**I received a free advance copy of this book from Goodreads First Reads for the purpose of reviewing it.**
DETAILS: Live by Night by Dennis Lehane. EXPECTED PUBLICATION: October 2, 2012. Historical crime fiction.
SUMMARY: In this sequel to The Given Day, Thomas Coughlin's youngest son Joe strays from the family path of law enforcement and becomes an outlaw and gangster in Prohibition-era Boston and Tampa.
PROS: This is a very good gangster book that could rival any others. Mr. Lehane once again proves to be a master storyteller. I enjoyed this one more than it's prequel, The Given Day, both because I liked the character of Joe better than the characters in the other book, and because I felt the book had a bit more polish. In The Given Day, I felt like it could have used a bit of trimming but this book was better paced. The setting and characters satisfied any craving I would have for a good 1920's gangster book without resorting to the millions of cliches that setting has created over the years.
CONS: Without giving anything away, let me just say I didn't particularly like the ending, but it wasn't bad enough to detract from the rest of the book and also could probably be justified. Also, and this is only sort of a con, Mr. Lehane once again demonstrates his almost-endearing habit of finding ever-more-creative ways to describe colors. Although, to be honest, I rather like this vice of his.
BOTTOM LINE: Top-notch gangster book with almost a literary bent to it. Five stars out of five.
Showing posts with label The Given Day. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Given Day. Show all posts
Monday, August 6, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Book Review: The Given Day
DETAILS: The Given Day by Dennis Lehane. Copyright 2008. Historical fiction.
SUMMARY: Two families, one black and one white, struggle to live and love in the chaos and uncertainty in the US following World War I.
PROS: Excellently written with engaging, sharp characters and a very human plot, Mr. Lehane has created a very readable book. I loved the setting and I learned a lot about the racial attitudes and the political climate of the time that I didn't know.
CONS: There were a few parts toward the end that I felt dragged a little. I felt that the book could have been better if it had been tightened up a little.
BOTTOM LINE: I enjoyed this one very much and I am looking forward to the sequel, Live by Night which comes out October 2, 2012 and which I won on Goodreads.com. Four stars out of five.
SUMMARY: Two families, one black and one white, struggle to live and love in the chaos and uncertainty in the US following World War I.
PROS: Excellently written with engaging, sharp characters and a very human plot, Mr. Lehane has created a very readable book. I loved the setting and I learned a lot about the racial attitudes and the political climate of the time that I didn't know.
CONS: There were a few parts toward the end that I felt dragged a little. I felt that the book could have been better if it had been tightened up a little.
BOTTOM LINE: I enjoyed this one very much and I am looking forward to the sequel, Live by Night which comes out October 2, 2012 and which I won on Goodreads.com. Four stars out of five.
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