moogen's review against another edition
3.0
A good plot and beautifully drawn characters but the pacing was all out of whack. This book didn't know if it wanted to be a languid meditation on small town Mississippi or a cracking crime novel. I found myself constantly being held back by day to day minutiae when I wanted to sprint. Frustrating but with many redeeming points.
obscuredbyclouds's review against another edition
3.0
As a crime novel this was pretty boring and predictable, but the writing was good enough and the characters interesting enough to make this an entertaining read anyway. I found it quite atmospheric. (Heads up for descriptions for some pretty nasty racism, in case you're sensitive to reading about that.)
jennyxnt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
jenmat1197's review against another edition
4.0
This is the story of two childhood friends - Larry Ott and Silas Jones. They both grew up in rural Missisippi - one a son of lower middle class parents and one the son of a poor single mother. They would meet secretly in the woods to shoot and play together. But tragedy struck when Larry took a local girl on a date and she never returned. Larry was blamed for her death and disappearance even thought the girl was never found. Their friendship fell apart and Silas moved away.
20 years later, Silas has returned to the same town as a constable. Larry, who never got out from under the charges, is a mechanic with no friends and no customers. Silas has been avoiding Larry, even though Larry continues to call to talk to him. Then another girl disappears, and because her body is found on Larry's property, Larry is blamed again. Silas is involved in solving the case so he is forced to relive his past that he has buried deep for so long.
This was a pretty good book. I had a little trouble getting into it, but once the mystery of the girl's disappearance started to take shape, the book picked up. It has some surprising twists that I didn't see coming, and that helped. The name of the book comes from the way kids in Mississippi are taught to spell Mississippi. (M-I-crooked letter-crooked letter - I- crooked letter-crooked letter-I-humpback-humpback - I).
I recommend the book. Give it a try.
20 years later, Silas has returned to the same town as a constable. Larry, who never got out from under the charges, is a mechanic with no friends and no customers. Silas has been avoiding Larry, even though Larry continues to call to talk to him. Then another girl disappears, and because her body is found on Larry's property, Larry is blamed again. Silas is involved in solving the case so he is forced to relive his past that he has buried deep for so long.
This was a pretty good book. I had a little trouble getting into it, but once the mystery of the girl's disappearance started to take shape, the book picked up. It has some surprising twists that I didn't see coming, and that helped. The name of the book comes from the way kids in Mississippi are taught to spell Mississippi. (M-I-crooked letter-crooked letter - I- crooked letter-crooked letter-I-humpback-humpback - I).
I recommend the book. Give it a try.
milli06's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
stephgregerson's review against another edition
4.0
I don't usually read these kinds of books, but my book club was reading it. The characters definitely pulled at my heartstrings. I would recommend it to others.
annebennett1957's review against another edition
3.0
A good, solid mystery with a cast of quirky characters.
isabell_dtr's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
marissax22's review against another edition
5.0
I throughly adored this book (I finished it in one day!) The entire story blended together so beautifully. The characters each had their own distinctive personalities. I think it gave a really fascinating look on prejudice and shows how that even simple false accusations can totally ruin a person’s life.
ironiechen's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25