Helpful Score: 1
Lansdale is one of my most recent discoveries. To me, he is one of the finest American writers of the 21st century. The Bottoms, what I would call a "coming of age" drama, is a book that will always hold a special place in my heart. And his Hap and Leonard series, although not for the faint of heart, are absolutely hilarious! If you're reading them on a plane, make sure you have an aisle seat. I've laughed so hard reading the antics that those two get into, that on several occasions I've nearly lost control of all those important little muscles that we have south of the border.
BUT, Freezer Burn is in a class of its own. It starts out as a kind of Texas mystery. Lansdale loves Eastern Texas! Then you're in the midst of a freak show with a lot of fairly graphic sex and an Ice Man thrown in. The jokes abound and all of a sudden, Lansdale slams you with sudden drama and what I thought was a very philosophical ending. I wish I belonged to a book club just so I could mull over this book. It is that provocative. If you have never read Lansdale, this is NOT for beginners.....
BUT, Freezer Burn is in a class of its own. It starts out as a kind of Texas mystery. Lansdale loves Eastern Texas! Then you're in the midst of a freak show with a lot of fairly graphic sex and an Ice Man thrown in. The jokes abound and all of a sudden, Lansdale slams you with sudden drama and what I thought was a very philosophical ending. I wish I belonged to a book club just so I could mull over this book. It is that provocative. If you have never read Lansdale, this is NOT for beginners.....
You either like Lansdale, or you don\'t. I do. A fun read.
A very talented writer. I'll be on the lookout for more of his work.
Reminded me of "The Postman Always Rings Twice"
If you are easily offended by graphic descriptions of sex & violence, copious profanity, and/or circus freaks then this book is definitely not for you. However, if you've ever read any of Lansdale's work, especially his wonderful Hap & Leonard series, then you'll appreciate this as classic Lansdale at his rude, crude, politically incorrect, boundary pushing best.
Joe R. Lansdale is one of my favorite authors. I got hooked on him when I read his Hap and Leonard series and his other books have all been just as good.
This book is told from the POV of Biil Roberts . Bill doesn't have much going for him. He lives with his mom. She died recently but he doesn't tell anyone and instead leaves her rotting corpse in her bedroom. Because he cant forge her signature, he can't cash her social security checks and he is now out of food and money. He hatches a plan to get more money and things go from bad to worse. He eventually comes upon a freak show / carnival and the majority of the book details his experiences from that point forward.
Lansdale is truly gifted in his descriptions of people and places. The majority of the characters in this book are truly freaks of nature and you will envision them all clearly! my favorite part of his writing is his sense of humor and this story is full of funny situations.
I definitely recommend this one!
This book is told from the POV of Biil Roberts . Bill doesn't have much going for him. He lives with his mom. She died recently but he doesn't tell anyone and instead leaves her rotting corpse in her bedroom. Because he cant forge her signature, he can't cash her social security checks and he is now out of food and money. He hatches a plan to get more money and things go from bad to worse. He eventually comes upon a freak show / carnival and the majority of the book details his experiences from that point forward.
Lansdale is truly gifted in his descriptions of people and places. The majority of the characters in this book are truly freaks of nature and you will envision them all clearly! my favorite part of his writing is his sense of humor and this story is full of funny situations.
I definitely recommend this one!
If you are easily offended by graphic descriptions of sex & violence, copious profanity, and/or circus freaks then this book is definitely not for you. However, if you've ever read any of Lansdale's work, especially his wonderful Hap & Leonard series, then you'll appreciate this as classic Lansdale at his rude, crude, politically incorrect, boundary pushing best.
I recently started watching and enjoying Hap and Leonard, a TV series based on the novels by Joe Lansdale. I haven't read any of the series but this is the second of his other novels that I have read and I definitely want more!
This is the story of Bill Roberts who was living with his dead mother, afraid to try to forge her signature on her Social Security checks, and who decides to rob a firecracker stand across the highway from his house. He enlists the help of a couple of ne'er-do-well friends and things go downhill from there. The robbery ends up with the store clerk and both friends dead and the money in the bottom of the Sabine river. Bill is on the run through the swamp and ends up at a carnival/freak show with his mosquito-bitten head making him look like one of the freaks. He makes friends with the owner, who has a hand growing out of his chest, and seems to fit right in with the pinheads, pumpkin heads, bearded lady, and the dog-man. But then he gets involved with the owner's wife, Gidget, who had a plan for her and Bill to take over the carnival. Well, you know that this is not going to end well, and of course it doesn't! This novel seems to be a parody of the controversial movie from the 30's, Freaks and I really enjoyed every bizarre bit of it! Will be reading more of Lansdale.
This is the story of Bill Roberts who was living with his dead mother, afraid to try to forge her signature on her Social Security checks, and who decides to rob a firecracker stand across the highway from his house. He enlists the help of a couple of ne'er-do-well friends and things go downhill from there. The robbery ends up with the store clerk and both friends dead and the money in the bottom of the Sabine river. Bill is on the run through the swamp and ends up at a carnival/freak show with his mosquito-bitten head making him look like one of the freaks. He makes friends with the owner, who has a hand growing out of his chest, and seems to fit right in with the pinheads, pumpkin heads, bearded lady, and the dog-man. But then he gets involved with the owner's wife, Gidget, who had a plan for her and Bill to take over the carnival. Well, you know that this is not going to end well, and of course it doesn't! This novel seems to be a parody of the controversial movie from the 30's, Freaks and I really enjoyed every bizarre bit of it! Will be reading more of Lansdale.
Mystery with weird overtones. Always a darkly amusing writer
