Helpful Score: 6
I finished this book a few minutes ago and am already bereft that it isnt there for me to return to this afternoon. I typically prefer a linear story - or thought I did. I guess any writer can do that; but it takes a true master to so successfully weave the present into the past into the present as Tom Franklin has done here. The result is as intricately beautiful as a French braid. I'm going to have to track down which book actually won the Edgar Award for Best Novel (for which this book was nominated). It is difficult to imagine there was a better one in 2010 - or just about any other year in recent literary history. I have one bookcase (in a home lined with bookshelves on all three floors) where I keep "my classics" -- Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter is already there.
Helpful Score: 5
This is the first book I've read by Tom Franklin, and was intrigued enough to look for more. This is a mystery involving a series of murders in the present day, which brings back recollections of a long-past murder suspect (a white man), and his nearly forgotten friendship with the black man who is now the police constable.
Being a northern-raised Yankee, I felt a little out of my element with the rural Mississippi setting, and felt like the flashbacks to 1980 could have been 1950 for the backward racist element, but I suppose a little culture-shock might be good for some of us. The plot was well-done, and the book as a whole was one I can highly recommend.
Being a northern-raised Yankee, I felt a little out of my element with the rural Mississippi setting, and felt like the flashbacks to 1980 could have been 1950 for the backward racist element, but I suppose a little culture-shock might be good for some of us. The plot was well-done, and the book as a whole was one I can highly recommend.
Helpful Score: 4
I could not put this book down. It is every bit as wonderful as all the reviews say it is. It cannot be labeled by genre, as it is more than a murder mystery. It is also a beautiful, sad and poignant story about friendship, racism, isolation and loneliness. It is beautifully written literary fiction, with a terrific cast of characters and a vivid sense of place. Very highly recommend.
Helpful Score: 2
I understand why this book has received high praise - it is well written and deals with "heavy" issues. It's a fairly quick read and kept my interest. It is one of those books you appreciate having read, but it is not a cheery story and I can't picture wanting to re-read.
Helpful Score: 1
I finished this book only because I kept thinking it would get better, much better. It was written in such a manner that it was so slow and not in the least bit exciting. I am often duped by those books with all the hype of being such a tremendous read, this one to me fell completely flat, not worth the time.
