susannederstein's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
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
3.0
read this for a class on psychopaths and had to rate / diagnose Lilly and Roy. overall was easy-ish to read (language wise) and quite entertaining. at some times confusing. would have liked to see more of carol. generally, writing style was okay.
teejayniu's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kateyasmin's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
johnnyb1954's review against another edition
3.0
Just okay. The back story about Moira and the Farmer was ridiculous. The subplot with the nurse Carol was anti-Semitic and Willy unnecessary. The end was good and bad.
eggp's review against another edition
4.0
Money and ladies
there's never enough for Roy
starved of mommy's love.
there's never enough for Roy
starved of mommy's love.
jorgegamboa's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mel_d's review against another edition
3.0
There were individual scenes that were pure awesomeness. So vivid, I was seeing actually seeing them. The writing was great too. The characters were really interesting, although some times inexplicable (eg Roy's reaction to Carol's revelations and her disappearance off of the face of the book). The only thing keeping me from giving the book another star is that, despite the greatness of the pieces (scenes, characters, subplots), as a whole, it was sort of disparate. This was the main reason that I wasn't drawn into it sooner and I didn't enjoyed it more.
shirezu's review against another edition
4.0
The Grifters is the story of Roy Dillon con-artist specialising in short, quick scams, the son of Lilly, who is a con-srtist of a different type, working on horse betting, long-term scams.
After leaving home and traveling the country picking up money by the time the story kicks in Roy is based out of L.A. having successfully staying in one place long-term while still being able to run his cons. After a near brush with death Roy begins reconsidering his chosen life. At the same time he's dealing with his mother and his sometimes girlfriend, Moira, an older woman who unbeknownst to Roy is also a con artist.
It was interesting to read a noir novel based in the 60's and Roy was the perfect lead character plus two femme fatales. The ending was a great twist and the book was good from start to finish. I would have liked to have seen more of Roy doing his cons though and the whole Carol section was a little odd. It felt like an unfinished idea. I believe they dropped it from the film version and I can understand why. I really want to see the film now, I can't really picture John Cusack as Roy. A good book, worth reading.
After leaving home and traveling the country picking up money by the time the story kicks in Roy is based out of L.A. having successfully staying in one place long-term while still being able to run his cons. After a near brush with death Roy begins reconsidering his chosen life. At the same time he's dealing with his mother and his sometimes girlfriend, Moira, an older woman who unbeknownst to Roy is also a con artist.
It was interesting to read a noir novel based in the 60's and Roy was the perfect lead character plus two femme fatales. The ending was a great twist and the book was good from start to finish. I would have liked to have seen more of Roy doing his cons though and the whole Carol section was a little odd. It felt like an unfinished idea. I believe they dropped it from the film version and I can understand why. I really want to see the film now, I can't really picture John Cusack as Roy. A good book, worth reading.