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1 of 1 members found this review helpful.a few words tell a whopper of a story
“I wasn't intending on reading the entire book in one sitting, but I ended up doing so, simply because I couldn't put it down. I loved the succinct writing that left no opportunity for meandering but manages also to avoid confusing the reader. I loved Grandfather and wished he had lived longer to tell more of his story :) I wanted to rebel alongside her and have a beer with the husband and race with them on the track. I also wanted to punch one or two of them in the story but that's how real they were.... Great debut novel by a great writer and I too eagerly await his next novel. ”
An amazon user wrote this on 2009-02-01. -
Fresh, engaging book--would make a great movie!
“What a find! This book has beautifully drawn, believable characters, gripping plotlines, and clean, elegant prose. And it begs to be a movie--great female characters, the whole story about Maddy as a woman driver in the early days of NASCAR, Holly's relationship with her grandfather, etc.”
An amazon user wrote this on 2007-12-12. -
3 of 3 members found this review helpful.
Incredibly satisfying read
“Allison's writing is so clean, precise and unobtrusive that I nearly had the first chapter read before leaving the bookstore. I most enjoyed the shifting perspectives from one family member to another as the story unfolded among multiple family members. ”
An amazon user wrote this on 2007-12-02. -
3 of 3 members found this review helpful.
What are they up to now?
“This novel will leave you thinking, as it does what good writing should: its characters seem even more real than the folks next door. Allison tells his story--and it's a good story--through multiple viewpoints and styles. This might muddle things in less capable hands, but in Allison's it only deepens the experience. His writing stays clear throughout, almost breathable. It made the getting to know his people all that much easier and enjoyable.
An amazon user wrote this on 2007-08-17.
Novels that stick with me produce one commmon effect: I recognize I've reached the end of the story (because of that feeling that this particular ending is the only way it could end), but nonetheless want to know what happened to the characters afterwards. I've been thoroughly involved in what's happening to them, a top-shelf experience to have as a reader.
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3 of 3 members found this review helpful.
Pitch Perfect
“What You Have Left is like a perfect pop song. The kind that you crank up on a bright summer day as you roll down the windows, step on the gas, and see what that baby can do. Like those summertime songs, this book is infectious, with no fatty in the patty.
An amazon user wrote this on 2007-07-25.
The characters are vividly drawn, but the prose is so smooth as to be invisible. It's like I didn't read the story at all; I mainlined it. But don't confuse "pop" with "simple." This book is smart. Complex as the human heart. And that's Will Allison's best trick. Making this whole writing game seem easy as ice cream.
THE book of the summer.
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