kayla512's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Weird.
viezza's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
jodi_jo's review against another edition
2.0
This book was loaned to me by a friend with the words "one of my favorite books" attached to it. I started it and put it down, and picked it up and put it down. I had it sitting on my bookshelf for an amount of time that isn't socially acceptable. I finally picked it up and told myself that I couldn't read anything else until I could give it back to my friend and honestly tell her I had finished it. In the 2 weeks since that happened, I cleaned my carpets, scrubbed the bathrooms until they shined, mopped the floors, wiped down the walls, spackled the holes in the walls in prep for them to be repainted, and found many other ways to not read. And it's a relatively slim novel at 200 pgs and some change. The conclusion I've come to is this: I should read not so good books more often. Did you see all the things I got done while avoiding reading this book when I normally would have been reading?! It's not that the story wasn't good, it's just that I felt very detached from the whole thing. It was a story told from a very detached point of view. I know it was meant to be quippy and sharp, but it fell flat for me. The ending was awful and incomplete. I've also decided that my sweet friend and I have very different opinions on what makes a good book. That's ok. I still love her, but don't know how many books of hers I will read in the near future. **Not that anyone would read this after that glowing recommendation, but just in case I've made you curious-there is language and sex. Not extremely graphic sex, but it's there.**
carolsnotebook's review against another edition
4.0
Gangster, diamonds, love and death. What's not to enjoy?
xxlua's review
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape
lauriereadslohf's review against another edition
3.0
This is a book I wouldn't normally choose on my own but I stumbled across an unabridged audio version at the library and it caught my attention.
It tells the story of a mob enforcer named Henry who has a weakness for beautiful women. That weakness is his downfall when it lands him on the run with a suitcase full of stolen diamonds called "The Planets". Then the book takes an entirely different turn and actually felt like a different book when the author jumps back into the past and introduces a 15 year old girl named Grace. Grace has a disturbing event happen to her which molds her world view. Now she is determined to be a good, moral person. Several years later she is working at a car wash when she spots Henry and knows instantly that he is the man for her. The two then go on an adventure dropping diamonds off to those they deem worthy as they travel.
This is a quirky read with dark edges. Initially, the quirkiness reminded me a little of Christopher Moore but as the book limped on I realized it wasn't anything near a Moore book. Midway through it lost steam and my interest waned. The humor was not there and the characters did some things that just didn't ring true to character. And the end, ugh, completely annoying to me. . .
It tells the story of a mob enforcer named Henry who has a weakness for beautiful women. That weakness is his downfall when it lands him on the run with a suitcase full of stolen diamonds called "The Planets". Then the book takes an entirely different turn and actually felt like a different book when the author jumps back into the past and introduces a 15 year old girl named Grace. Grace has a disturbing event happen to her which molds her world view. Now she is determined to be a good, moral person. Several years later she is working at a car wash when she spots Henry and knows instantly that he is the man for her. The two then go on an adventure dropping diamonds off to those they deem worthy as they travel.
This is a quirky read with dark edges. Initially, the quirkiness reminded me a little of Christopher Moore but as the book limped on I realized it wasn't anything near a Moore book. Midway through it lost steam and my interest waned. The humor was not there and the characters did some things that just didn't ring true to character. And the end, ugh, completely annoying to me. . .
tachyondecay's review
3.0
This is an adorable book. I don’t know why it hasn’t received more attention, though looking at other reviews, it seems that most people didn’t find it as charming as I did—or at least, that charm didn’t outweigh perceived faults in David Schickler’s writing.
The premise of Sweet and Vicious is simple: it’s a gangster romance road trip black comedy.
Gangster: Henry Dante is one of Honey Pobrinkis’ best thugs—though he hasn’t had to kill anyone yet. But when Honey’s nephew threatens an innocent woman while on a job, something in Henry snaps. He betrays the Pobrinkis clan, making off with the diamonds they were sent to collect on Honey’s behalf. Now he’s a wanted man.
Romance: Grace McGlone is an odd kid. Her religious mother is obsessed with evangelists on the radio, particularly Betram Block. Somewhere along the way, Grace goes from rejecting religion to a curious convert—she’s “trying for heaven” in the “celibate until marriage” way, but after walking through an automatic car wash and jumping in Henry’s truck to run away from home, Grace seems to be more on a literal journey than a spiritual one.
Road trip: Henry and Grace tour through a couple of midwest states as they attempt to elude Honey’s pursuit and give away the diamonds Henry stole. Along the way they encounter your standard cast of quirky road trip characters who help Henry and Grace Learn a Lesson.
Black comedy: Everyone dies. Well, OK, not everyone dies. But without spoiling it, a significant number of the main cast dies. This isn’t the blackest of black comedies—think more a charcoal than jet. Really, though, that’s the only way to do humour with gangsters—you can’t ignore the reality that, at the end of the day, Honey is this guy who kills people and steals things. Gangsters, even sympathetic ones like Henry, are objectively not nice people. So when you want to tell a funny gangster story, your comedy needs that dark edge to it.
The power comes from the unexpected sources of darkness. The title, Sweet and Vicious, comes from a phrase Henry utters to himself. He’s describing Grace and himself: she’s the sweet one, and he’s the vicious thug. Or are they? As the story develops, Grace seems to have a vicious streak centred on Bertram Block—and Henry’s inherent sweetness is visible ever since he throws it all over for Helena Chalk.
I appreciate, too, that this book does not overstay its welcome. It is a short and sweet little story. Even still the first part lingers a little longer than it could, but I’d argue that the action-packed last chapter, with its precarious and enthralling climax, more than makes up for earlier indiscretions. You could easily read this in an afternoon and be none the worse for it.
The writing could be better, sure. I mean, with characters like “Honey Pobrinkis” and “Grace McGlone” and “Bertram Block” you have to recognize the aesthetic Schickler is going for here—and arguably it takes even more work to come up with such caricatures. The name “Honey Pobrinkis” isn’t just arbitrarily chosen as a funny-sounding name for a gangster. Many gangsters have sweet-sounding nicknames belied by their cruelty. Schickler carefully calibrates this nickname, even going so far as to divulge backstory for it.
So I give this book four stars for the same reason I give Animorphs novels four stars: the story is the thing. Even amidst bad writing, if your story tickles me, you’ve got me. I’m not saying I’d marry Sweet and Vicious, but I’d swipe right.
And that’s as close as I’ll likely ever get to a casual hook-up.
The premise of Sweet and Vicious is simple: it’s a gangster romance road trip black comedy.
Gangster: Henry Dante is one of Honey Pobrinkis’ best thugs—though he hasn’t had to kill anyone yet. But when Honey’s nephew threatens an innocent woman while on a job, something in Henry snaps. He betrays the Pobrinkis clan, making off with the diamonds they were sent to collect on Honey’s behalf. Now he’s a wanted man.
Romance: Grace McGlone is an odd kid. Her religious mother is obsessed with evangelists on the radio, particularly Betram Block. Somewhere along the way, Grace goes from rejecting religion to a curious convert—she’s “trying for heaven” in the “celibate until marriage” way, but after walking through an automatic car wash and jumping in Henry’s truck to run away from home, Grace seems to be more on a literal journey than a spiritual one.
Road trip: Henry and Grace tour through a couple of midwest states as they attempt to elude Honey’s pursuit and give away the diamonds Henry stole. Along the way they encounter your standard cast of quirky road trip characters who help Henry and Grace Learn a Lesson.
Black comedy: Everyone dies. Well, OK, not everyone dies. But without spoiling it, a significant number of the main cast dies. This isn’t the blackest of black comedies—think more a charcoal than jet. Really, though, that’s the only way to do humour with gangsters—you can’t ignore the reality that, at the end of the day, Honey is this guy who kills people and steals things. Gangsters, even sympathetic ones like Henry, are objectively not nice people. So when you want to tell a funny gangster story, your comedy needs that dark edge to it.
The power comes from the unexpected sources of darkness. The title, Sweet and Vicious, comes from a phrase Henry utters to himself. He’s describing Grace and himself: she’s the sweet one, and he’s the vicious thug. Or are they? As the story develops, Grace seems to have a vicious streak centred on Bertram Block—and Henry’s inherent sweetness is visible ever since he throws it all over for Helena Chalk.
I appreciate, too, that this book does not overstay its welcome. It is a short and sweet little story. Even still the first part lingers a little longer than it could, but I’d argue that the action-packed last chapter, with its precarious and enthralling climax, more than makes up for earlier indiscretions. You could easily read this in an afternoon and be none the worse for it.
The writing could be better, sure. I mean, with characters like “Honey Pobrinkis” and “Grace McGlone” and “Bertram Block” you have to recognize the aesthetic Schickler is going for here—and arguably it takes even more work to come up with such caricatures. The name “Honey Pobrinkis” isn’t just arbitrarily chosen as a funny-sounding name for a gangster. Many gangsters have sweet-sounding nicknames belied by their cruelty. Schickler carefully calibrates this nickname, even going so far as to divulge backstory for it.
So I give this book four stars for the same reason I give Animorphs novels four stars: the story is the thing. Even amidst bad writing, if your story tickles me, you’ve got me. I’m not saying I’d marry Sweet and Vicious, but I’d swipe right.
And that’s as close as I’ll likely ever get to a casual hook-up.
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