cathysbookishlife's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
corysreadingcorner's review against another edition
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.25
danyeleht's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bgg616's review against another edition
3.0
The saga of the Burroughs family of Bull Mountain Georgia is a tale of hardcore criminals that spreads into northern Florida. The grandfather's crimes included making moonshine in illegal stills, and growing marijuana and his descendants make meth and run guns. And lots of murders including killing each other. Clayton Burroughs for some unfathomable reason becomes a cop. When a federal agent shows up determined to shut things down, Clayton basically says "good luck". There are motorcycle hoodlums, Mexicans gangbangers running prostitution rings, and dealing drugs - lots of unpleasant people. At the end the story gets a bit convoluted (keeping track of storylines that keep moving between past and present isn't my strong suite) and these people were so disagreeable, I was glad when it all ended - with more bloodshed of course! Not my preferred type of crime novel, but a decent listen.
taralpittman's review against another edition
5.0
As an undergrad at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, I took a class that was developed by the chair of the History Department in conjunction with the recent release of a book titled Still Fighting the Civil War: The American South and Southern History by David Goldfield. Our department chair and the author were acquaintances and Dr. Goldfield agreed to come and speak with our class about his adventures while researching and writing this book; since most of the students within this liberal arts institution were from the South, yet somehow under the impression that we were "different," we looked forward to his visit and learning more about the other South...the things that go on that no one likes to talk about.
While reading Bull Mountain, especially the experiences of Clayton Burroughs (the one who got away, so to speak), I was reminded of the way I felt during this class; I remember feeling sad because I realized that the individuals who are bred of a particular culture are not often aware of their options outside of that culture and probably do not have knowledge of any other way of life. At one point in the novel, Clayton is contemplating a return to "the mountain" so that he can speak with a family member and this is a passage that really hit me:
"This place was his home, no matter how unkind it had been to him. Clayton knew he would always be welcome, but the badge had no business here at all. If a thing existed up here, it was because it belonged here. And if it didn't belong, the people who lived here made damn sure it didn't stay. Clayton had struggled with which side of that fence he was on ever since he could remember. The sadness this place brought him was almost equal to the pride it filled him with."
Wow, that is such a powerful statement. Right? I think it completely and perfectly describes the relationship that I've had with my rural, Southern roots at various times of my life and the ongoing relationship that I have with the culture of the South. For those of you who may be bothered by it, there is fair share of violence in this novel; however, author Brian Panowich does an amazing job of creating scenes wherein the violence is poetic and it left me struggling to decide who was suffering more - the victim or the perpetrator.
Definitely in my top five for the year, I highly recommend this novel; I hope some of you will take the time to read it and I can't wait to read more from this wonderfully talented writer.
While reading Bull Mountain, especially the experiences of Clayton Burroughs (the one who got away, so to speak), I was reminded of the way I felt during this class; I remember feeling sad because I realized that the individuals who are bred of a particular culture are not often aware of their options outside of that culture and probably do not have knowledge of any other way of life. At one point in the novel, Clayton is contemplating a return to "the mountain" so that he can speak with a family member and this is a passage that really hit me:
"This place was his home, no matter how unkind it had been to him. Clayton knew he would always be welcome, but the badge had no business here at all. If a thing existed up here, it was because it belonged here. And if it didn't belong, the people who lived here made damn sure it didn't stay. Clayton had struggled with which side of that fence he was on ever since he could remember. The sadness this place brought him was almost equal to the pride it filled him with."
Wow, that is such a powerful statement. Right? I think it completely and perfectly describes the relationship that I've had with my rural, Southern roots at various times of my life and the ongoing relationship that I have with the culture of the South. For those of you who may be bothered by it, there is fair share of violence in this novel; however, author Brian Panowich does an amazing job of creating scenes wherein the violence is poetic and it left me struggling to decide who was suffering more - the victim or the perpetrator.
Definitely in my top five for the year, I highly recommend this novel; I hope some of you will take the time to read it and I can't wait to read more from this wonderfully talented writer.
jaclynday's review against another edition
5.0
Look, I know it’s barely September and we’ve got the fall book season to get through, but I’m calling it now: this will be one of my best books of the year. It’s perfect fiction, intensely evocative and violent and character-rich. The story is unique and surprisingly suspenseful, with these meaty, oh-shit-oh-shit plot twists that kept me on my toes. (I squeaked “NO!” out loud at one point. Luckily I was alone at the time.) The pacing is impeccable too–there is not one sluggish paragraph–and each new revelation came right as I felt the faint tickles of suspicion in the back of my head. I’m gushing now, I know. It’s that good.
joeswam's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.75
crolovr's review against another edition
5.0
A fantastic debut novel from Brian Panowich. Bull Mountain is the multi generational story of the Burroughs clan that in the beginning run a moonshine business on Bull Mountain and work their way up to drugs and guns. Each chapter is told by a different member of the family revealing the crimes, rights and wrongs and revenge of the family. A story told with believable characters with a great ending. Looking forward to his next book. Thank you to the reading room for sending me this book for an honest review.