. honestly, there was a lot in this that didn’t make sense to me or that i thought wasn’t explained to the extent it should’ve been. i liked the roadtrip aspect and its correlation to visiting the past, but nothing besides that drew me in. i want to like it, especially because i think there’s some important messaging in the story, but i don’t see myself remembering much of the storyline or characters.
fairywren's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
hoosgracie's review against another edition
3.0
Set in Florida, this novel is about a family with talents. Their talents are often odd, for example the deceased patriarch could see colors no one else could see. The story centers around Johnny, who can make maps, and his niece Eloise who catches things. They set out on a road trip to dig up the money Johnny needs to pay off his former boss.
This was a meandering story. It may have been the narrator (I listened to this), but I cam to detest Johnny. I found him to be annoying and patronizing to his niece. I was glad when I was done.
This was a meandering story. It may have been the narrator (I listened to this), but I cam to detest Johnny. I found him to be annoying and patronizing to his niece. I was glad when I was done.
analenegrace's review against another edition
I wanted to like this so much because I like the premise but the actual book is very slow and fairly boring. The non-linear storytelling just didn't work for me either.
mschlat's review against another edition
3.0
Really, really liked the characters and some of the chapters, but the plotting left me confused at times and a bit frustrated at others. It's a wonderful concept: the Ribkins are a family of African Americans who each have some beyond human power (scaling walls, making maps of places you have not seen, appearing irresistible, etc...). We follow Johnny Ribkins, a man in his seventies, who is attempting to pay off a criminal debt by digging up caches of money and valuables he has hidden around Florida. Along the way, he picks up his niece Eloise (who he just discovered existed), helps her with her power, and visits other members of the Ribkins family. (There's a history of Ribkins and others working during the Civil Right Movement to keep everyone safe as the Justice Committee, with a nice line being that they weren't the freedom movement, but the "freedom of movement" movement.)
All that sounds great, but the plots with Johnny seemed a bit pat (i.e., a man with powers who has been using them for criminal exploits after doing good considers moving back to doing good). In addition, there's an appearance of the "politician appears on TV during one scene and ends up being major evil character" trope. At the end, Hubbard throws in a switch or two, and one of them fell completely flat for me. There's also a lot of flashbacks that left me a bit addled as to sequences of events in the past.
Still liked the book, and I may look out for more Hubbard novels, but I felt bereft at the end that the plotting didn't coalesce.
All that sounds great, but the plots with Johnny seemed a bit pat (i.e., a man with powers who has been using them for criminal exploits after doing good considers moving back to doing good). In addition, there's an appearance of the "politician appears on TV during one scene and ends up being major evil character" trope. At the end, Hubbard throws in a switch or two, and one of them fell completely flat for me. There's also a lot of flashbacks that left me a bit addled as to sequences of events in the past.
Still liked the book, and I may look out for more Hubbard novels, but I felt bereft at the end that the plotting didn't coalesce.
flower_mail's review against another edition
2.0
This was a genre bender. American road trip novel (The Price of Salt?) meets X-men meets Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children.
Something was just... missing. This had the potential to be a great book, but all roads led nowhere. The book felt like a puzzle, but its solution didn't make sense.
Something was just... missing. This had the potential to be a great book, but all roads led nowhere. The book felt like a puzzle, but its solution didn't make sense.
sunwatersalt's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0