cdeane61's review against another edition
5.0
Very enjoyable, completely believable account of a man in witness protection.
Great characters, great writing, great storyline.
I like when a book feels like "literature" no matter what the subject. (Colson Whitehead's Zone One comes to mind)
I rank this one up there with White Noise by Delillo.
Great characters, great writing, great storyline.
I like when a book feels like "literature" no matter what the subject. (Colson Whitehead's Zone One comes to mind)
I rank this one up there with White Noise by Delillo.
thereal_pebblex's review
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
annebennett1957's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book club selection and I really wondered what we will discuss in our upcoming meeting until I got to the very end. I like Jess Walter's writing, this one was a little too crass for my liking, but I thought it was a fun read.
tonythep's review against another edition
4.0
probably give this 4 and a half stars. halfway between heartbreaking and hilarious, i guess that's what our own lives are like. Vince Camden is really just waking up from the dream of his old life and decides he wants to stay awake and make a new one. set against the backdrop of the 1980 presidential election, it's all about choices: what kind of America/future/life do we want.
pamiverson's review against another edition
5.0
When I finished this book, about a small-time crook in the Witness Protection Program, set in the days leading up to the 1980 Presidential election, I would have given it 3, maybe 4 stars. Our Group Book discussion is what led me to give it 5 stars -- not often that we read our favorite really funny sections out loud. Also thought-provoking -- can you really start over, why do you pursue a lost cause?
apatrick's review against another edition
3.0
Good mob novel, also about the 1978 presidential election, kind of. This author had been recommended to me before. Great dialogue.
mark_lm's review against another edition
4.0
Great crime fiction. Good characters, good plot, interesting background imagery of 1980 presidential election, all on interesting backbone of question of criminals' sacrifice of their citizenship tied to the protagonist's search.
blevins's review against another edition
4.0
This was a really, really good crime book with a gritty, literary, realistic bent that is one of my favorite books of the year. Set in 1980 and mostly in Spokane, Washington, Vince is a ex-crook from NY who is in the witness protection agency and involved in small time criminal behavior. A dangerous stranger arrives in town and turns Vince's world upside down.
Walter weaves in crooks, hookers, cops, mobsters (Gotti shows up), politicians and even the '80 presidential race features prominently. It's a profane, funny, dark look into this world and both suspenseful and very well written--taut and smart as a whip. One of my favorite novels of the year no doubt.
Walter weaves in crooks, hookers, cops, mobsters (Gotti shows up), politicians and even the '80 presidential race features prominently. It's a profane, funny, dark look into this world and both suspenseful and very well written--taut and smart as a whip. One of my favorite novels of the year no doubt.
andreasueellen's review against another edition
dark
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0